50-plus bikers blessed at annual event

More than 50 motorcycle riders came out to the Calvary Baptist Church in Springfield to take part in the 8th annual Blessing of the Bikers on Sunday, May 22.

   

016-05-23 / Front Page 50-plus bikers blessed at annual event By Tory Jones Bonenfant toryb@eagletimes.com The Rev. Mike Pelletier prays and offers blessings with the motorcycle community on Sunday, May 22 at the annual Blessing of the Bikers in Springfield. — TORY JONES BONENFANT The Rev. Mike Pelletier prays and offers blessings with the motorcycle community on Sunday, May 22 at the annual Blessing of the Bikers in Springfield. — TORY JONES BONENFANT SPRINGFIELD — More than 50 motorcycle riders came out to the Calvary Baptist Church in Springfield to take part in the 8th annual Blessing of the Bikers on Sunday, May 22. The event is a collaboration between the church and the River Valley Ridge Riders, a local motorcycle club. “I’m always grateful to be blessed before the riding season,” said motorcyclist Dave Hammerly of Springfield, who said this is his third year attending the blessing. “There’s no better person to be riding with you than the ‘man above.’” About 15-20 volunteers helped organize the event, which included a cookout and live music performed by the Green Mountain Express at the church on Main Street. Bellows Falls resident Greg “Sloth” Nichols said that it was his first year attending, and that his parents had mentioned they would feel better if he went to the blessing. “I heard it’s a good thing,” he said, adding that he plans to come back again next year. Forty-nine motorcycles and their riders and passengers lined the lower parking lot by 11:30 a.m., as the Rev. Mike Pelletier, pastor at Calvary, and guest Rev. Gerry Piper quietly went to each rider, couple or group and prayed with them, giving a blessing. The individual blessings are new this year. The committee that oversees the annual blessing decided it would be “more personal to each rider” than doing one big group blessing, said committee member Charles Burr, who also gave out travel-sized Bibles with another church volunteer to anyone who wanted one. David Lynch said he and his wife Tammy Lynch have been attending for seven or eight years. “A bunch of us are pretty blessed to be able to ride, but you want to have as much on your side anyway,” David Lynch said. The event usually draws in 50-60 motorcyclists, but can depend on the weather, said Pelletier, who had been riding motorcycle for 48 years. This is his first year giving the blessing at this church, he said. “For a lot of them, it’s just a thing to do, but other clubs out there have a strong Christian ethic whose ministry is to bring Christ to others,” Pelletier said. As part of the ceremony, the Ridge Riders recognized Trophy Honoree Hugh “Chick” Hammond, an avid Harley-Davidson rider who the group described as “dedicated to others.” Hammond has also served as a member of the St. John’s Free and Accepted Masons Lodge No. 41 in Springfield, and as a member of Shriners’ International and American Legion Post No. 67 in Chester. The annual barbecue and blessing is also a fundraiser, according to organizer Tommy Bishop, a member of both the River Valley Ridge Riders and the church. Bishop said that funds raised from the barbecue go toward helping the American Cancer Society and to send children to a Christian camp. “The church’s part is to do outreach in the community,” Bishop said. The annual gathering also included a 9:30 a.m. worship service, hand-painting and a clown for children, door prizes, and a people’s choice award for “Best Bike.”