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Dirtriders Newsletter December 2003
dirtridersinc@yahoo.com Email Address

Meeting was called to order by the club president Steve Arteman at 7pm.

The meeting was opened with these announcements:
The sign-in sheet has been revised and has each members email address and AMA number. Each time you attend a meeting, please verify that the information is correct. If the information is incorrect or missing, please make necessary additions or corrections on the sign sheet. Also use the sign-in sheet to convey information pertinent to club record keeping. If you have an email address but prefer to get a hard-copy of the newsletter, verify that your email address is included and make a note that you prefer the postal version of the newsletter. If you are not getting a newsletter, make a note and include your member number. If you do not want a newsletter, make a note. You can make a note anywhere on the sign-in sheet, front, back or margins, wherever there is space. Please note any changes of address and/ or phone numbers.

Both parties of the altercation at the Charity Race have apologized for their involvement and the matter is closed. The banishment of one individual from the club property for two years stands and he has accepted the ruling.

Old business addressed:
Christmas gifts for the land owner, Gene Timmerman, adjoining land owner Gene Maples and the Argenta Oreana Fire Protection District. The gifts for this year were set at $250 each. For Gene Timmerman, a gift certificate good at any store in the Hickory Point Mall. For Gene Maples, a gift of up to $250 towards the repair of his XL600 Honda that is getting an engine overhaul. For the AOFPD, a cash gift of $250 for allowing the club to use the Oreana fire house for its winter meetings.

New business:
Wayne Thais suggested a project for 2004. Upgrading the bridge west of the clubhouse. Tom Robinson said he would get estimates for materials and revealed that there was some material left over from the last bridge project. No one present at the meeting objected to the proposed project. The project will be discussed again at the next meeting.

Wayne also suggested that the club examine the exhaust sound level. The accepted noise level as set forth in the club rules is 110 decibels at 20 inches on the "A" scale. The club referee, Jay Hall, stated that the limit is very generous and he does not think any one has broken the "sound barrier" at any of the club events. He does have a sound meter if anyone wants to check their exhaust noise level.

The "guest membership" proposal was discussed. It was determined that a guest membership policy was not a good idea. The club has at least one day each month (the Fun Ride day) that guests are allowed to ride and other events may be scheduled.

It was suggested that the course markers from the Charity Race be left up over the winter. The embers present rejected the idea because it would result in the marked course getting over-used. Please remove all course markers. Whenever you visit the club grounds, record some work time by taking down any and all course markers including those in the pasture east of the flat track.

The treasurer's report showed a balance of $4695.54

There is a re-election campaign to keep Jeff Smith as the AMA Director in office for the North Central Region. All AMA members have a vote. The ballot is in the Dec. issue of the AMA magazine. Anyone interested in joining the AMA may call 1-800-AMA-JOIN or if you have Internet access, follow this link - http://www.ama-cycle.org/index.asp. Jeff's opponent is not dirt riding oriented. Rather the opposite and an ABATE activist from the Chicago area. If you are an AMA member, please take the time to vote.

The meeting was adjourned at approx. 7:45pm

The next meeting will be Feb. 3rd, at the Oreana firehouse.

Work needing to be done:
Take down any and all course markers including the ones in the pasture and along the roads leading to the club.
Remove debris from under the south bridge.
Open any clogged drain tiles used for crossings.
Trail maintenance.

15 December 2003 JWT

Dirtriders Newsletter November 2003
dirtridersinc@yahoo.com Email Address

Here are some reminders:
1) The December, February and March meetings will be held in the Oreana firehouse. Rick Welch and Doug Hayes will make sure that the firehouse is open and we can get in to have our meeting.
2) In order to renew your membership you must attend 4 meetings in a given year and work 6 hours. Since this is a family membership a family members work hours can count towards the 6 total hours.
3) Steve will post the work hours and the attendance on the website and in the clubhouse. There has been a flurry of activity the past month to get work hours in, this makes it very hard on Steve who keeps track of the hours. Please try to get your work hours in early in the year rather than waiting until the last minute. 4) The parking lot was recently graded and there is evidence of 4 wheeler donuts in the lot. Please do your donuts out on the grounds not in the parking lot, you could loose your membership.

Notes from the November Meeting
28 members signed the attendance sheet.
The meeting (held at the Oreana firehouse) was called to order at 7:05pm by the club President.
Officers present were President, Vice President, Treasurer and Referee.
Not present were the Secretary, Grounds Keeper and Trophy God.

Steve Arteman opened the meeting with these announcements:

All members should check the sign-in sheet and verify their email address and AMA number as you sign in. Please make corrections and fill in missing information on the sign-in sheet. If you do not want to receive the newsletter by email, make note on the sign-in sheet. If you are not getting the newsletter at all, make note on the sign-in sheet. We want each member to get a copy of the newsletter.

The email version of the last newsletter was sent Nov. 13th. I got reports that the postal version of the newsletter was received no sooner than Sat. Nov. 18th. There was a work day the 18th that some members were unaware of.

I have started posting work time records in the clubhouse. I will update these postings each time I visit the club grounds provided sufficient work has been recorded to warrant updates. Work time is updated on the club website as soon as records are collected and recorded.

The Club website has been neglected. I would like anyone with website experience to volunteer to keep the site current. Work time will be earned for work on the website. Chris Smith has agreed to work on this project.

The Charity Race held Nov. 2nd traditionally marks the end of the organized riding season. Although there may be many good days for riding, no organized events are planned for the rest of the year.

The Dec. meeting will be here, at the Oreana firehouse at 7pm.

No old business was addressed.

The treasurer's report indicated a balance of $4948.68. The treasurer also announced that the Charity Race generated $1080 in receipts. The club added the traditional $500.00 extra for a total of $1580.00 cash and approximately $1000.00 worth of toys all donated to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.

