Tub Run ready to roll through county for MDA
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If you go
What: 15th annual Tub Run hosted by the Janesville Harley Owners Group to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
When: Saturday from noon until 3:30 p.m. for ride
Where: Beginning at Kutter Harley Davidson, 3223 N. Pontiac Drive, Janesville and ending at Thresherman's Park, 51 E. Cox Road, Edgerton.
Information: Call Kutter Harley Davidson (608) 757-0880 or visit mdatubrun.jvlnet.com
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JANESVILLE — Planning for the Janesville Harley Owners Group's 15th annual Tub Run is no small task for organizers and officials whose cities play host to the 1,500 motorcycles that roar through Rock County.
But all the work and temporary street closures are worth the thousands of dollars raised for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Southwest Wisconsin chapter, said Lori Heffel, publicist for the Tub Run.
The money raised allows families in this part of the state to buy wheelchairs and pays for doctor visits and therapy treatment. Heffel said 30 families in Rock County are part of more than 400 that the Tub Run helps each year.
The event begins Friday with a pork barbecue, a bike show and live music at Thresherman's Park, 51 E. Cox Road, Edgerton. The ride begins at noon on Saturday from Kutter's Harley Davidson, 3223 N. Pontiac Drive, Janesville.
The 1,500 bikes and about 2,100 riders will continue down Pontiac Road to Ruger Avenue before leaving Janesville on Wright Road. The bikers will then pass through Clinton, into Beloit for a break at Preservation Park, and then head back to Thresherman's park in Edgerton for a silent auction, a raffle, a steak dinner and more live music.
Motorists are advised to avoid those areas until about 12:30 if they must travel east to west in the city. All of the riders will continue through intersections uninterrupted.
The ride will also affect traffic on Highway 14, according to a news release from the Janesville Police Department.
People stopped at the intersections are inconvenienced for five or 10 minutes, Heffel said.
"If they were to see these kids and how they benefit, they would be happy to find another way around the intersection," she said.
Dave Alwin has been head of the event committee for four years and said all the planning fades away when he sees the money put to good use. Alwin visited a camp for kids with muscular dystrophy in the beginning of the month.
"The motorized wheelchairs alone cost a bundle and you never think of that until you see all the kids coming up for Harley rides," he said. "Seeing their smiles was pretty cool."
The Janesville owners group raised the second-most money for the MDA nationally in 2007 and 2008, and its members hope to raise $165,000 this year.
All the riders and about 400 volunteers make Alwin's job easy on the day of the ride, he said.
"I just let my organizers know what they need to do and they take care of it," he said. "It's just amazing to watch them all work together so effortlessly."
