2009 Rally
The thunderous roar of engines was a welcome sound in Olean Sunday as thousands and thousands of people - and their bikes - filled Bradner Stadium for the seventh annual Rally in the Valley. The Rally in the Valley welcomed more than 825 dice run participants (with 562 motorcycles) for Sunday’s event. The three-day event, hosted by JAYBRAKE, Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, and the area Motorcycle Enthusiasts is a motorcycle rally with the proceeds from the event benefiting a host of community charities.
Co-Chairs of the Rally, Dan Jordan, Dennis Jones, Randy Langdon, and Larry Penman all agreed, “The Seventh Annual Rally in
the Valley was record breaking all around once again - number of vendors, number of participants, and number of spectators. Mother Nature was sure in our favor this weekend - the weather turned out fantastic. We appreciate all the volunteers that help put this event together.” They added, “The stadium is the ideal place for this event - we hope that the future holds the opportunity to host this event at the stadium. The participants, the spectators all had a great time and helped out many local charities with the proceeds. The festival attracted motorcycle lovers and novices alike to engage in one of Olean's finest summertime offerings: bikes, beers and some of the best free music around.”
The winners of the 128-mile Dice Run were: Deb Dunham of Scio (scored 154 out of a possible 210 points), Nicole Clawson of Olean (151), Mike Polasik, Olean; Cindy Voss, Wilcox, PA; and JR Peters of Olean tied for third place (149); Ebert Paeske of Madisonville, TN won the award special dice roll of 121, and scoring lowest was Jim Croft, Hinsdale with 93 points. The winner of the Harley-Davidson Blue Pearl Electra Glide® was Art McMurtrie of Bradford, PA.
Saturday of the Rally event was Games and Fun Day. For the bike games, the winners included: SLOW RIDE - Roger Ball; TUBE SNAKE - Shawn Moses; HOT DOG - Deb Morse; BIKE JOUSTING - Larry and Jill Selph; and TIRE TOSS - Scott Folts. For the bike judging, the winners included: FARTHEST TRAVELED - Pat Keenan who drove 1,002 miles from Bellenue, Nebraska to the Olean Rally; BEST PAINT JOB -- Josh Dwaileebe, Olean; BEST of SHOW -- Ed Munson, Versailles, NY; BEST TRIKE - Harry Monroe, Olean; CRUISER -- Pat Keenan, Nebraska; SPORT -- Dan Todd, Portville; CUSTOM --Frank Steffan, Allegany; RADICAL CUSTOM -- Al Kettle, Salamanca; VINTAGE --John Eberle, Portville; and SPECIAL INTEREST -- James Hosinger, Bradford, PA. The winner of the Big Wheel Adult Race beating out the 15 other racers was Mary Krahe from University Heights, Oh.
The local charities that will benefit from the Rally include: Cattaraugus County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, Inc.; Interfaith Caregivers; DARE Program; HomeCare & Hospice; Olean Airport Support Group; Southern Tier Military Support Group; South Olean Football; Healthy Families of Cattaraugus; and the Olean High School Sports Boosters. Sponsors for the Rally include Jaybrake, WPIG-FM, Certo Brothers, Allen’s Liquor Store, A&J’s Subs and Pizza, Granny’s Verona, WXMT-The Mountain, and BOB-FM.