Chapter PA-R was started in May of 1991 when Don Chamberlain from Bobs Cycle Shop came on as our Sponsor. He was a big help in getting the Chapter up and running. Back in the age before electronics, all our Newsletters were sent out by snail mail. Donny and the Dealership covered all these costs for us and much much more. Like Poker Runs. And when the Dealership had their Open House every year, they supplied us with a table often getting us some new members.
It was mutually beneficial, as the Chapter helped out the Dealership. Our largest project was the Dealership bought the materials and Chapter PA-R built a large pavilion for both to use.
It all ended when the Dealership was destroyed by fire, not to be rebuilt. A large blow to the Dealership and Chapter R. For a short interval, Rusty Palmer’s was our sponsoring Dealer. They supplied us with a copier and monies to mail out our Newsletters. Then, thankfully, Gary House of Southern Tier Honda stepped up to be our sponsor and as well as helping Chapter R. The staff there takes good care of our bikes. Some of the best times are the Meet and Greet the Chapter has at the Dealership as we like to give back. I think it’s really important for a chapter to have a good sponsor and also give thanks to the ones that pay for an ad in our Newsletter. As they say, many hands are better than just two. (OK, I just made that up) Note—that pavilion we built is now at the Athens Township Fire Co. where the Chapter can also use it .
GWRRA decided in July of 2022 to close their doors at the end of the year. At that time Chapter R decided to align with Wing’d Riders as a chapter. There are currently 11 chapters in the district of Pennsylvania.
