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'Twisted' motorcycle ride to support tornado relief

Date: 9/15/2011

Sept. 14, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD — District Two Town Councilor Lida Powell is inviting area motorcycle enthusiasts to join her in a ride on Oct. 8 to benefit Western Massachusetts tornado victims.

The event, called “Take a Twisted Ride” will follow the path of the June 1 tornado from West Springfield to Sturbridge and back.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. at Hog Wild Cycles, located at 136 Bliss St and finish at Q PIN 2’s, located at the former Boston Billiards, at 885 Riverdale St. The cost is $20 per rider and $15 per passenger. Both a 50/50 and regular raffle for prizes ranging from passes to the local cinemas and Interstate 91 to a Pandora bracelet from Hannoush Jewelers will be part of the festivities.

“It will be a good time,” Powell told Reminder Publications last Thursday after she’s completed a tour of the area riders will cover. ”It’s a nice route and you get to see a lot of the devastation.”

A nurse by trade, Powell was involved with the initial setup of the tornado shelter in West Springfield.

“I’ve been in this since the beginning,” she said, adding that helping people is what she does best.

“I just wanted to do something to raise money for the survivors of the tornado and I was invited to some other motorcycle rides that are coming up,” Powell, who rides a Yamaha R56, said of her inspiration to spearhead this fund-raiser. “I thought, ‘That’s a good idea, and it will get a lot of people involved.’”

Powell said she took her idea to Mark Soticheck, owner of Hog Wild Cycles, and asked him how to put a ride together.

“He told me what to do, and we’re getting it done,” she said, adding that fellow At Large Town Councilor Brian Griffin has been integral in puling the details of the ride together.

“He doesn’t ride, but he jumped in with both feet,” Powell said.

She added that Stephanie Streighter, who helped plan the route, West Springfield Police Sgt. Hubert “Buddy” Rees and Capt. Daniel Spaulding, and Vicky Connor, who designed the ride’s flyer, also deserved recognition for their help.

Initially, Powell said, she thought the ride might attract around 100 motorcyclists. At that time her plan was to donate the proceeds just to the West Springfield tornado recovery efforts.

“But when I got to Mark, he was talking about [attracting] a lot of riders, and I thought maybe we should benefit all long-term survivor groups for the tornado victims,” Powell said.

Though Powell said local merchants have been “very generous” with their donations to the raffle and the ride, she is still looking for individuals or businesses willing to donate T-shirts and refreshments for the beginning of the ride. She is also looking for individuals to help with rider registration the morning of the event.

For more information about the “Twisted Ride,” contact Powell at 478-0600 or e-mail her at lidapowell@yahoo.com.



Debbie Gardner can be reached by e-mail at debbieg@thereminder.com



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