No other officers present had any announcements to make.

There was no new business.

The floor was opened for discussion and the first topic concerned the incident in the rider change area during the Charity Race. Many members were not present at this event and are unaware of the event that transpired. This is a condensed version:
Late in the event there was an incidence of violence that occurred first on the racecourse and later in the parking lot rider change area. It was reported that a very aggressive, non-member, competitor had "kicked" a member competitor's motorcycle during a pass on the prescribed course. The attacked rider approached the aggressor in the rider change area and a fight erupted. The two competitors were separated and the non-member was asked to leave the premises. The referee scratched the scores of both participants. This incident was witnessed by women, children, and the representative for BB/BS and a child sponsored by BB/BS.

The redundancy of this confrontation is that the parties involved were riding in different classes. They were both riding team and their teammates suffered the consequences also. Last year we had media coverage of our Charity Race. Perhaps we are fortunate we did not have coverage this year. The Charity Race is not a point-paying event. There is nothing at stake other than personal gratification. Agreement among the members present is that there is no tolerance for violence at this or any other event conducted or sponsored by our club. A motion was made and seconded to ban the aggressive entrant from any and all events on the club property for two years. The motion passed unanimously. The club referee agreed to inform the offender of the motion. It was agreed the club member involved was sufficiently disciplined by having his score scratched and a letter of explanation would be delivered to him. The club referee stated he would talk with him also. During the course of this discussion it was brought up that two members have been past violators and were once ejected from the club and are now members again. Steve Arteman stated that one of these two "kinda" sneaked in, but they created no problem during the past year. The other was out for a couple years and may deserve another chance. No one present opposed letting these individuals remain members, but wanted assurance that their actions would be monitored. As a reminder and as was stated at last month's meeting: Your membership can be revoked at any time. It may be revoked for breaking the rules, because the landowner doesn't want you on his property, for insubordination, because the majority of club members don't want you to be a member, or because the club's officers don't want you to be a member. Your membership is valuable. Protect it.

The next topic of discussion dealt with WORK DAYS. There was no shortage of members working in the month before renewal. However, there was a severe shortage of workers on the Oct. 18th work day and again on the Nov.1st workday. Steve Arteman set up the Oct. Fun Ride on Fri. Oct. 17th. There was nothing to be done on the workday (the 18th) other than walk the course and remove obstacles. Only 3 members recorded time that day, and only 1 of those three worked on the course. The next work day was more crucial. It takes several people many hours to set-up a racecourse. John Gepford started setting up the Charity course on Wed. Oct.29th and finished on Sat. Nov 1st. He received no help from anyone on any day other than Tom Lange who set up the pasture portion on the course. Steve Arteman single-handedly removed the fun ride course on Sun. Oct 26th and a large number of Trials markers that were still up from weeks before. John stated that, "It was irritating enough that no one was there to help on the work day, but it was even more irritating that at exactly two o'clock people fired-up their motorcycles or 4-wheelers and started riding. He said he almost had to dodge out of the way those who were "pre-riding" the course while he was still trying to set it up. A motion was made and seconded that the club grounds be CLOSED the day before the Charity Race. The motion passed unanimously. The lock will be changed on the gate and no riding will be allowed on the day before the Charity Race. Also, if workday participation is not improved, the allowing of putting in work time at the members discretion will be rescinded and revert back to earning work time only on designated work days.

Any and all course markers (including the ones along the roads leading to the club) need to be removed. This means arrows from racecourse, trials markers and all banners and ribbons for both. The trash barrels need emptied and the garbage hauled off. Of course there is trail maintenance that needs to be performed both on the club grounds and in the pasture. Now is a good time to record some work hours filling potholes and ruts before the ground freezes. It might reduce the amount of erosion that occurs in the spring.

The possibility of a rule dealing with violence was briefly discussed. The consensus among those present was that a rule would not prevent violence.

Chris Smith stated he had talked with Wayne Thais and would be taking over and making changes to the club website. One change would be to change web hosting services to reduce the irritating "pop-ups". Chris did most of the work on the US51MX site and should be a valuable asset for work on the DirtRiders site.

Christmas is coming and gifts to the landowner, Gene Timmerman, neighboring landowner, Gene Maples (who allows the use of his yard for parking during large events), and the Argenta/Oreana Fire Protection District (for use of the Oreana firehouse for our winter meetings) will be determined at the next meeting. If you have any suggestions, bring them with you to the Dec. meeting.

No other topic was presented for discussion. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded. The meeting was closed at about 8:30pm.

3 members renewed and 5 new members were accepted.
The club has 25 memberships available.
November 14, JWT

Dirtriders Newsletter October 2003
dirtridersinc@yahoo.com Email Address
President Steve Arteman opened the October meeting opened 6:55 and made these announcements:
1) The November, December, February and March meetings will be held in the Oreana firehouse. Rick Welch and Doug Hayes will make sure that the firehouse is open and we can get in to have our meeting.

2) In order to renew your membership you must attend 4 meetings in a given year and work 6 hours. Since this is a family membership a family members work hours can count towards the 6 total hours.

3) Steve will post the work hours and the attendance on the website and in the clubhouse. There has been a flurry of activity the past month to get work hours in, this makes it very hard on Steve who keeps track of the hours. Please try to get your work hours in early in the year rather than waiting until the last minute.

4) The parking lot was recently graded and there is evidence of 4 wheeler donuts in the lot. Please do your donuts out on the grounds not in the parking lot, you could lose your membership.

