WINGS Over The Smokies® 2015 Back To Our Roots The Repeat Blue Ridge Parkway Hatteras Lighthouse Tweetsie Railroad Carowinds USS North Carolina North Carolina District News December 2014 I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. We SUPPORT and THANK ALL our service men and women. 2 3 4 District Directors Bob (Goose) and Dorothy (Mrs.Goose) Richards Asst. District Directors - East Bobby and Susan Womack Asst. District Director - Central Libby Jennings Asst. District Directors - West Mike and Lynn Humphries District Educators Susan and George Huttman Vacant Asst. District Educators Sid and Terry Chambers District Treasurers Bev and Ron Chapman District Leadership Trainers District Care Bear Susan Harden District Vendor Coordinators Don and Susan Harden District MEPC Robert and Donna Ferguson District Webmaster William Prince District Goody Sales Tony and Rita White 5 District Newsletter Editors Steve and Mary Craig District COY 2014-15 Roy and Cindy Bryant We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. North Carolina District Director Bob (Goose) and Dorothy Richards ishing the kitchen cabinet doors etc. What about goals at work such as taking a public speaking class since you are taking on a supervisory job, re-arranging the business warehouse to improve production, etc. There are also goals relating to GWRRA. Goals such as getting more involved in your chapter, planning a ride schedule for the entire year or stepping up to an officer position etc. Just looking at the various goals I have mentioned above you can now see why you need to write them down. It lets you know what goals you have met. Were you only able to get some special time with your spouse every two months instead of each month? Did you save that $1,000 each month or just $500? What projects around the house did you complete or did you procrastinate for another year? Did that re-arrangement of the warehouse take place or get pushed off for another year? Did you get more involved with you GWRRA chapter? Not meeting your goals is not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe you set your goals too high. Maybe your goals were not met because you need to become more organized in your approach to getting things done. What I am saying is that there are positive things that can come out of not meeting your goals that will help you in the future. You need to take the time and self-evaluate yourself and see if the way you approach things needs tweaking or a change. As the year end approaches be sure and make your number one goal to make more quality time for you and your spouse, children and grandchildren. While I mention all of the above goals family comes first. Dorothy & I would like to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. NC G W RR A Since it is nearing the end of the year it is a good time to review your goals for this past year. First, did you write them down from last year? If you didn’t you should have and here is the reason why. When they are written down you can go back at the end of each year and see exactly what you wanted to accomplish or do during the year. If you have many goals like most of us you cannot remember every goal that you set for yourself. So what kind of goals am I talking about? Some are personal such as spend more time with your spouse. This can be a quiet romantic dinner for just the two of you once a month – no friends, family members, children or grandchildren. What about a goal of putting $1,000 of your monthly pay check away to begin a nest egg for you and your spouse’s retirement. How about a goal of fixing up something around your house that you have been putting off for years such as updating your bathroom, putting a new deck on the back of your house, painting the kitchen, refin- G W RR NC A 6 We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. NC Assistant District Director - East Bobby and Susan Womack Hello Fellow Wingers, What a great event we had on Saturday at the O’ Berry Center. We were really concerned the weather was not going to hold out for us to have the parade. Jeff from the O’ Berry Center, Mitch and the members of K2 got it revved up quickly even Santa had a good ride. Every member there plays their own part in making the event a huge success. There are always a few who are there at five in the morning. This time we had a few people who stayed when everything was done and helped us pack up. Again, thank you. We had fun serving you too. We were glad to have the addition of ice cream donated by Food Lion and Lowes Foods in Sanford. Thank you for your contribu- tions to the O’ Berry Center. We did not have as many events this year in the East so the grand total was really impressive. We are here to ride our motorcycles and have fun but to give something to those special folks is always going to be on top of our list. If you have visited fifteen or more chapters this year give your chapter director all your member visitation cards. Also make sure you have given all the red chapter cards to your chapter director. We did collect some of the cards from chapter directors at the O’ Berry Center but any chapter director may mail them to our home address. Bobby will be sending out the information in an email. We enjoy serving you and are looking forward to Wings over the Smokies® 2015. We have registra- 7 tion flyers and