Dave Hogarth is a big bike man. A six-cylinder Honda man in fact.
And although he has been an avid recreational rider since 1976, the 58-year-old Olds realtor is organizing one very different but special mission.
Hogarth, a member of the Olds Rotary Club for the past 12 years, is the chair of the inaugural Rotary Ride for Ronald. It will take place on Saturday, Sept. 8. He is hoping that up to 50 locals will mount their motorcycles at 10 a.m. and ride from Olds to Wayne, Alberta, a coal-mining ghost town in the Drumheller Valley.
“The lead bike will be from the RCMP and they will escort us out of town,” said Hogarth.
The Sept. 8 event is a 160 km journey that will take just over two hours to complete.
“It is a neat ride that features 11 bridges going into Wayne,” said Hogarth, adding the riders will probably toast their success at Wayne's famous Rosedeer Hotel.
When the day is done the riders hope to announce they have raised up to $10,000 for the Ronald McDonald houses in Calgary and Red Deer. Hogarth said the money raised will be split for the two houses.
“After this year we would like to make quite a bit more in the years to come,” said the local realtor with Century 21 Gateway Real Estate. “The Ronald McDonald House is a great cause and I ride motorcycles too. Put them together and they can do great things. This is a partnership with everybody.”
Although Rotary is behind this year's inaugural event, Hogarth is hoping others will follow its lead in the years to come.
Anyone wishing to register to be part of the ride or to donate can visit the web site at www.rotaryrideforronald.com. On ride day, interested participants can go to the Olds' Walmart parking lot at 9 a.m. to register. The ride commences an hour later. For further information contact Hogarth at 403-994-0054.