The election of officers was conducted, there was no one opposing the existing officers who were nominated to continue in their current capacity. The new / old officers are:

President Steve Arteman 217-935-9343W 217-620-6561C
Vice President Jim Weaver 217-672-3638H
Treasurer John Gepford 217-424-8950H
Secretary Wayne Thais 217-687-2824H 217-377-8229C
Grounds Keeper Tom Robinson 217-763-6674H
Trophy god Brian Kite 217-425-7094H
Referee Jay Hall 217-566-3735H 217-875-3690W

Upcoming Events:
October 18th Work Day 08:00 - 2:00 NO RIDING unless the Grounds Keeper approves.
October 19th Fun Ride GARY BACHMAN SUGGESTED MAKING IT A FAMILY DAY. GARY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A COOKOUT FOR ALL THE PARTICIPANTS - THE MEMBERS, THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR GUESTS. GARY SAID HE WOULD "GEARHEAD" THE COOKOUT. HE OFFERED TO PROVIDE THE HOT DOGS, HAMBURGER, BUNS, PAPER PLATES, etc. BAKED BEANS, POTATO SALAD, DESERTS AND OTHER ITEMS WOULD BE POT-LUCK. HE WOULD LIKE ALL THOSE INTERESTED TO RSVP BEFORE OCT. 18th WITH A PHONE CALL TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH SUPPILES WILL BE NEEDED. HIS PHONE # (309-726-1141) WILL BE IN POSTED IN THE CLUB HOUSE AND PUBLISHED IN THE NEWS LETTER.

The ride will start at 12:00 and go until 2:00 for additional details call Steve Arteman or email him at sjartie@hotmail.com.
November 1st Work Day 08:00 - 2:00 NO RIDING unless the Grounds Keeper approves.
November 2nd Annual Charity Team Race. This is a fantastic event, last year we raised over $1,500 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Charity. We also provided them with a similar amount in toys.
You may ride this event as a team, you change riders each lap but you are allowed to ride your own bike, or you may ride Iron Man, this is a three hour event. Starting time for the main race is 12:00; the minis (65 and 85 class) will start at 10:00. For complete details contact John Gepford, 217-424-8950. (hsracerd17@aol.com)

Interesting info:
Meeting Attendance = 103
54 members renewed
24 new members were accepted
8 members have Life status
33 memberships are available
A treasurer's report will be presented next month.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 and memberships were renewed, new members were accepted.

Dirtriders Newsletter September 2003
dirtridersinc@yahoo.com Email Address

NOTICE: PLEASE, DO NOT REMOVE ANY OF THE RED AND BLUE RIBBONS, THESE ARE FOR THE AMA ILLINIOIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP OBSERVED TRIALS SCHEDULED FOR SEP 14TH.

Workers are needed for this event. Those members who need hours can work and get up to 6 work hours, 3 for the member and 3 for a family member who helps. The hours from this event can be counted for your 2003 requirement or if you have already renewed they will go towards your 2004 requirement. If you are willing to work please show up Sunday morning the 14th and I will provide you with instructions on how to be a checker. You will be finished by 2:00. For information please call Wayne Thais 217-687-2824 (wthais@rypusa.com)

RYAN YOUNG 6 TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION IN OBSERVED TRIALS WILL BE CONDUCTING A TRIALS TRAINING SCHOOL ON THE 13TH OF SEP. FROM 9:00 UNTIL 4:00, AT 4:30 HE WILL PERFORM A TRIALS DEMO, THIS WILL BE THE 4TH YEAR IN A ROW THAT HE HAS DONE THIS FOR US. IT IS SOMETHING WORTH SEEING. THIS YEAR ONE OF THE TEAM SHERCO CHAMP RIDERS WILL BE WITH RYAN, DAVID CHAVES WHO COMES FROM SPAIN IS NATIONAL #5 AND CAN ALSO RIDE EXTREMELY WELL. Riding is permitted on the day of the school, please avoid the area where the school is being held, you are welcome to watch and listen.

President Steve Arteman called the meeting to order at approx. 7:10 PM.

Steve announced that there were 67 members who were eligible to renew tonight, these members have their required 4 meetings and 6 work hours. After the meeting 47 members renewed their membership.

The district 17 Hare Scramble was hosted by the Dirtriders on August 31st at Oakford.Raymond Devlin reported that there were around 42 riders who actually rode another 20 showed up but because of the wet nasty conditions they choose not to ride. There were only 4 club members there to help with the event; if some other people had not helped this event would have been a disaster. This is an event where you can work and accrue work hours that count towards your membership requirements.

Treasurer John Gepford reported that we have a balance of $2,871 in our account.

Steve announced that we would take nominations for officers, the election will take place next month, and you will be able to nominate someone at that meeting.

The following people were nominated:
President: Steve Arteman
Vice President: Jim Weaver
Treasurer: John Gepford
Secretary: Wayne Thais
Referee: Jay Hall
Grounds Keeper: Tom Robinson
Trophy god: Brian Kite

(These are the exact same officers as we presently have, evidently they are doing a good job or no one else wants the job)

The next Fun Ride is scheduled for Sep 21st, there will be a work day on the 20th. ABSOLUTELY NO RIDING DURING WORK HOURS. Work hour day hours are from 8:00 until 2:00. You may bring a utility 4 wheeler and it can be used if required.

The annual "Big Brothers, Big Sisters" charity race is scheduled for Sunday November the 2nd. This is a team race where you and a partner race a Hare Scrambles course for 3 hours, the rider's alternate laps. There will also be iron man classes where you can ride the complete 3 hour race solo if you choose. The team race is a lot of fun, find someone to team up with and join in the great time. Each rider gets to ride their own bike. For more information contact John Gepford 217-424-8950.

Wayne Thais made a suggestion that we offer members the opportunity to "PURCHASE" a guest membership, this guest membership could be used to bring out of town friends / relatives etc. to the club. We have discussed guests many times and have not been able to develop a workable plan.

