Brooklyn Pays Tribute To The Memory Of 9-11

During the month of September many organizations, groups and clubs hold runs and or events to commemorate all those who perished on 9-11-01. Jr., the owner of Brooklyn Harley-Davidson in Brooklyn, NY has donated his time and his shop to welcome the riders of both the Lilly Lake Rescue Co. 2 Ride and The 911 Memorial Run. On Saturday, September 11th the 911 memorial ride, which arrives by mid-afternoon from Michigan, brought in over 3,000 bikes. This run was founded in 2001, by Tattoo Bob. Some of you may find the name familiar, he is also the same person who rides the 911 tribute Harley-Davidson dresser, which was airbrushed with beautiful and touching images of the tragic days events. Bob’s bike was featured on the cover of our August 2004 issue and was also featured in one of our Men Who Ride layouts last year.

Upon their arrival, Jr. welcomed the riders with live music, plenty of barbecue and ice cold beverages. The Chaplin from the local NYPD led us in prayer. Afterward Bob took the mic to say a few words. The rider’s trip was long and tiresome, but was also saddened when one of their brothers went down while in route to Brooklyn. He was admitted to the hospital, but his prognosis for a full recovery is expected. The Brooklyn HOG Chapter was in attendance and I finally had the opportunity to meet face to face with Bobby “Santa” Colon. Bobby is a member of the Brooklyn HOG Chapter and has been playing Santa Claus for many years. We have talked on the phone and emailed each other many times. His beard is real and so is his warm, jolly and good-natured spirit. He speaks seven languages and if they ever do a remake of Miracle on 34th Street, I have their Santa.

Pauline Ticone, who is the president of the Brooklyn HOG Chapter, was kept busy with greeting folks and riders, while taking the mic for periodic introductions. She did a great job as master of ceremonies and made sure when making special introductions, she didn’t leave anyone out. I was able to stop Jr. for about a second to say “Hi”. As usual, he was running around overseeing the day’s festivities and of course, he never hesitates to help a rider, whose bike is in need of mechanical expertise. And if I didn’t find him under a bike, then I found him on top of the roof helping Full Throttle photographers set up for that perfect shot of the crowd. The store was swarmed with shoppers, who were exiting with bags filled with new MotorClothes® Merchandise and just about anything else one could find in a Harley shop. The staff was kept busy by these mad shoppers, but I managed to get their attention long enough to chat for a few moments.

The streets were lined with bikes and riders for many blocks, thank God Jr. had a staff of guys led by Sam, the VP of Brooklyn HOG, who were helping direct riders where to park, while also directing local traffic. Although there were some delays on Ft. Hamilton Parkway, the crew managed to keep traffic moving in an orderly fashion. By late afternoon, the riders took off for their scheduled ride to the World Trade Center. I know most folks refer to this site as Ground Zero, but two years ago, on the 1st Anniversary of 911, we did our 911 Tribute Edition and while interviewing many firefighters that were called to duty that day, I found they felt calling it Ground Zero was something they could not bring themselves to do. Many felt that it was and will always be to them “The World Trade Center”.I can relate to their feelings and since then, every time I type or say Ground Zero, I catch myself thinking of those conversations.

Sunday brought yet another entourage of riders, who were riding in memory of 911 and the Billy Lake Scholarship fund. Jr. again rolled out the red carpet and played host to these dedicated riders. As you may know Billy Lake was a member of Rescue Co. 2, who perished on 911. His brothers organized this ride and set up the scholarship fund in memory of Billy, to help give underprivileged kids a chance to go to college. The proceeds collected over the two days of events were tallied at over $15,000. Part of these proceeds will also be donated to the Rusty Staub fund, which supports the Firemen’s Widow and Orphans Fund. Brooklyn Harley-Davidson would like to thank Pauline & Sam Ticone, Tattoo Bob, Brooklyn HOG and all those who participated in these events and to everyone, who helped organize and coordinate the weekend’s memorials.