Northern Riders - 3rd East Coast Howl

The struggles of “normal life” during 2020 are now starting to morph into the new normal. The restrictions and new “must do’s” are becoming a habit for many and people are getting used to the new way to socialize… NOT! 

 We are still missing our rides and rallies the way they were in years gone by. Summer being filled with weeknight runs to nearby communities for their ‘Bike Night” and weekends filled with Rallies. The towns are feeling the punch from the lack of business those rallies brought in and the local economy is hurting.  

Through all this though, was a weekend of fun and games, brother/sisterhood, riding, socializing, and helping a small community in Nova Scotia that has struggled more than most through 2020. Portapique, Nova Scotia. 

 The Boyd family has been in the Portapique area for over 6 generations and started hosting the Northern Riders - East Coast Howl in 2017. The Howl raises money for the community, this year specifically, the cemetery. Like many charities and community groups, fundraising has been hard through 2020, so this year, the Boyd family stepped up and raised the bar by taking their usual one day event and making it a weekend to remember! I am pleased to say I believe the weekend will be a new trend! 

We were first in line to get our tickets (by ticket i mean a gorgeous hoodie or Tshirt) and we were off!! In saying first I literally mean first, we rode out the week before to meet JD on site and secure our spot. When we got there, what seemed to be a field was really a gorgeous area prime for camping, a bike rodeo, a pig roast, a live band, a canteen, and a dirtbike track for the kids (big and small). It was impressive!! 

The Boyd family doesn't play around and they take treating their guests to fun and kindness very seriously. They added many brand new picnic tables and portapotties to the site to make sure everyone was comfortable, they opened up a new section of land to accommodate more tents and brought in a tractor to host hay rides to the beach! 

Getting to know JD, Greg and their family was one of the many highlights for us and we can’t thank them enough for making Lil’Lady feel like a part of the family right from the start, YES, this is a kid friendly weekend! It is all about the family when you are with the Boyd’s.

There were a few planned group rides that took us around the area, and off course the bike rodeo! Gadget and Lil’Lady held their own but Lil’Lady may have come out ahead in a few of the events, with a bruise or two to prove it. When she plays she plays to win. Haha.  They had a slow roll race, barrel push, plank race and ring toss to name a few. Competition was high that afternoon but fun was had by ALL!

It wasn’t just about fun and games, we did fundraising too with a few various draws etc and they managed to raise $1150 for the cemetery, way to go Boyd Family!!!
 
I look forward to next year and am happy to say this will be an annual event for us, so when we make it through this year and start planning 2021, make sure you get to the Northern Riders 4th East Coast Howl, you will be glad you did!

​Stay Tune for more footage to come!! 

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