Annual Fall Run Fundraiser Returns For 35th Year
ADAMS, Mass. — The rumble of engines echoed through Adams on Sunday morning as more than 1,000 motorcycles queued up at Bowe Field for the 60-mile Fall Run motorcycle ride.
Mike Roberts, owner of Custom City Cycle Shop and co-founder of the annual fundraiser, said although the 35 years marks a milestone for the run, it almost marked the end of Bike Night.
"The biggest issue we had this year was there was no Events Committee in Adams, they disbanded recently," he said. "They helped organize Bike Night and that was a big hit to us."
That evening celebration the night before the run, similar to Cruz Nite, brought hundreds to downtown Adams to admire motorcycles and meet riders who were participating in the event. It included vendors and entertainment.
Luckily, Roberts said, Forest Park Country Club came in at the last minute with a $900 donation that paid for the required police detail at the event, among other things.
Roberts said Bike Night was a go but there were still no funds to hire a band until Aladco came to the rescue with a $500 donation. Adams Specialty Printing also donated the posters.
"The community really came through for us, and if it wasn't for them as far as we all knew there wasn't going to be a Bike Night," Roberts said. "We would have had to go from business to business and collect what we could and sometimes it's hard to bring in enough doing that."
Roberts said the Fall Run, which started in 1982, hit the $500,000 mark a few years ago. As of now, the event has donated more than $553,000 to the Shriners Children's Hospital.
Roberts said the ride ends in Charlemont, where the bikers will meet at Mohawk Park. He said the ride used to be 100 miles and at one point went through South County but has been modified over the years to be a more accessible for seasoned and less experienced riders alike.
"As the group got bigger we had new drivers on the road," he said. "The more curves we took out the safer the ride was and we keep it the same route because the older riders are familiar with it. We made it a little smaller and a little safer."
Roberts said it's hard to pin exactly how many bikes participate in the run. He said some sign up on Bike Night, the day of the run and some riders meet them along the trail. He said usually there are between 1,000 and 2,000 riders at the end.
He said it's something special to see how much it has grown over the years
"When I first started doing this I think we had 400 bikes," he said. "I remember I kept looking in the mirror and was in awe because you aren't used to that ... no matter which way you looked, either way, there was a line of bikes. Now when you have 1,000 bikes that is a lot of chrome."
Tags: fall run, fundraiser, motor rally, motorcycles,
