Welcome to God's country !!

COOKEVILLE -- They ride Harley Davidson motorcycles. They have come from 33 different states and three different countries. They have money to spend. For weeks now they have had one destination -- Cookeville.

Hundreds of the expected 2,000 riders began rumbling into town this morning for the Tennessee State H.O.G. (Harley Owners Group) Rally which officially began at 8 a.m. and will run through Saturday night.

With a list of activities lined up for each day this week, riders will dine, shop and travel the highways of the Upper Cumberland.

"These people are taking their vacation time to come and explore and have a riding adventure in the Upper Cumberland and Highlands region," said rally coordinator Gary Bagwell. "They are taking their vacation time which means when they arrive, they want to do two things: have fun and spend money. They will do a lot of both."

This is the first time Cookeville will be hosting the rally. In April of 2011, a delegation comprised of Chamber, Highlands, city, county, and the Upper Cumberland H.O.G. chapter members with local Harley dealer Bubba Boswell, worked to make sure Cookeville was chosen over Nashville, Knoxville, and Maryville for the prize of hosting this lucrative event.

"This is the smallest market the Tennessee Rally has ever been to, size-wise," Bagwell explained. "At the same time, the host city and the community and the city government and the Chamber of Commerce have been so wonderful to work with. Coincidentally, many of them are riders and they understand the demographic of this group and why when 2,000 bikers come into town, it's perceived well."

The Harley riders who will be in town this week aren't the typical bikers portrayed in the movies and on television.

"The average age of the Harley rider is 47 years and some change. The median family income is in the $82,000 range," Bagwell explained. "These are hard working people. They won't be staying out all hours of the night, causing trouble. For this particular event, our attendees are well-seasoned. You will see a lot of chromed hair upstairs, if you know what I mean."

Only those who own Harley Davidson motorcycles are allowed to participate in the Tennessee State Rally, which makes it a very exclusive event.

"I have found that being part of the Harley owners group is being about three things. One, is owning a Harley Davidson, because you have to have a VIN number to be in the club. That initiation is not cheap. The cheapest is about $7,000. Some people pay up to $40,000 initiation, so it's not a cheap club to belong to.

"The second thing is that we come together to spend time with old friends and make friends with new ones. We spend a lot of time doing that," Bagwell continued.

"The third thing is we find ways to be involved in the community and assist in the community. It's all about riding motorcycles and having fun."

While most of the events being held this week are strictly for the riders, there are two public events scheduled. On Wednesday, the opening ceremony will be held at Dogwood Park at 7 p.m. Then on Thursday, there will be a Rides, Rods & Rockabilly Street Party on the Historic Westside by the Depot Museum.

"We want people to come out to those events and see what the Harley group is all about," Bagwell said. "We want them to see what owning and riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle is all about. Many of them will be wearing a vest covered in pins and patches. They will have their chapter name on the back of their vest. We have 18 chapters in the state of Tennessee with over 13,500 members and 90,000 members within a five-state region. Internationally, we have over 850,000 members.

"We are a family organization," Bagwell continued. "That's not to say people aren't going to have a good time, they will be."

Read more: Herald Citizen - Here come the H O G s

http://www.herald-citizen.com/view/f...e=main_article

 

cool, have a great time

 

We will be setting up at the fairgrounds,come on out and say Hello..

 

Will do.......... When are you pullin in? See you soon!! Again!

 

Lookin like Friday a?

 

Daanng dude, congrat's on ya'lls place hold'n the rally. Ain't a member no more,anyways.....Got'a close relative....cousin (we grew up t'gether...long story) has bought last 2 bikes from Boswell....talks highly of'm,and he's still got this 1......

 

Salute from this side of Tennessee bro.

 

Will the fairgrounds be open just for HOG members or is it for anyone? I was thinking about sliding up there to visit my parents the same weekend. I could stop by on my way to Gainesboro Friday or come out on Saturday with Dad.

JW, you're going to have to keep all those clowns in line over there! ha ha ha

 

As most of the entertainment is at the fairgrounds..I do believe it is open to anyone.. http://www.tnstatehogrally.com/schedule.html

 

If this storm gets through here tonight I should be up there around noon on Friday.