Here is the basic suggestion:
" A member could purchase a guest membership for a set fee, $25 - $50 per year.
" With this guest membership they would be allowed to bring up to two guests to the club as many times as they want to.
" Guests could not be locals who should obtain their own membership (25 mile radius).
" Guest would have to sign a release form.
" Guests who move into the area would have to purchase their own membership.
" Initiate for a trial period of one year.

This is a suggestion only and needs to be discussed before being made into a motion. Bring your ideas to the next meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for Oct 7th, 7:00 pm at the club grounds. New members will be accepted at this meeting. The lock on the gate will be changed after this meeting.

FYI: GENE MAPLES PROPERTY DIRECTLY EAST OF AND ADJOINING THE DIRTRIDERS IS FOR SALE. THE DIRTRIDERS HAVE USED GENES PROPERTY FOR PARKING WHEN AN EVENT DRAWS A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE. WE MAY LOSE THE PRIVILEGE OF PARKING THERE DEPENDING UPON WHO PURCHASES IT. IF ANY MEMBER IS HOUSE HUNTING, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. IT IS A MODULAR HOME WITH SEVERAL ACRES OF GROUND.

70 MEMBERS SIGNED THE ATTENDANCE SHEET. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN 54.56 FOR THE LAST 9 MONTHS.

Dirtriders Newsletter August 2003
dirtridersinc@yahoo.com Email Address
NOTICE: PLEASE, DO NOT REMOVE ANY OF THE RED AND BLUE RIBBONS, THESE ARE FOR THE AMA ILLINIOIS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP OBSERVED TRIALS SCHEDULED FOR SEP 14TH.

The meeting was called to order at approx. 7:10 PM.

The July fun ride had 41 riders, 12 of those riders were guests.

The district 17 Hare Scramble hosted by the Dirtriders will be August 31st and Oakford. Volunteers are needed to help set and conduct the event. You can earn up to 3 hours of work time for each day you help set up or for working the event. If you can help, contact Jay Hall, 217-528-8356 or Raymond Devlin, 217-789-0107.

Membership renewals will be accepted at the end of the September meeting. Members who have attended 4 meetings and who have worked at least 6 hours will be allowed to renew at this meeting. As of 8-14-03, 50 members are qualified to renew in September. Members needing more work hours will have until the October meeting to record work time.

We will also have nominations for officers at the next meeting. If you are unhappy with any of the current officers, you may nominate yourself or someone else to fill the position. Nominations will be accepted again in October just before the election.

The treasurers report:
$862.11 expenses, no revenue, current balance = $2,134.46

The meeting was adjourned at approx. 8:40.

Dirtriders will be hosting the district 17 Observed Trials State Championship on September 14th. We need at least 20 workers to act as checkers in the sections. If you are willing to work this event you will receive up to 3 work hours per family member participating, if a family member helps you will be able to get all of yours working this event. I will teach you what you will need to know so that you can check.
Please contact: Wayne Thais, 217-687-2824, 217-377-8229 Cell wthais@rypusa.com.

There will be a trials school at the club grounds on the 13th of September, Ryan Young will be teaching trials techniques. At around 5:00 Ryan will perform a trials demo, if you have not seen Ryan perform you really should be there, he can do some incredible things on a motorcycle. If you are interested give me a call Wayne Thais.

The next meeting will be on September 2nd at the club grounds, 7:00 PM.

FYI: GENE MAPLES PROPERTY DIRECTLY EAST OF AND ADJOINING THE DIRTRIDERS IS FOR SALE. THE DIRTRIDERS HAVE USED GENES PROPERTY FOR PARKING WHEN AN EVENT DRAWS A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE. WE MAY LOSE THE PRIVILEGE OF PARKING THERE DEPENDING UPON WHO PURCHASES IT. IF ANY MEMBER IS HOUSE HUNTING, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. IT IS A MODULAR HOME WITH SEVERAL ACRES OF GROUND.

55 MEMBERS SIGNED THE ATTENDANCE SHEET. AVERAGE ATTENDANCE HAS BEEN 54.56 FOR THE LAST 9 MONTHS.

Dirtriders Newsletter July 2003
NOTICE: Please do not remove any course markers until July 21st.

The meeting was called to order at 7:10pm by Steve Arteman. The meeting was opened with these announcements:
1) The June Fun Run was canceled primarily due to rain on Friday, but also due to the markers for May's Fun Run not having been removed and a ZERO turnout for the workday on Saturday.

2) The July Fun Run is scheduled for the 20th of July. A workday will be conducted on the 19th. Please do not remove the course markers currently in place. The next Fun Run will be using a large part of the marked course.

3) Three members have informed me that they do not intend to renew their membership this fall. Additionally, as many as 24 members potentially may not meet the requirements for renewal. 6 of these 24 have no possibility of meeting the requirements for renewal.

4) As a reminder: Sept. is the last meeting of the current membership year and Oct. is the first meeting of the next year. Sept. needs to be your 4th attended meeting to be eligible to renew. If you have attended 4 meetings but cannot attend the September meeting to renew, you may renew at any meeting provided there are openings. Renewals are always accepted first, then waiting list applicants, and then NEW applicants. The first meeting you get credit for is the first meeting you attend after Sept.

5) Sept. is also the month for nomination of officers. Nominations will be accepted again in Oct. prior to the election.

John Gepford was not present to present the treasurer's report so the report was given by the president.
Balance of the treasury as of the last meeting: $2017.93
Expenditures: (in round figures)
Ambulance for the District race - 350.00
District 17 fees - 277.00
AMA fees - 234.00
Power bill - 35.00
Holt Excavation - 508.00
Printing and mailing of newsletter- 121.00

Income:
Deposit from District Race - 2604.00
Bank balance as of July 1, 2003 - $2996.57

Steve had no more announcements and since all other officers were absent, asked Raymond Devlin for news about the District 17 Race held at Oakford.

