Community honors first responders with Burgers and Bikes event

MT. PLEASANT - The annual Main Street event, Burgers and Bikes, reminds community members in Mt. Pleasant not only to thank first responders for their work, but also that they should never judge a book by its cover.

Burgers and Bikes, hosted by Main Street Mt. Pleasant, begins at 4:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Downtown Central Park in Mt. Pleasant. The will feature a host of activities including live music, a car show with police and fire vehicles, a teddy bear drive and beef and pork burgers from Hy-Vee and the Henry County Pork Producers. The event encourages local bikers to come out and display their bikes while enjoying food and entertainment.

Beginning three years ago, the event was inspired by the vibrant motorcycle community in and around Mt. Pleasant. Various groups, including the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA) and the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA), make appearances and volunteer during the event.

Art Tousignant, the owner of Dick Wicked, a motorcycle lifestyle shop, says the event allows bikers of the community to come out, identify themselves and mingle with community members.

'You see retired police officers on bikes, people see their neighbors, their co-workers, and many of them realize that a lot of bikers are, like me, combat veterans,” Tousignant said.

'It allows the community to meet the motorcycle community … we're a very charitable lot and people get to see folks like me, with long hair and wearing leather, are really just their friends and neighbors,” Tousignant continued.

Dick Wicked's staff lend a helping hand on the day of the event with directing traffic and collecting toys for the teddy bear drive. The store also sponsors Burgers and Bikes, helping with costs. Other local sponsors include Big Dog Tattoos and radio station KILJ.

Tousignant explained the purpose of the teddy bear drive, saying, 'We saw a need and we wanted to use the event to help first responders who we would see in our community going out to buy teddy bears on their own dime.”

The stuffed animals collected during Burgers and Bikes are donated to EMS workers, who often use or give away toys to children who they meet on emergency calls, often during instances of domestic abuse and similar incidents.

The store owner also stressed that the event allowed the motorcycle community to break down negative connotations and stereotypes created by 'media narratives” from shows like 'Sons of Anarchy” and other similar television programs.

Rick Brecht, the president of the local CMA chapter, Spirit and Truth, similarly noted that Burgers and Bikes gives his group an opportunity to show that they 'are not around to cause trouble,” he said, 'We just love motorcycles … we use bikes as an avenue to spread the gospel and it's awesome for us,” Brecht said of his group's mission.

During the event, Brecht and his group members volunteer with any odds and ends that may need to be completed. Spirit and Truth also perform bike blessings, praying over people and their bikes.

'We usually pray for people to have a safe riding season, protection from Jesus, quick reflexes and that their breaks work in the moments that they are needed,” Brecht explained. However, the group also does general blessings as well.

'It's not strictly related to motorcycles … we pray if somebody needs help or if they're going through a hard time,” Brecht noted, 'It really helps build community and you can tell by how many people come out. It's not just for bikers.”

While Burgers and Bikes began with motorcyclists in mind, it naturally grew to encompass emergency responders as well. According to the Director of Main Street, Lisa Oetken, the event, which always ran on a Tuesday, coincidentally fell on 9/11 last year and it was decided that Bikes and Burgers would pay tribute to first responders and their work and be held on Sept. 11.

The event, which brought in close to 500 people last year, helps boost awareness of businesses in the downtown area. Oetken expects attendance to match last year's numbers or grow.

'It's a very popular event and it has a good message … people come from all over for it,” Oetken concluded.

Because it follows so closely after the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion, Burgers and Bikes serves as an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of the community as a whole in addition to honoring local first responders.

'It's just a way to publicly thank people for everything that they do,” Oetken said.

Burgers and Bikes will be in the square on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring a stuffed bear to donate for the teddy bear drive. Questions at the event can be directed to the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce at 319-385-3101.