the information will be online soon. The 2015 40th Anniversary Goldwing and Buschtec Trailer are all lined up. Your Chapter Directors have been assigned grand prize tickets to distribute to chapter members to sell. Support your rally by buying and selling tickets and by sharing Wings over the Smokies with your community. Thank you all again for the fellowship, helping hands and love you continually share with one another Bobby and Susan Womack ADDs of the East We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. NC Assistant District Director - Central Libby Jennings Gifts on Cycles Oh what a joy to attend Gifts on Cycles at the Murdoch Center in Butner the first Saturday in December. If this doesn’t get you in the Christmas Spirit, nothing will. We seldom seem to get the weather to be nice and sunny at this event but we did have some ten (10) brave people that did ride their bikes and even had two (2) bikes from Virginia to join us and ride in the parade. I am sure the residents enjoyed seeing the bikes decorated and riding through. We had a low turnout this year but we felt the love and happiness of all that attended. We thank the residents there that entertained us with their playing of the piano and singing. O Holy Night was sung by one of the residents and you could see the excitement in everyone’s face. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to the staff and volunteers that help serve food, sell tickets, take pictures, leading the parade, doing registration and other little jobs I asked you to do. Also thanks to Santa Claus for visiting us and taking pictures with the chapter members and the residents. This event is not a district event, it is a chapter/ members event and you showed how much you care for this event this year. I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! You the members are what makes this a success each year. Soon this year will end. It has gone by really fast. Christmas is right around the corner and I want to Wish Each of You a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope everyone will be with your family and loved ones this holiday season. See you in 2015. Be Safe in your Travels, Libby Jennings Central – Assistant District Director NC Assistant District Director - West Mike and Lynn Humphries Lynn and I would like to thank all the chapters for helping and supporting Gifts on Cycles. It was a great day even though we didn't get to have the parade. I think the residents really enjoyed themselves. So Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. We couldn't get things done without the help of the chapter members. This year sure has flown by. It is Hope you all have a very Merry time to start getting ready for Christmas and a Happy New Year. Wings over the Smokies®. Don't forget we have the operations See you on the road, meeting on Jan. 31st. Mike and Lynn Humphries We hope that everyone had a good Thanksgiving, and is getting ready for Christmas and spending time with family and friends. 8 We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. North Carolina District Educators Susan and George Huttman To the NC District’s chapter educators who will be adding a “former” patch to their vests at the end of the year, our sincere thanks. Your willingness to serve your fellow chapter participants and share your commitment to education and best riding practices is important work and, even if just one rider or co-rider in your chapter became more aware and proficient you may have saved a life. Be proud of your time as chapter educator and continue to share your experience and knowledge with others because teaching and learning should be lifelong avocations. Along with the chapter educators I would like to take time to express my earnest appreciation to the rest of the members of the NC’s Rider Education Program team. Thank you Tom Scully, NC Motorist Awareness Coordinator and Linda Hojnacki, NC Medic First Aid Coordinator for ensuring the needs of our district’s GWRRA members were met. You consistently demonstrated the meaning of responsible volunteerism through your work ethic and dependable performance. A special thank you goes out to Carol Scully and Frank Hojnacki for their role in supporting their partner’s efforts. Sid Chambers, NC District Assistant Educator has been a key member of the REP team. His years of rider education and motorcycling experience have enhanced the program a great deal. Often behind the scenes, he has worked diligently to assist our educators with record keeping and reporting. Always willing to help, both Sid and his wife Terry have an unwavering belief in the value of our program and the critical difference it can make to our members. Sid has represented the district’s RE program admirably and will continue to serve NC GWRRA members in the coming year. Here are some examples of ways the NC Rider Education Program in North Carolina will be expanded in 2015: Parking Lot Practice facilitator training (spring 2015) will be conducted to develop opportunities for chapters to present a PLP in their area that every participating rider and co-rider can benefit from. GWRRA rider courses will be offered in all three areas (east-westcentral) of the NC District to make it possible for all interested riders and co-riders to participate at some point during the year. Chapter directors and educators