Raymond expressed that the event had a good turnout, good weather, and adequate help both with setting up and conducting the event. There is another District Race Scheduled for Sept. again at Oakford.

In the absence of Tom Robinson, Steve commented that anyone working on the grounds concentrates on draining and filling ruts and mud holes, cleaning debris from tile entrances, and covering washed out tile exits. In some cases the tile exit needs to be secured with rocks and/or tree branches before covering with soil.

Stu Wolken informed everyone present that a new light for the parking lot has been installed on the meter pole near the entrance. This light has both a photo eye and a toggle switch to control the operation. This light should be turned off whenever not needed and will not turn on until after sunset.

Jim Weaver started a discussion about participation at the Fun Runs. Participation has again dipped and only about 15 to 20 riders are taking advantage of the event. It was suggested that 1) a course be set up for novices 2) a course be set up for 4-wheelers 3) members of other clubs be invited to participate. 4) Stephanie Thompson (my apology if I have the name incorrect) said she would like to participate, but was intimidated by faster riders. She suggested that slower (less experienced) riders ride the course at a different time to become more familiar with the terrain and then if they felt more confident they could continue to ride while the faster riders were on the course.

A brief question and answer session was followed by a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded and the meeting ended at about 7:40pm.

After the meeting:
Steve Clifton volunteered to set up a combination mini/atv course. It was informally agreed that Steve Arteman would set up the main course; Jim Weaver would set up a course in the pasture, and Steve Clifton the combination course. Steve Arteman will be working on the timber course over the next few weeks so that a rain on Friday before the 3rd Sunday may not cause another canceled event. There will be a $3 contribution collected to offset the cost of merchandise to be distributed by random drawing. Each member may bring one invited guest. Timing may be provided for anyone desiring to track his or her progress.

Tentative plans are for the mini's to ride the 4-wheeler course from whatever time they want to start to about 11:15am. Those that consider themselves to be novices may start riding at about 11:30am on the main course. More experienced riders may start at about 12 noon. Because this is a non-competitive event there will be no official start time. Riders wanting to be clocked will start as a group at a time yet to be determined. The novices may continue to ride with the experienced riders if they desire, but all riding will be stopped after 2pm so the 4-wheelers may start. 4-wheelers start at 2:30pm and stop at 3:30pm. All organized riding to end at 3:30pm. After 4pm open riding will be allowed for members and their guests until 6pm.

All times are subject to change depending on weather and the attitude of the participants at the riders meetings. Drawing for gifts will be at the time a participant departs from club grounds. This will be to accommodate a mini rider not having to wait from 11am to 4pm to see if they get a gift. Drawings will continue until all available gifts have been claimed.

Gene Timmerman (the landowner) informed Steve Arteman that he has extended riding privileges to neighboring landowner Jack Gideon. Mr. Gideon has 2 children that needed a place to ride where they did not irritate their neighbors. These non-members have permission to use the land, but they must conform to club rules. Mr. Gideon has inquired about getting a membership and intends to join the club. If you encounter these folks, please extend every courtesy. If unsure, please inform Mr. Timmerman or a club officer. Do not start a confrontation. Please just get information (name, address, reason for being there) and pass this info to the landowner or an officer. Gene also complimented the club members on being "a good group of people who really take care of the place".

The club will be hosting the Illinois State Championship Observed Trials Competition on September 14th. It would be really great to have checkers for this event. Anyone interested please contact Wayne Thais, wthais@rypusa.com 217-687-2824. Working this event will earn you work hours.

There will be a trials school on the 13th, Ryan Young will be teaching this school. If you are interested please contact Wayne Thais. The cost of the school is $40.00 and it is limited to 15 participants.

The next meeting will be Aug. 5th at 7pm at the club grounds.

Dirtriders Newsletter June 2003
Minutes of the June 4th meeting of the Oakley DirtRiders.

The president, Steve Arteman called the meeting to order at 7:05pm. Steve opened the meeting with these announcements:
1) The meeting sign sheet has been modified and has a place for each member to write their email address and/or their AMA number. Each member should verify the information is correct. If not, note the correct information as you sign-in to each meeting. Also, if you have an email address but do not want to receive the email version of the club newsletter, verify that the email address is correct, but make note to not send email newsletter. Your email address will not be put on or it will be removed from the email newsletter address list.

2) The Oakley Dirtriders will host a district 17 Hare Scramble Race June 8th at Oakford. Members are needed to aid in conducting the event. A member will earn work time for their efforts. Actual work hours will be recorded for time worked before the Sunday event and a maximum of 3 hours will be recorded for time incurred during the course of the event. Family members working can also record 3 hours for their work also. A parent and child can earn 6 hours of work time for aiding in the event provided each is actually helping. Help will be needed in the days preceding the Race and on Race Day. Anyone wanting to help either before or during the Race should contact Jay Hall, Raymond Devlin or John Gepford.

3) The next scheduled work day will be June 14th and the next Fun Ride will be June 15th.

4) Jamison Holt worked about 12 hours Monday, Memorial Day, May 26th on the MX track. The work was completed and the track may be used.

5) Last month the treasurer, John Gepford, was not present and therefore no treasurer's report was given. Tonight, John's wife will give the report.

