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Second Friday in Lahaina this month will likely be a little more thunderous than usual, as it coincides with the first night of the Hawaii State HOG (Harley Owners Group) Rally, from Oct. 12 through 14.
Front Street will be closed beginning at 5:30 p.m.
More than 150 people are registered to participate in the three-day event, nearly half of them from out of state, said registration coordinator Robert Souza.
So Front Street is big, but will there be enough space for 150 Harleys?
"Oh, there’ll be more than that," Souza laughed. "There are quite a few people on Maui that plan to register on-site."
Each day features rides promising chicken-skin views around the island, both for experienced and not-so-experienced riders.
Some of the chicken skin could well be induced by the temperature drop that goes along with Sunday’s ride, so participants are being advised to prepare for a chilly difference of about 30 degrees from ocean level.
None of the preregistered attendees is from outside the U.S., though some years visitors have come from Australia and Korea, he said.
Harley owners who don’t bring their own bikes can rent them from Cycle City Ltd., which sponsors the Maui HOG chapter, said Marci Calvillo, Cycle City marketing and e-commerce manager. Latecomers can register and check in at Cycle City Maui from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. all three days.
Riders will be encouraged to arrive on Front Street by 5 p.m. that Friday, prior to the street closure, to get good positioning. Bike-washing and a picture-taking will be followed by pupu and a buffet at Fleetwood’s on Front Street, owned in part by rock band founder Mick Fleetwood.
While he has to leave early to catch a flight, Fleetwood will be part of the star-studded entertainment lineup for the night, said Calvillo.
"It’ll be the night the HOGs own the town," until 10 p.m., after which riders will be encouraged to get a good night’s sleep "so you can ride your pants off," she said.
Rally riders work their way to Hana the next morning beginning at 9 a.m., but the next day, riders are in for a really early wake-up as the ride to Haleakala to catch the sunrise begins at 4 a.m.
Please note that aside from this sentence, the term "hog wild" does not appear.
Your columnist should get a point or two for exercising a modicum of restraint.
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On the Net:
» histatehogrally.com
» www.cyclecityltd.com
» fleetwoodsonfrontst.com
Dental clinic spurs interest
If phone calls are any indication, the lack of people receiving free services at the dental clinic at Aloha Medical Mission really was due to a lack of awareness.
Given the interest expressed, something else became clear.
The phone number for Aloha Medical Mission should have been included with the Sept. 21 column. The oversight was accidental, e kala mai.
The number is 847-3400.
The dental clinic is the 2012-2013 recipient of the annual pro bono marketing campaign by Ad 2 Honolulu, which will stage a fundraiser from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Vice nightclub at Ward Centre. Admission is $10, and proceeds will help fund the campaign.
The nonprofit Aloha Medical Mission also accepts donations for its own work, both in traditional ways as well as electronically, via its website.
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On the Net:
» alohamedicalmission.org
» www.ad2honolulu.org
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
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