History of American Eagle HOG Chapter

Year Seven (2008) narrative

by Patty "Buffy" Ryan

By December 1, 2008, membership in the American Eagle HOG Chapter (“AEHOG”) grew to 421 Members riding strong.  The 2008 Officer Team consisted of:

The Sixth Annual Brass Monkey Ride was held on January 1, 2008.  A large group of hearty riders left the dealership at 11:00 a.m., on their way to Steve and Kellie Long’s house for lunch.  After that, it was off to Ted and Marybeth Linich’s house for desserts, a 50/50 drawing, and prizes.  

January 4, 2008, marked the date of the first Meet and Greet Ride of the year, with a ride to The Point Restaurant in Lake Dallas.  This event is a way for new bike owners to learn about their local AEHOG Chapter and meet Officers and Road Captains.

On January 5th, we held our first LOH and General Chapter Meeting of the year. 

The Annual Chapter Chili Cook-Off was held on January 19, 2008.       Several teams competed for awards and began cooking their chili early on this cold morning.  The winning team went on to represent AEHOG in the Annual Southwest Regional Chili Cook-Off later this year.         

LOH ladies sponsored a Charity Blanket Ride on January 26, 2008.   

The first lunch ride of 2008 was held on January 27, 2008.  Mike Schaneman led a group to Chinatown Café, Denton.   

As of January, 2008, there were 498 members.     

AEHOG members cannot seem to get enough Beads here in town, so it was off to Mardi Gras in Shreveport the weekend of February 2-3, to collect some more. 

LOH ladies sponsored a Polar Bear Ride on February 9 to Yesterday’s Restaurant in Bridgeport.  Brrr….

 February 23 marked the date of the Annual Southwest Regional HOG Chili Bowl, hosted by Panther Creek in Allen.  Unfortunately, the AEHOG Team did not win, but did put on a great show.       

Mike Schaneman led another Last Sunday Lunch ride on February 27.  The group went to the Golden Corral in Denton.

As of February, 2008, membership was 423 members.

 

March started off with a New Member Meet and Greet Ride to Carmelita’s Restaurant on the 7th, followed by our General Meeting and LOH Meeting on the 8th. 

On March 9, Marvin Waller led a group for lunch to Windy’s Catfish in Cartwright, OK.

On March 15-16, LOH women braved the cold for a ride to Granbury, TX, for the LOH “Ladies on Holiday” event.  As you can imagine, there was a lot of shopping, swimming, eating, and laughing. 

On March 30, the Last Sunday ride was to Loose Wheels in Sherman.

By the end of March, 2008, membership remained at 423 members.  

AEHOG sponsored a Fallen Angels Ride on April 5 to Hard Eight Restaurant in Stephenville.  Ride donations in memory of Karen Riley benefited the American Heart Association.

On April 13, a group of Eagles traveled to the Renaissance Festival “Scarborough Faire” in Waxahachie, TX. 

 It seemed like the entire Chapter was in Fredericksburg, TX, the weekend of April 18-20 for the Annual Wildflower Ride in the Texas Hill Country.  You just can’t beat those wonderful roads, good food, and fun.

There was a New Member Meet and Greet Ride to Carmelita’s Restaurant on April 25; followed by our Chapter Meeting and LOH Meeting on April 26.

AEHOG’s Last Sunday Lunch Ride was held April 27 with Mike Schaneman leading us to Lantana Lodge in Pilot Point.

On May 3, there was a great ride to Loco Coyote Grill in Glen Rose.

The ladies of LOH sponsored a Mother’s Day Ride to a “Mystery Location” in McKinney on May 11.

On May 18, Eagles attended a Rough Riders Game in Frisco, TX, and received special recognition.

This month’s Last Sunday Lunch Ride was held on May 25 at Christina’s Restaurant in Carrollton.

On May 31, 2008, AEHOG hosted Pass the Pigs, which ended for the first time at the dealership.  Proceeds of this successful event went to benefit the Cumberland Presbyterian Home.  

June 1, Holly and Larry Long led a ride to Hico “and Beyond.”

