Rally in the Valley
The Rally Has Rolled Out More than $15,000 in Donations
The final tallies from the seventh annual Rally in the Valley are in and organizers from Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce are very pleased with the outcome. With the success of the event, they will be able to gift $15,400.00 to local charities. CARes - Council on Addiction Recovery Services, Inc., Interfaith Caregivers, the Dempsey Club, HomeCare & Hospice, Olean Airport Support Group, Southern Tier Military Support Group, South Olean Football, Healthy Families of Cattaraugus, and the Olean High School Sports Boosters are all recipients of the event’s proceeds. With this year’s donations, the Rally in the Valley has been able to give more than $100,000 to local charities.
Rally in the Valley was introduced to the area by local business leaders who saw what other communities have done with similar events and wanted to bring that same type of experience to Olean. They knew the event would draw many people from outside the area and the longer they ran the event the larger it would grow . In addition, they knew there were many bikers in this area that would love an event like this that was close to home.
“We have gone to great lengths and take great pride in the fact that our Rally in the Valley continues to be an event that all members of the family can attend. We get a great feeling just seeing little kids walking with dad and mom looking at all of the motorcycles. It is a great feeling to be able to take a hobby that we are so passionate about, and use it to make money for some very worthy people around Olean. We are very thankful for the continued support we receive from the great people of Olean and the Chamber of Commerce,” stated the chairs of the Rally event, Dennis Jones, Randy Langdon, Dan Jordan, Larry Penman, and Alan Roth. The Rally in the Valley is scheduled for August 27-29, 2010. For more information, call the Chamber at 716/372-4433.
A Roarin’ Success -- Seventh Year in Row for Increased Attendance
The thunderous roar of engines was a welcome sound in Olean Sunday as thousands and thousands of people - and their bikes - filled Bradner Stadium for the seventh annual Rally in the Valley. The Rally in the Valley welcomed more than 825 dice run participants (with 562 motorcycles) for Sunday’s event. The three-day event, hosted by JAYBRAKE, Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, and the area Motorcycle Enthusiasts is a motorcycle rally with the proceeds from the event benefiting a host of community charities.
Co-Chairs of the Rally, Dan Jordan, Dennis Jones, Randy Langdon, and Larry Penman all agreed, “The Seventh Annual Rally in
the Valley was record breaking all around once again - number of vendors, number of participants, and number of spectators. Mother Nature was sure in our favor this weekend - the weather turned out fantastic. We appreciate all the volunteers that help put this event together.” They added, “The stadium is the ideal place for this event - we hope that the future holds the opportunity to host this event at the stadium. The participants, the spectators all had a great time and helped out many local charities with the proceeds. The festival attracted motorcycle lovers and novices alike to engage in one of Olean's finest summertime offerings: bikes, beers and some of the best free music around.”
The winners of the 128-mile Dice Run were: Deb Dunham of Scio (scored 154 out of a possible 210 points), Nicole Clawson of Olean (151), Mike Polasik, Olean; Cindy Voss, Wilcox, PA; and JR Peters of Olean tied for third place (149); Ebert Paeske of Madisonville, TN won the award special dice roll of 121, and scoring lowest was Jim Croft, Hinsdale with 93 points. The winner of the Harley-Davidson Blue Pearl Electra Glide® was Art McMurtrie of Bradford, PA.
Saturday of the Rally event was Games and Fun Day. For the bike games, the winners included: SLOW RIDE - Roger Ball; TUBE SNAKE - Shawn Moses; HOT DOG - Deb Morse; BIKE JOUSTING - Larry and Jill Selph; and TIRE TOSS - Scott Folts. For the bike judging, the winners included: FARTHEST TRAVELED - Pat Keenan who drove 1,002 miles from Bellenue, Nebraska to the Olean Rally; BEST PAINT JOB -- Josh Dwaileebe, Olean; BEST of SHOW -- Ed Munson, Versailles, NY; BEST TRIKE - Harry Monroe, Olean; CRUISER -- Pat Keenan, Nebraska; SPORT -- Dan Todd, Portville; CUSTOM --Frank Steffan, Allegany; RADICAL CUSTOM -- Al Kettle, Salamanca; VINTAGE --John Eberle, Portville; and SPECIAL INTEREST -- James Hosinger, Bradford, PA. The winner of the Big Wheel Adult Race beating out the 15 other racers was Mary Krahe from University Heights, Oh.
The local charities that will benefit from the Rally include: Cattaraugus County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc.; Interfaith Caregivers; DARE Program; HomeCare & Hospice; Olean Airport Support Group; Southern Tier Military Support Group; South Olean Football; Healthy Families of Cattaraugus; and the Olean High School Sports Boosters. Sponsors for the Rally include Jaybrake, WPIG-FM, Certo Brothers, Allen’s Liquor Store, A&J’s Subs and Pizza, Granny’s Verona, WXMT-The Mountain, and BOB-FM. For more information on the Annual Rally in the Valley, call Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce at 716-372-4433 or email tourism@oleanny.com.
GOACC
10/5/09
| Rally in the Valley Schedule | |
| Directions | |
| What is Rally in the Valley | |
| Photo Gallery |