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More Than 300 Bikes Join Third Annual Legends Ride: Raises $53,000 for Charity

     Deadwood, S.D. (August 17, 2010) - With help from celebrities such as Pee Wee Herman (actor Paul Reubens), Survivor star Rupert Boneham, former Guns and Roses guitarist Gilby Clark, MTV’s Riki Rachman, actor/bike builder Lorenzo Lamas, and an array of celebrated bike builders and motorcycle enthusiasts participating in the 2010 Legends Ride donated $52,650 to Sky Ranch for Boys and the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Museum.

     Hosted by the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground and sponsored by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, the third annual Legends Ride drew hundreds of riders, media and celebrities on Monday, Aug 9, the first day of the 70th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  The bikers each contributed $150 to participate. The group assembled on the street in front of Deadwoods Historic Franklin Hotel, then took the 50-mile, escorted ride through the Black Hills past Nemo and Sturgis. The ride ended at the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground east of Sturgis. At the Chip, they were treated to a private reception and Monday night’s concert lineup that included Trailer Choir, Buckcherry and ZZ Top.

     Sky Ranch for Boys, one of this year’s Legends Ride recipients, is a group care center and school that has been helping troubled boys since 1960. The boys receive counseling and drug-and-alcohol treatment. They also learn to ride horses, develop a work ethic and, for some boys, pilot an airplane. The 3,000-acre ranch is located on the far western edge of Harding County, S.D.  The other recipient, the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, has been a Legends Ride beneficiary since the first ride in 2008. Located on Sturgis Main Street, the museum celebrates the history of motorcycling and the heritage of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. More than 70 vintage motorcycles are on display, including a 1910 Flying Merkel, a 1912 Indian Twin and a 1952 Vincent Black Shadow.

     To date, the annual Legends Rice has raised more than $150,000 for charity. Rod Woodruff, president of the Buffalo Chip, said the generosity of motorcyclists is not a surprise to him. Bikers are some of the most giving people anywhere, he said. Woodruff noted that during a traffic jam en route to Deadwood Monday afternoon, bikers struck up conversations rather than beeped their horns.

     George Milos, director of the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, said the Deadwood business community is proud to host the start of the annual ride. It’s a good cause and a fun event, Milos said. He said the Silverado-Franklin Hotel and Gaming Complex and Deadwood Tobacco Company, both Deadwood businesses, have been generous with their sponsorship and help in staging the event.

    "The Legends Ride would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors," said Buffalo Chip Sponsorship Director Lon Nordbye. "We would like to thank Anheuser Busch, Black Hills Harley, First Interstate Bank, Hot Leathers, Interstate Batteries, K & G Cycles, Knology, Lehman Trikes, Pepsi, Progressive, the Renewable Fuels Association and Victory Motorcycles."