By 10 a.m., there were 30 bikes; 10 minutes later, there were 10 more. And by the time the bikes taking part in the Shake, Rattle and Roll Motorcycle Rally for Parkinson's Disease rolled out of St. Gregor on June 25, there were over 50 of them.
They came in every different colour, and from all over the place - from St. Gregor, Lanigan, Saskatoon, Tisdale, Brandon, Prince George, Flin Flon, Edmonton, Wadena, Humboldt and everywhere in between - all to help raise funds for Parkinson's Disease in the small town of St. Gregor.
"We're collecting them from all over," said Tony Koski, a member of the organizing committee and a native of LeRoy who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease 13 years ago.
Before the rally began, many visited the St. Gregor hall to grab some breakfast - the pancake breakfast attracted a crowd of about 150 - to register or to check out the huge number of items donated as raffle or auction prizes.
As more and more bikes rolled up, the hall filled with men and women in leather chaps and jackets, bandanas and leather vests, all happy, smiling and ready to ride.
Doug Hogemann, mayor of St. Gregor, welcomed everyone to the hall and to the community for the event.
This ride, he said "is going to help put us on the map."
Hogemann was also a member of the organizing committee for this event, a committee that put in a lot of hours trying to ensure it was not only successful in raising funds for the Parkinson's Society of Saskatchewan (PSS), but also raising awareness about the disease.
They succeeded, they feel, at both endeavours.
"It's been an overwhelming experience," said Wanda Kiefer, another key organizer of the rally.
Kiefer was the one to come up with the idea for the fundraiser, both due to her husband's diagnosis with Parkinson's Disease and his family's love of motorcycles.
"It was fabulous.. more than I even thought it would be," she told the Journal on June 27.
Everything rolled along perfectly, from the breakfast to the ride around the countryside, to the dance back in St. Gregor that night.
The community was the reason for the success of the rally, Kiefer feels.
"Everyone pulled together," she said.
The volunteers who helped with the event were just amazing, she noted, and everyone in town hopped on board, Kiefer indicated. Community members even offered camping sites to out-of-town visitors, and the local hotel put on a breakfast for those campers on Sunday morning, so they could get something to eat before leaving town.
"The whole community just banded together," said Kiefer. "It just never ended... the generosity was just overwhelming."
Locals worked the event, attended the event, and purchased many of the auction items for large amounts of cash.
Their warm welcome of visitors attracted many to stay longer and later than they had anticipated, Kiefer noted.
Floyd Manz, president of the PSS, was one of those people who stuck around.
He arrived in St. Gregor in the morning, giving remarks before taking part in the ride. He had planned to head back home to Regina after lunch in Lanigan, but ended up coming back to St. Gregor, because of the welcome he got..
"I've never been to St. Gregor before," he told the crowd before the rally. "I've had an amazing welcome. I've never seen so many bikes."
The PSS helps the 2,000 to 3,000 people in Saskatchewan who have Parkinson's Disease. The PSS provides education and services for people with Parkinson's, and focuses on lobbying efforts as well.
"We really appreciate the efforts of people who put these things together," he said of fundraisers like the rally.
"It's a great pleasure," he concluded, "to see so many smiles... so many people helping Parkinson's."
Many of the riders came because of special connections to someone with Parkinson's Disease.
John Kiefer, husband to Wanda, was one of those who brought out many of his family to ride, due to his battle with the disease.
Out of John Kiefer's eight siblings, four of his brothers and one of his brothers-in-law took part in the rally. His fifth brother would have taken part, Wanda noted, but he had broken his arm.
Others came out to the ride simply to have a good time and help a good cause.
"People came from the area I didn't even know had motorbikes," Kiefer said.
Those bikers rode from St. Gregor to Watson, to Dafoe, and then to Lanigan for lunch. Then the group split up, eventually making it back to Hwy. 5, through Humboldt and back to St. Gregor.
Until Lanigan, the riders stayed pretty much in a pack, Kiefer noted.
In a cluster on the highway, "the impact of the group was amazing," she said. "People knew something was going on."
But for safety's sake, Kiefer hopes that next year, they spread out a little more.
"It was a little dangerous," she said.
The organizing committee is considering options like handing out flags for the bikes or putting them on lead vehicles, to explain to those on the road what is happening, and identify the bikers as being with the ride, even if they aren't in a big group.
Back home, the planning of the day's events helped every segment of the community feel a part of it, Kiefer feels.
The pancake breakfast allowed the senior crowd not into dancing to be a part of the rally, she noted.
And it allowed older people with Parkinson's, including Cliff Cody and Beatrice Saretsky, both of Humboldt, who helped to cut the ribbon to kick off the ride, to feel included.
The evening supper and dance, then, attracted the young, party crowd.
Though attendance numbers at the rally and its related events were not exactly what the organizing committee had hoped for, they exceeded their fundraising goal.
All told, they raised somewhere in the ballpark of $15,000 to $20,000 for PSS.
Kiefer was extremely happy about that amount, but was clear that this rally wasn't just about cash.
"It was never about money," Kiefer said. "It was about the experience."
They wanted everyone to come in, feel welcome, and leave wanting to come back again in 2012.
"I think that mission was accomplished," Kiefer smiled.
Overall, she agreed, it was an overwhelming success.
"I just can't put it into words... I've been bawling all weekend.... It's just huge," she laughed.
"St. Gregor is a special place," she agreed. "It's a place we will be forever grateful to call home. Everyone pulls together... and is there for you."
Next year, Kiefer promised, the rally is going to be even bigger and better.
"Everyone is talking about next year already," she said, adding that they plan to hold it on the same weekend in 2012.
Some shirts, do-rags and patches are left over from this year's event, Kiefer added - and are still for sale.