will be provided with a comprehensive list and description of every RE seminar available which can be used to integrate training into gatherings and special events. More emphasis will be placed in the area of motorcycle awareness and how, by working with each other, we can create opportunities for more meaningful dialogs with the non-riding public. The RE break out session will be returning to the annual Operations meeting on Saturday, January 9 31st, 2015 at the Ramada Inn & Conference Center in Burlington. We will be installing six new chapter educators during the session and will join their fellow educators to review basic record keeping, database maintenance and scheduling techniques. Whether you are counted among those new to the educator’s position or have served as a CE for some time we encourage you to attend. It will be the best way to be sure you have the most current information about the Rider Education Program. An email will be forwarded to all chapter educators in early January asking you to forward any questions you may have about your position and the administration of your duties. We expect to find more than one CE may have a similar inquiry so we will compile the submissions and provide the answers during the break out session’s Q&A. We hope to hear from you. In closing we wish everyone the very best of the holiday season. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. Susan Huttman NC District Educator We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. North Carolina District MEPC Robert and Donna Ferguson THIS IS YOUR GWRRA Have you ever thought about why you joined GWRRA? What was it about GWRRA that drew you in? For some it was the thought of being a part of a group, riding with those that rode the same brand of motorcycle, or riding with those that you had shared interests with. For others, it was because of the fun, safety, and knowledge that GWRRA offers to its members. Now that you we have your thinking caps on, have you ever stopped to consider what it is that has kept you a part of GWRRA? What GWRRA benefit is the most important to you? As the District Membership Enhancement Coordinators, we want to know what benefits are most important to you. Whether you’re talking about MEPC, LTP, or Rider Ed, all of them have one GWRRA benefit in common; KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is something that not only makes us better riders and co-riders, but bet- ter individuals and adds value to our lives. It’s also what draws us together as a family. As we learn more about GWRRA, we learn more about ourselves. So what would you like to learn more about in GWRRA? There are many seminars that now fall under the Membership Enhancement Program which means we have a lot of information to share with our GWRRA family. One of our goals for 2015 is to hold a training class in each section of the state. We want to be able to reach as many members as possible and give an opportunity to learn more about GWRRA. In order to do that, we need to know what excites you about GWRRA. What facet of Membership Enhancement would you like to learn more about? We have started collecting this information by sending out a survey to the North Carolina membership. It is a short survey but if everyone takes just a few minutes to answer it, then we will know what benefits you, the members want to know 10 more about. If you have not received the survey, please let us know so that we can update your email address and send it to you. We care about the membership of GWRRA and want to know what you think. Without the members, GWRRA would not exist but without the knowledge that GWRRA offers us, we would not be the riders and co-riders that we are today. Remember, this is your opinion, it your voice, it’s your GWRRA! Ride Safe! Ride Often! Ride Together! Robert and Donna Ferguson NC District Membership Enhancement Program Coordinators We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. North Carolina District Couple of the Year Roy and Cindy Bryant And now we push back from the gracious Thanksgiving table laden with our bounties and express what we are truly thankful for. Our health is a mighty blessing to be thankful for. Our families, whether they are blood relatives or the friendship families we have developed thru GWRRA. Our freedom as a nation to be able to express our love for what we do. Certainly, the men and women who sacrifice to allow us to have that freedom. We make these statements and express these things especially at this time of the year, but we should make a habit of being thankful every day for the next 364 days to follow. Christmas is now approaching quickly and most everyone will be shopping for those special gifts and visiting with those special friends and family members. There will be parties to attend and decorations to display. There will be tree lightings and special dinners. There will be special rides to special places for the benefit of special people. It’s such a festive time. This is the time of year when you recall precious memories and make new memories. This time will go by quickly so don’t miss out on a thing. The year will be gone soon and you will wonder, “Where did it go?” We wish for you a most wonderful and blessed Christmas. May you receive all your Santa ‘wish list’ items. We have been blessed with fellowship with