‘Little Sturgis of the North’ is next month

The 16th annual Cavalier Motorcycle Ride-In, “Little Sturgis of the North,” will be held in Cavalier, N.D,. on June 16 with other activities scheduled June 15 and June 17.

The Cavalier Ride-In started 16 years ago as a promotion for Hillman’s Jewelry and other local shops. The promotion started as a way to showcase Hillman’s Jewelry’s new “Harley Davidson” collection and to show off some of the bikes around the area. With a little advertising, the community was thrilled to have nearly 60 motorcycles in Cavalier! “It seemed the street was full!” recounts Nancy Jenson, the head of the motorcycle committee. The event attracted more than 1,800 motorcycles and 4,000 spectators last year.

If you have never attended this event, the committee encourages everyone to come and see the beautiful motorcycles. People from all over come together for fun in Cavalier. The day, while focused around the motorcyclists and the bikes, includes something for everyone.

There will be motorcycle games, contests, music, inflatable games for kids, shopping, food and more.

The event has drawn motorcyclists from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Wisconsin, Manitoba and other places.

The event will kick start Friday night, June 15, in the Cedar Inn parking lot. The Cedar Inn will begin serving food at 6:30 p.m. There will be live music from the band Flying Blind, which will play from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Registration for the event begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and a fun-run motorcycle ride will start at 10 a.m. A voluntary $10 entry fee per person for the fun-run will include a bandana and a chance to win prizes and cash. Proceeds of the fun-run will go to the Ronald McDonald House. All motorcycles and riders are welcome. Games and contests will occur throughout the afternoon and there will be a DJ playing music as well. A free street dance will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight in the NAPA parking lot. The street dance will feature the band SOLEvery part of this event is free and open to all aegs.

There will be a cash raffle Saturday night at 5 p.m., with a $1,000 cash prize, two $500 cash prizes and four $250 cash prizes. A portion of the proceeds for the raffle will go to local charities and the event. Tickets will be sold at $10 apiece and people need not be present to win. The winning tickets will be drawn at 5 p.m. on Main Street. Tickets can be purchased at the registration booth on Saturday or ahead of time at The Cavalier Chronicle, North Star Coop West and convenience store downtown, Swanson Motors, The Treasure Trove, and Jenson’s A/C and Heating.

The Assembly of God Church is hosting a free fun day for all kids from noon to 5 p.m. in the former Food Pride parking lot. It is planning inflatable games, sno-cones, popcorn, cotton candy and lots of giveaways in order to give back to the community. All events are free and open to the public.

Lodging is available at the Cedar Inn Motel. To make a reservation for the Cedar Inn Motel, call 1 (800) 338-7440. Camping is available at Icelandic State Park. To reserve a camping space in Icelandic State Park, call (701) 265-4561. Primitive camping will be available in the Cavalier City Park, the city arena, or at Linda Carik’s residence. To reserve a space at Carik’s residence, call (701) 265-4068. All camping is first come-first serve.

The Cavalier Fire Department will host a pancake and sausage breakfast fundraiser from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 17 at the fire hall. All proceeds will benefit the local fire department.

In addition to the cafes in Cavalier, there will be a variety of food vendors on main street during the event this year. For more details and pictures from past events visit the motorcycle ride-in website: www.cavaliermotorcycleridein.com, or visit its page on facebook: Cavalier Motorcycle Ride-in.

Tags: diversions, news, motorcycles