Treasurer's report for June 4, 2003:

Checking account balance as of the last report (April 1st) was $4933.xx (xx=change)

Printer 120.xx
Purchase of course markers 885.xx
Purchase or course marking tape 165.xx
Purchase of trophies for the district race 630.xx
Insurance for the district race 661.xx
Advertisement of district race in Cycle USA 176.xx
Cost of newsletter publishing and postage 120.xx
Misc. i.e. power bill 157.xx
Balance in checking account $2017.93

Grounds keeper, Tom Robinson, reported a lot of trail maintenance is needed. The storms of the last month have downed several trees and tree limbs. The rain runoff has caused several of the culverts to become clogged. Members are encouraged to earn work time by clearing trails, draining mud puddles, and filling ruts and holes.

Raymond Devlin made an announcement about the upcoming district race and distributed flyers with directions to the location and contact information.

Steve said he had nothing more to discuss and gave the floor to the members present. No one made any motions and no complaints or comments were expressed.

Notes:
Please mark you calendars for Sep 13th and 14th. Ryan Young six time national champion in observed trials will be with us on both days. On Saturday the 13th he will conduct a trials training school, later in the afternoon he will perform a trials demo. There will be trials bikes there that you will be able to ride. On Sunday the 14th Dirtriders will be hosting the District 17 State Championship trials, we would like to have checkers for this event, this will be another opportunity for you to earn club work hours. If you are interested in being a checker for this event please call or email Wayne Thais, 217-687-2824 wthais@rypusa.com

54 members signed the attendance roster and two prospective members were encouraged to get their applications on the waiting list.

14 members have recorded 6 or more work hours.
39 members have attended 4 or more meetings.
Reminder - work and meeting requirements have to be fulfilled before the Oct. meeting.
Sept. is the last meeting of the year. Members having attended only one meeting have to attend the next 3 meeting to be eligible for renewal. 21 members are in this situation.

The next meeting will be July 1st at the club grounds.

With no more business to discuss the meeting was adjourned at 7:15pm.

Dirtriders Newsletter May 2003
Minutes of the May 6th meeting of the Oakley DirtRiders.
67 Members attended this meeting; remember you must attend at least 4 meetings per year and work at least 6 hours in order to renew your membership in September / October.

For your records here is an excerpt from the October 2002 minutes that explains the meeting policy.
Steve Arteman welcomed everyone with a reminder that the Oct. meeting is THE FIRST MEETING of the membership year. Steve then explained that policy changes approved by the members eliminated the early renewal provision used in the past and redefined the months designated as first and last of the membership year. Oct. is the first meeting and Sept. is the last meeting regardless of the month a member renewed. There are 11 meetings each year (no meeting in January). Each member (or a representative for the member) must attend 4 meetings per year. If you have less than 4 meetings recorded before September, then Sept. has to be your 4th meeting to be eligible to renew. If you renew in Sept., Oct. is still the first meeting of the New Year. If you renew or join after Oct. - that is your first meeting and Sept. is still the last meeting.

Existing members who have fulfilled all of the requirements for renewal may renew their membership at the end of the September or October meetings. Those people who are on the waiting list may join at the end of the October meeting if there are any openings left after the existing members have had a chance to renew.

The membership is currently full and there is a waiting list, 2 applications were placed on the list Tuesday night.

The Club President called the meeting order at 7:02pm.

The next "Fun Ride" is scheduled for May 18th, with a work day scheduled for the 17th. The work day starts at 8:00 and ends at 2:00, remember riding is not permitted during those hours. An exception is that you may use a utility 4 wheeler if it is required. Jim Weaver volunteered to set up a course and will enlist the assistance of those who show up for the work day. You can contact Jim at 217-672-3638. If the weather is un-cooperative and the work day is canceled then the Fun Ride will also be canceled. All Fun Rides are conducted weather permitting. As always, the Fun Ride is for members only but each membership is allowed to sponsor one guest. If you have any questions or comments, contact Steve Arteman during the day at 800-950-6532 ext.239, after 4pm at 217-935-9343 or any other time at 217-620-6561. Steve may also be contacted by email, sjartie@hotmail.com

Work days Bring a shovel. Groundskeeper, Tom Robinson says most of the work needing to be done involves filling ruts and covering certain obstacles. When in doubt, contact Tom at 217-763-6674.

The April Fun Ride was a huge success. 24 riders participated. Everyone had a great time. Plans for future Fun Rides will follow the same venue. The success of the March/April Fun Rides can be seen by the toll to the Club Grounds. Members are encouraged to record work time by walking the marked courses filling ruts and draining mud holes. The course markers should be removed (saving as many as possible). Also, all banners, cans, bottles and other trash should be collected and deposited near the clubhouse for disposal. Any member removing trash for disposal should contact a club officer for reimbursement of cost (receipt required) and credit for work time incurred.

Jamison Holt, who has been authorized to modify the MX-track, was going to work on it recently but his father suddenly became ill and he has not been able to perform the work, he is going to do it as soon as possible. Members have asked about the possibility of getting some work done on the flat-track at the same time. Jamison stated the estimate was for the MX-track only but, if things went well and time allowed, he might be able to do some minor modifications. If the work to the flat-track and MX-track combined exceeded the estimated time for work to the MX-track only, the club would be responsible for the additional expense. Jamison said we have time to make a plan to get as much done as time allows and if it looks like it can't all be done for the $800 authorized at the last meeting, he will present a revised estimate.

Raymond Devlin arrived a few minutes late for the meeting and wanted to announce that a Club Sponsored District 17 Hare Scramble is scheduled for June 8th at Oakford, IL. Members are invited to earn work time by volunteering to help with the set-up and conduction of the event. Working the event will pay a maximum of 3 hours per person per day. (Work all day setting up the event = 3 hours / work the day of the event = 3 hours / member + family member work all day = 6 hours) Anyone interested in helping should contact Jay Hall or Raymond Devlin at Hall's Harley-Davidson 217-528-8356 (email halls@famvid.com) or John Gepford 217-424-8950 (HSRacerd17@aol.com).
WORKERS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED! Jim Weaver has not been able to make the necessary contacts to get the new light installed in the parking lot, but he has assured us that it will happen this month.