June 7, Eagles rode to lunch at 2 Frogs Grill in Ardmore, OK

 On June 14-15, many traveled to Marshall, TX, for a ride on the Graceful Ghost steamboat on Caddo Lake. 

On June 28, 31 bikes headed out on the fourth annual summer long distance trip, Grand Canyon Rendezvous.  The route took the riders a total of 3,100 miles to places such as Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde.

This month, the Last Sunday Lunch Ride, led by Mike Schaneman, was held on June 29 and headed to the Andrew’s in Argyle.

A New Member Meet and Greet Ride to Carmelita’s was held on July 11; followed by our General Meeting and LOH Meeting on July 12.

On July 14, LOH sponsored a Summer Heat lunch ride to Babe’s in Granbury.

Then on July 18, Head Road Captain Holly Long led Eagles on a Mystery Lunch Ride.

The Annual AEHOG Summer Picnic on July 27 was held at the Circle R Ranch in Flower Mound, TX.  Everyone had fun eating, swimming, playing games, and winning prizes.  

On August 10, LOH ladies enjoyed their annual swim party at Lisa Mauer’s house. 

The Annual Slider’s Ride to Oklahoma City, OK, was held on August 16-17. 

On the evening of August 23, the Annual Bug Run was held to determine who had the most impressive bug splats on their windshields.

On August 31, our Last Sunday Lunch Ride, led by Mike Schaneman, went to Lonesome Spur Café in Justin.

Another New Member Meet and Greet Ride to Carmelita’s Restaurant was held on September 5.

On September 6, 2008, AEHOG had its LOH and General Chapter meeting.

AEHOG held its First Annual Golf Scramble on September 7. 

The Last Sunday Lunch Ride of September was held on the 28th and went to Tierney’s Restaurant.

Many Eagles enjoyed a ride to BelAirs ‘n Burgers in Princeton on October 4.

October 11 found us at one of our favorite eating spots, Green Frogs’ Restaurant in Jacksboro.

On October 19, we hosted a Progressive Dinner/Poker Run, where members enjoyed appetizers, salads, and a main course and desserts, all at different houses.

Another great event was the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest, on October 25-26. 

Mike Schaneman again led a Last Sunday Lunch Ride on October 26 to Betty’s Café in Aubrey.     

A popular event was the Annual Fall Leaf Ride, held the weekend of November 7-9.  Ft. Smith, AR, was the destination this year, with some hosting by Pig Trail HD.    

A New Member Meet and Greet was held November 14; and the Chapter Meeting and LOH Meeting on November 15.

The LOH Breakfast and Tree Decorating party at the dealership was held on November 22.

Membership as of November, 2008, was 381.

On December 5, 2008, LOH ladies held their Annual Gift and Cookie Exchange at Carol Howell’s house.        

On December 13, 2008, Eagles rode to Cumberland Presbyterian Home for the American Eagle HD Angel Tree party.  Also that day, the Annual Holiday party was held at the Holiday Inn, Denton, TX.  The evening was filled with music, dancing, great food and fun, as well as awards and the introduction of the 2009 Officers.  

The 2009 Long Flyer Mileage Award Winners were announced at the Holiday Party.  Congratulations to all the winners!  In the Women’s Division, 1st Place went to Lisa Mauer with 33,119 miles; Holly Long came in 2nd Place with 23,236 miles; and Tracey Witting placed 3rd with 22,694 miles.  In the Men’s Division, Al Taylor came in 1st Place with 40,991 miles; Glen Christopher placed 2nd with 33,648 miles; and Ray Caul placed 3rd with 32,421 miles.  202 participants rode a total of 2,004,880 miles this year, with 147 men riding 1,552,671 miles and 55 women riding 452,209 miles.      

The Lone Star Challenge was again a great success this year.  Members traveled to specific locations at the far corners of Texas and had their pictures taken with their bikes at such hopping places as Dime Box, Lipan, Oatmeal, and Hidalgo.  Congratulations to all who completed this tough challenge this year. 

Congratulations to AEHOG for exceeding its challenge of TWO MILLION MILES in 2008!