Cycle group to honor Greenhalghs with event
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By ROD STETZER rstetzer@chippewa.com
Monday, July 24, 2006 10:15 AM CDT
The first time April Johnsted saw Doug Greenhalgh, he talked about what kind of dress he was going to wear.
Now don’t be silly.
Greenhalgh wore the dress during a 2001 talent show of the local chapter of the Gold Wing Road Rider Association, a motorcycle group he and his wife, Therese, founded.
“I knew in an instant this was a group I had to be involved in,” Johnsted said.
The same sense of humor Doug Greenhalgh showed during the sketch he demonstrated while teaching music at Chippewa Falls Senior High School.
Both Doug and Therese Greenhalgh, along with their granddaughter Morgan and two others, were killed Oct. 16, 2005 in a crash while returning from a band competition in Whitewater.
Now Johnsted and other members of the motorcycle group plan to honor the Greenhalghs by having fun and helping the music program they both loved.
What’s called the “Band on the Run Poker Run,” will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 at Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls.
For a $20 fee, participants will get a chicken dinner and take part in a 66-mile ride along a mystery route in Chippewa County. And there will be an opportunity to win prizes.
Best of all, 100 percent of the net profits of the event will be donated to the Greenhalgh Memorial Music Endowment, informally known as the “G” fund.
That fund helps local music programs.
If you don’t know what a Gold Wing is, it’s a high-end motorcycle built by Honda.
But Johnsted stressed that all kinds of vehicles, including, vans, cars, trucks and, er, Harleys, are welcome to participate in the poker run.
Each participant gets to pull five cards and hope for the best poker hand to win a prize. She added participants can bring along their own alcoholic beverages, but alcohol will not be served at the event.
The 66-mile ride that will leave and return to Irvine Park is optional. But Johnsted said riding through Chippewa County during a weekend in August is a pretty good way to spend an afternoon.
Most of all, the event will be a chance for the Gold Wing members to continue the work of Doug and Therese Greenhalgh.
“This is a community-based group. We wanted to continue (the Greenhalgh’s) legacy,” Johnsted said.
Tickets on sale
For tickets for the Band on the Run Poker Run from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 in Irvine Park, call April Johnsted at (715) 559-5758. Tickets are $20 apiece. All of the net profits will go to the Greenhalgh Memorial Music Endowment.
A total of 500 tickets are available.
For more information on the event, email Johnsted at ajohnsted@hotmail.com.
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