Treasurer John Gepford was not at the meeting to give a report.

If you have an EMAIL address please provide it to Steve and he will put you on the electronic mailing list, you will receive the newsletter sooner and it will save the club the printing and mailing expense.

No other business was presented for discussion.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:20.

Dirtriders Newsletter April 2003
Minutes of the April 1st meeting of the Oakley DirtRiders.

The Club President called the meeting order at 7:02pm.
The first order of business was to determine how many persons were present with the intentions of joining as new members. As of the last meeting it was announced that the membership was full. There were 2 unfilled memberships and 2 people desiring to become members. The two were accepted. All future applicants will be placed on a waiting list and given preference when the membership opens again in Oct.

Easter Sunday is the third Sunday in April. Therefore, the April "Fun Ride" will be scheduled for April 13th. There will be a work day Saturday the 12th. Jim Weaver volunteered to set up a course and will enlist the assistance of those who show up for the work day. If the weather is un-cooperative and the work day is postponed then the Fun Ride will also be postponed to the weekend after Easter. If the Fun Ride is delayed due to weather, then a second work day will be held April 26th and the Fun Ride re-scheduled for April 27th. All Fun Rides are conducted weather permitting. As always, the Fun Ride is for members only but each membership is allowed to sponsor one guest. If you have any questions or comments, contact Steve Arteman during the day at 800-950-6532 ext.239, after 4pm at 217-935-9343 or any other time at 217-620-6561. Steve may also be contacted by email, sjartie@hotmail.com

Approximately 20 members and family members participated in the work day March 15th. A lot of needed maintenance was performed. As always, riding is not allowed on a work day during designated work hours except for utility 4-wheelers. (Used to haul tools and debris)

Work days (April 12th and/or April 26th): Bring a shovel. Groundskeeper, Tom Robinson says most of the work needing to be done involves filling ruts and covering certain obstacles. When in doubt, contact Tom at 217-763-6674.

The March Fun Ride was a huge success. 49 riders participated. Big bikes ran from 11:00 to 1:00, minis ran from 1:30 to 2:30 and 4-wheelers ran from 2:30 to 3:30. Each participant contributed $3 toward the prize fund ($147 was collected). At the end of the day, prizes valued at over $400 were distributed by random drawing. There were cash prizes of $30 and $20, 4 gift certificates worth $8 each to TATER's restaurant, and an assortment of T-shirts, jerseys, motorcycle lubricants, goggles, hats, posters, stickers and more. Plans for future Fun Rides will follow the same venue.

The success of the March Fun Ride can be seen by the toll to the Club Grounds. Members are encouraged to record work time by walking the marked courses filling ruts and draining mud holes. The course markers should be removed (saving as many as possible). Also, all banners, cans, bottles and other trash should be collected and deposited near the clubhouse for disposal. Any member removing trash for disposal should contact a club officer for reimbursement of cost (receipt required) and credit for work time incurred.

Jamison Holt, authorized to modify the MX-track, says nothing will be done until the weight restrictions on county roads are lifted. (Sometime late April or early May) Members asked about the possibility of getting some work done on the flat-track at the same time. Jamison stated the estimate was for the MX-track only but, if things went well and time allowed, he might be able to do some minor modifications. If the work to the flat-track and MX-track combined exceeded the estimated time for work to the MX-track only, the club would be responsible for the additional expense. Jamison said we have time to make a plan to get as much done as time allows and if it looks like it can't all be done for the $800 authorized at the last meeting, he will present a revised estimate.

Jay Hall announced a Club Sponsored District 17 Hare Scramble is scheduled for June 8th at Oakford, IL. Members are invited to earn work time by volunteering to help with the set-up and conduction of the event. Working the event will pay a maximum of 3 hours per person per day. (Work all day setting up the event = 3 hours / work the day of the event = 3 hours / member + family member work all day = 6 hours) Anyone interested in helping should contact Jay Hall or Raymond Devlin at Hall's Harley-Davidson 217-528-8356 (email halls@famvid.com) or John Gepford 217-424-8950 (HSRacerd17@aol.com).

Jim Weaver made a motion to install another light in the parking lot. He and Tom Robinson suggested a Mercury light installed approximately halfway from the clubhouse and the gate. The light would be equipped with a photo eye and switch so the only time the light would come on would be after dark and the light could be turned off when not needed. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Treasurer John Gepford gave this report: The club bank account has a balance of $4933.64 with no bills outstanding.
No other business was presented for discussion.

Mike Wade motioned to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and the meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:45pm.
64 members attended the meeting.

Dirtriders Newsletter March 2003
Minutes of the Mar. 4th, 2003 meeting of the Oakley DirtRiders Motorcycle Club.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by President Steve Arteman.

Steve opened the meeting with the announcement that there were 19 memberships available and new members would be accepted after the meeting adjourned.

Old business was discussed:
At the September meeting a motion was made to make improvements to the MX track. In Oct., two members (Brian Kite and Jamison Holt) gave verbal approximations of cost for the work of $850 and $800 respectively. In Nov., Jamison Holt presented a detailed estimate for the cost of improvements and a proposed track layout. In Dec., the cost and layout was discussed. The proposal was discussed again at the Feb. meeting. Final discussion was invited from the members present. The motion was voted on and passed unanimously. Jamison Holt has been given approval to make improvements and changes as he proposed for $800.

Jamison was not present at the meeting, however Steve noted that the work authorized will probably not get started until the ground thaws and stabilizes. It might be April or May before the work is done.

