BONNYVILLE – Motorcycle enthusiasts in the Town of Bonnyville will soon have a new club to hit the open road with.
The Bonnyville Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183 is looking for members to join their latest endeavour: the Bonnyville Legion Riders Branch 183.
“Anyone can join this and it’s free,” noted president of the local legion Jamie Beaupre. “You just have to join the legion, which is just legion dues, and anyone can join the legion.”
The first Legion Riders group was launched in Canada two years ago, with the idea behind it being to demonstrate unity between veterans and supporters who share a love of motorcycles.
For Stephany Crowley, Legion Riders coordinator, the freedom of riding on an open road and honouring the freedom Canadians have thanks to veterans is what brings Legion Riders together.
“We honour those that were willing to sacrifice everything so that others could be liberated and live in a free and just society. It’s not surprising that there have been so many motorcycle clubs started by veterans throughout the decades,” she said in a statement. “Motorcycle riding and honouring veterans are simpatico because they share a raison d'être. Freedom is what unites us. As legion members, honouring veterans is our duty. I wear many patches and belong to many clubs, but I am most proud to wear the Legion Riders patch along with the others.”
Conversations about starting a Legion Riders branch in Bonnyville started during a fundraiser the local branch hosted for Haying in the 30s that featured motorcycles. Beaupre ordered some hats that ended up having the symbol for the Legion Riders and he looked into it further.
“Once we started talking more about it, we found out there’s interest in the community,” he recalled. “Once I reached out to head command in Ottawa is when we found out there was interest everywhere.”
The finer details of what the Bonnyville Legion Riders will look like are slowly coming together, but Beaupre hopes it will add to what the local legion already offers in the area.
“We’re very active compared to others and we like to play a big part in the community. That’s what we’re striving to do, even with this bike club,” he stated.
Beaupre said they have already had 30 people sign up since they launched a social media page on Aug. 11.
The plan is to be able to host poker rallies and toy runs, along with other fundraising events, once the group gets started.
Whether you’re a rider or not, the club is open to anyone interested in signing up.
“There’s a lot of riders in Bonnyville. This way this can operate as a club for them. One biker said for example, ‘we ride Tuesdays and we always look for the best steak to go to. Can you do a steak night?’ I don’t see why we couldn’t. I’m not going to say we’re going to because there’s no meetings on it, but there’s no reason why we can’t get involved in that stuff,” Beaupre detailed.
He stressed the Legion Riders branch “would be their club just like it’s our legion.”
“The Bonnyville legion is the oldest club in Bonnyville and it always belonged to Bonnyville. It’s everybody’s club and this will just be a branch of that and it will be their club. Everybody gets a say,” he added.
Anyone interested in signing up can email the local legion at [email protected].
