Because of restricted Internet access, I was not able to blog during Sturgis Bike Week. Nor was able even to get any good Internet time throughout the rest of August, September or November. But now that we are already on the road again I have some chances.
As a whole, Sturgis went very well this year. It didn't seem to me that there were as many helpers as usual, but that helped me to really ask myself the question Dad asks the team at the beginning of the week: "Are you doing this for you, or for God?" With less friends around (and therefore less goofing off to be done) I was able to focus more on the work.
I guess I'd better start at the beginning. We got all our supplies ready in the usual Hubbell
mayhem and even had one of the helpers from Florida fly over for a while, who we also took to and from Sturgis. Mr. Bulldog and Mrs. Tami* came along as well. While they drove the pickup, Dad got in the RV and drove that. Both rigs supported trailers.
In one long, hard and bumpy day, we drove all the way to Rapid City, South Dakota. We stayed there a night or two before heading to Sturgis itself, where motorcycles were already arriving. We drove next to the park and stopped the RV and truck. When the team from Florida arrived in their bus, we set the whole Kidz Zone up.
But, as always, there was a problem. A few weeks before we left, Dad ordered an inflatable tent to replace our other tents. He didn't see any reason to bring them along, so we just left them at home. But when we got there, Dad got a call that the tent was stuck in Ohio! So he got the group together and we all prayed that it would come quickly.
About five minutes later, the blower for the tent came in! But that was only half of it, so we kept praying. Thirty minutes later the rest of the tent arrived! The man delivering it said he had no idea what he was delivering or why he was there, but once it was out of his car he was gone.
With many thanks we set up the tent next to a pavilion and the next day we opened the Kidz Zone. Things went very well. In the mornings the Florida team did their show for the kids and in the afternoon Dad did his show. The tent worked exceedingly well, keeping the kids cool in a large area. I had a great time, even though I was working all week
.
We had many attractions. The brightly colored tent could be seen from far away and our six other inflatables were easily seen as well. The kids played at the obstacle courses, basket ball games, baseball, slides and more. We passed out bibles and prizes and candy. We had a few people helping the kids do crafts inside the pavilion. They also did a coloring contest that we gave out prizes for in the morning and evening. They could also do
bible lessons which we also rewarded. We had a carnival where kids could play several games like ring toss. In the shows we used puppets, magic tricks, bible 
stories, videos and more--and at the end of the week we even gave away a bicycle that looked like a motorcycle! All of this we did for the kids in the hope that we could make an impact on their lives.
The week went by all too quickly. We had many responses from the kids at the shows and we all felt very fulfilled about how things had gone. Sturgis Bike Week ended after many long days. The Florida team helped to close the Kidz Zone, then got in their bus and headed home. We opened one more time, then headed for Rapid city, where we for a few more days before heading back as well. We had planted many seeds. I look forward to seeing them grow.
*They helped us to get home at the end of RFTW--see my other blog, The View From Here.
As a whole, Sturgis went very well this year. It didn't seem to me that there were as many helpers as usual, but that helped me to really ask myself the question Dad asks the team at the beginning of the week: "Are you doing this for you, or for God?" With less friends around (and therefore less goofing off to be done) I was able to focus more on the work.
I guess I'd better start at the beginning. We got all our supplies ready in the usual Hubbell
mayhem and even had one of the helpers from Florida fly over for a while, who we also took to and from Sturgis. Mr. Bulldog and Mrs. Tami* came along as well. While they drove the pickup, Dad got in the RV and drove that. Both rigs supported trailers.In one long, hard and bumpy day, we drove all the way to Rapid City, South Dakota. We stayed there a night or two before heading to Sturgis itself, where motorcycles were already arriving. We drove next to the park and stopped the RV and truck. When the team from Florida arrived in their bus, we set the whole Kidz Zone up.
But, as always, there was a problem. A few weeks before we left, Dad ordered an inflatable tent to replace our other tents. He didn't see any reason to bring them along, so we just left them at home. But when we got there, Dad got a call that the tent was stuck in Ohio! So he got the group together and we all prayed that it would come quickly.
About five minutes later, the blower for the tent came in! But that was only half of it, so we kept praying. Thirty minutes later the rest of the tent arrived! The man delivering it said he had no idea what he was delivering or why he was there, but once it was out of his car he was gone.
With many thanks we set up the tent next to a pavilion and the next day we opened the Kidz Zone. Things went very well. In the mornings the Florida team did their show for the kids and in the afternoon Dad did his show. The tent worked exceedingly well, keeping the kids cool in a large area. I had a great time, even though I was working all week
.We had many attractions. The brightly colored tent could be seen from far away and our six other inflatables were easily seen as well. The kids played at the obstacle courses, basket ball games, baseball, slides and more. We passed out bibles and prizes and candy. We had a few people helping the kids do crafts inside the pavilion. They also did a coloring contest that we gave out prizes for in the morning and evening. They could also do
bible lessons which we also rewarded. We had a carnival where kids could play several games like ring toss. In the shows we used puppets, magic tricks, bible 
stories, videos and more--and at the end of the week we even gave away a bicycle that looked like a motorcycle! All of this we did for the kids in the hope that we could make an impact on their lives.
The week went by all too quickly. We had many responses from the kids at the shows and we all felt very fulfilled about how things had gone. Sturgis Bike Week ended after many long days. The Florida team helped to close the Kidz Zone, then got in their bus and headed home. We opened one more time, then headed for Rapid city, where we for a few more days before heading back as well. We had planted many seeds. I look forward to seeing them grow.*They helped us to get home at the end of RFTW--see my other blog, The View From Here.