Steve announced that past member Matt Cooper had a 97 Honda CR250 stolen along with numerous tools, a welder, torch outfit, and CD's. The CR is identifiable by a big dent in the RH perimeter frame tube, severely bent radiator and mismatched radiator shrouds. The tools and CD's are marked with Matt's and/or his dad's (Bruce) names or initials. Steve asks that anyone who might be offered to buy these types of items to contact him or the DeWitt County Sheriff with information as to who was trying to sell the items.

Steve will set up a course for the Club's first Fun Ride on Fri. March 14th. A club WORKDAY is scheduled for Sat. the 15th from 8am to 2pm and the Fun Ride is scheduled for Sun the 16th. WEATHER PERMITTING! If it rains Fri., the ride will be canceled because the course will not get set up. If it rains Sun., the ride will be canceled. There is no riding during scheduled work hours unless the groundskeeper changes the activity. Utility 4 wheelers are allowed if the groundskeeper requires them.

The Fun Ride is open to all club members and each member will be allowed to sponsor one guest. There will be a charge of $3.00 to participate and the contribution is to be used to offset the cost of prizes to be awarded by random drawing at the conclusion of the event. Courses will be set up for motorcycles and 4-wheelers. Motorcycles will run from 11:30am till 1:30pm and 4-wheelers will run from 2pm to 3pm. There will not be a formal start. Motorcycles may start at any time but must stop after 1:30pm. 4-wheelers will be allowed to start as soon as all bike riders are off the course and will be notified to stop at 3pm. Timing may be provided for any rider desiring to measure his or her individual performance. More information will be available at the event. Anyone who wants to help set up the bike course should contact Steve Arteman. Those desiring to help set up the 4-wheeler course should contact Steve Clifton or Dave Forbes.

A treasurer's report was called for. The treasurer, John Gepford, stated he forgot to bring the information with him. He said he would e-mail it to Steve Arteman. Steve received this statement,
"Our checking balance as 03-06-03 is $4981.88 with no new bills outstanding".

Steve announced that meeting attendance for the previous year averaged 51. "This is good representation. We have one third of the membership deciding the club's issues".

Steve asked for all members that have AMA memberships or e-mail addresses to please be sure to list them for AMA certification of the club and to save on the cost of publishing and mailing the monthly newsletter.

Steve stated he had nothing else on the agenda and asked if there was any new business. Several topics were casually discussed and dismissed.

Tom Robinson made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and the meeting adjourned at 8:40pm.

After the meeting, 18 applicants were accepted as members. Welcome back Gary Shewhart. Gary was out of the club for a couple of years and has renewed as a member. The membership is now FULL. Applicants at future meetings will be placed on the waiting list.

71 attended the meeting

Dirtriders Newsletter February 2003

Minutes of the Feb. 4th, 2003 meeting of the Oakley DirtRiders Motorcycle Club.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by President Steve Arteman.
Steve Arteman opened the meeting with this notice:
Next month (March) the club will vote on the motion made in Sept. to repair and improve the MX track. We have received a detailed plan and an estimate of $800 for the work from Jamison Holt. A motion was made to table a vote on the proposed project until March. Brief discussions about the motion have occurred at subsequent meetings, but no disfavor of the motion has been heard. There will be final discussion before the motion is voted on at the next meeting.

Last month's treasury report had an ending balance of $3223. Treasurer John Gepford reported that after depositing new member's fees of $350 and paying monthly bills, the club had a balance of $3428.

Steve Arteman announced the first scheduled club event of 2003 would be March 16th (weather permitting). Preliminary plans are for a hare scramble course with scoring for those that would like to measure their performance and no scoring for those just interested in riding. Two lines near the clubhouse will be provided for scoring and non-scoring. Scored line will be substantially longer than non-scored line (approx � mile). The course will merge back into a single line in an open area with few obstructions so there will be little chance of collision between faster and slower riders. Each membership will be allowed to sponsor one guest. Cash and merchandise prizes will be distributed at the end of the event by random drawing. A $3.00 contribution will be required from each participant for the prize fund. To eliminate the "race" from this event, there will not be a formal start or stop. "OPEN RIDING" will be halted at 11:00am and may resume after 2:30pm. The event is scheduled from noon to 2pm. However, riders may start any time after 11:30 and all riding will be stopped after 2pm for prize distribution. Prizes will be distributed by random drawing. First a participant's name will be drawn, then that person will draw for his or her prize.

The first scheduled workday will be March 15th (weather permitting) and Steve Arteman will be setting up the course on Fri. the 14th. Anyone desiring to help set-up the course and earn work time should contact Steve or be at the club grounds Fri. morning between 7 and 8am. It takes about 4 hours to set up a single-track 2-mile course. If the weather is bad on Fri. there will be no event on Sunday. To find out the status of the planned event, contact Steve. (217-935-9343 sjartie@hotmail.com)

Additional notes: Suggestion's about each monthly "Fun Ride" are invited and welcomed. Anyone wanting to set up one of the events should contact Steve Arteman. Setting up, working during and cleaning up after an event whether by a member or a family member, will earn a member up to 3 hours of work time. 8 Fun Rides are scheduled. Each one is on the 3rd Sunday of the month March thru October.

31 signed the attendance sheet

17 new members were accepted
1 member converted a regular membership to a life membership. We now have 7 life members.
$850 was collected in membership fees
Next meeting is March 4th at the Oreana firehouse at 7pm.
Anyone having trouble with a gate key should contact a club officer.
We would like all members that are members of the American Motorcyclist Association to please give us their AMA number. The DirtRiders is an AMA Sanctioned Club. We want our members to support the AMA and the AMA requires us to document the number of our members that are AMA members. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
A brief comment session was held and all those present were invited to air comments or suggestions. No important issues surfaced. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 7:30pm.