the 2014 Chapter Couples. After all the holidays are over we look forward to 11 those 2014 couples that will carry on to 2015 as well as the “new” couples coming on board. Merry Christmas Roy & Cindy Bryant NC District Couple of the Year O’Berry 12 Murdock J Iverson Riddle 13 14 December 2014 Sun Mon 1 Tue 2 Wed 3 4 14 21 8 9 NC-X NC-P2 NC-Z 15 16 NC-D2 NC-M 22 23 Fri Sat 5 6 12 13 NC-D NC-V NC-C2 7 Thu 10 11 NC-A 17 18 NC-U2 NC-X2 19 NC-F2 NC-H2 24 25 20 NC-S2 26 27 NC-Y 28 29 30 31 NC-K2 15 January 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 1 Fri 2 5 6 7 8 NC-C2 11 12 13 NC-X NC-B2 NC-P2 NC-T2 NC-Z 18 19 20 NC-O NC-D2 NC-W NC-E NC-L NC-M 25 26 27 NC-K2 9 NC-A 14 15 22 16 29 NC-R 16 17 NC-M2 NC-S2 NC-Q 23 NC-N 28 10 NC-L2 NC-U2 NC-X2 NC-E2 NC-F2 NC-H2 21 3 NC-G2 NC-Y2 NC-S2 Resolution Ride 4 Sat 24 NC-I NC-Y 30 31 17 18 The following chapters have reported they WILL NOT be holding a December meeting. Be sure to check the District Website for any last minute cancelations or contact the Chapter Director to verify they are meeting on their scheduled day. NC-B2 Winston Salem NC-E Cary NC-E2 Elizabeth City NC-G High Point NC-I Asheville NC-L Gastonia NC-L2 Mooresville NC-M2 Hendersonville NC-N Burlington NC-O2 Hickory NC-R Thomasville NC-Q Wilmington NC-T2 Albemarle NC-W Eden NC-X Wake Forest Answers to last months puzzle Across: 2. Mayflower 5. November 6. Plymouth 7. Macy 8. Canada 9. Thanksgiving 13. William Bradford 15. Three Down: 1. Josepha 3. Wampanoag 4. Benjamin Franklin 10. Fifteen 11. Flock 12. Protein 14. Fryer 19 Merry Christmas 20 We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. North Carolina District Newsletter Editor Steve and Mary Craig From The Editor Hello Wingers, Merry Christmas everyone. Please be safe and enjoy the holiday. I would like to thank Barb from F2 for her feedback on the newsletter being hard for some to read. I have made a change to the text box area that should make it a lot easier. It is feedback like this that I like to hear on how I can make the newsletter better for you the members. Beginning with your January issue of your chapter newsletter, please email them to me at NCDistNews@charter.net as Mary and I will be taking over the monthly newsletter contest instead of Robert and Donna, It has come to my attention that some of you are not getting the District Newsletter forwarded to you from your Chapter Directors. If you are having that problem and would like the newsletter emailed to you, please send me an email saying “add me to email list” to NCDistNews@charter.net. I will see to it that you are added and receive the newsletter directly. I hope you have had as much fun reading this issue of the District newsletter as I had putting it together. There is a Christmas poem following my article that I wrote a few years ago. I hope you enjoy and get a kick out of “Twas The Night before Christmas GWRRA Style” Lastly I would like to say, please keep our service men and women in your prayers and in your hearts. Remember there are many who are off on foreign land this Christmas fighting for us so we can enjoy the freedom to celebrate Christmas. In closing I would like to leave you with this thought: “Lest I keep my complacent way I must remember somewhere out there a person or persons died for me today. As long as there must be war I ask and I must answer, was I worth dying for?” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt Ride safe, have FUN and remember AGTATT. Steve and Mary Craig NC District Newsletter Editors Ride Safe, Have FUN, Live Life 21 We asked. You answered. We listened. We’re changing. North Carolina District Newsletter Editor Steve and Mary Craig T'was The Night Before Christmas (GWRRA Style) T’was the night before Christmas Not a soul in sight GWRRA members Had retired for the night He looked my bike over And he said with a grin Where are the keys So I can give it a spin With me watching TV My wife reading a book The air outside was so cold That my breath it took I told him that first he must Put on protective gloves and gear And a J&M equipped helmet So he could talk and hear When out in the street I heard such a rumble I jumped to my feet And over my boots I did stumble He put my Wing in reverse Something his Harley didn’t do Then once in the street On my 1800 he flew The street lights were a glow On the new fallen snow And everything was so bright With the ground covered in white Through all five gears he went In no time at all And when he returned You could tell he had a ball I went out on my porch I looked left then looked right And then I saw him standing In the golden moonlight He said as he dismounted I’ve brought your bike home And for being so good I have for you complete dress chrome He was dressed in red And on a Harley he did ride I thought if I spoke to him I could turn the tide He then asked me if he Could use my Wing for the night I told Santa sure It would be alright And convince him to see What a wonderful thing If he traded his Harley For a new 2012 Goldwing Now Harley, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki I heard Santa say To compare with a Wing There is just no way I took him to the garage Where my Goldwing was at rest And I explained to Santa The Wing ride was the best He said as he rode off with my GPS as his guide Merry Christmas to all And to all a good ride 22