Thousands of Motorcyclists Return to Marysville for 11th Honda HomeComing
21 July 1999
Thousands of Motorcyclists Return to Marysville for 11th Honda HomeComingRide for Kids event will raise funds to find a cure for childhood brain tumors
MARYSVILLE, Ohio, July 20 -- They may have been traveling for
days on the open road aboard their Gold Wing, Valkyrie and Shadow motorcycles,
but they'll know they're home when they arrive at Marysville to attend the
Honda HomeComing(SM) Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Honda of America Mfg.
(HAM) and in neighboring communities.
What began in 1988 as a simple open house to thank customers for buying
their products has turned into one of the premier events in America, drawing
thousands of motorcyclists from all fifty states, Canada and countries across
the ocean. This year's event will offer more to see and do than ever. More
than 8,000 motorcyclists are expected to participate in activities, shop for
accessories and apparel, tour Honda's motorcycle, auto and engine
manufacturing plants, and enjoy local hospitality.
A popular part of Honda HomeComing is the Ride for Kids, a charity ride to
raise funds to find a cure for childhood brain tumors, a leading cause of
childhood deaths. Supported by Honda and thousands of motorcycle riders in
rides across the country, Ride for Kids has raised more than $7 million for
the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States. Last year's local
event raised a record $110,000.
This year's route will cover 75 miles from the Marysville Motorcycle Plant
east to the new headquarters of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA),
and site of the new Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum at Pickerington, Ohio.
Registration for the ride, costing $35, is from 7 to 8:45 a.m. Saturday at the
Motorcycle Plant. Departure is at 9 a.m., rain or shine. A box lunch is
provided at the AMA headquarters.
Local communities of Marysville and Bellefontaine are hosting activities
for the motorcyclists, including bike judgings, block parties, breakfasts, and
craft shows. After dark, the lights and accessories that trim many bikes will
go on as the Light Parades begin. Thursday's parade will form at the Old Field
Beach at Indian Lake in Logan County at 8 p.m. and make its way east on U.S.
33 to Bellefontaine. On Friday, the parade will begin at the Marysville
Motorcycle Plant and move east on U.S. 33 to the Block Party in downtown
Marysville.
All three days during Honda HomeComing, visitors will have the opportunity
to tour the Marysville Motorcycle Plant where Gold Wings, Valkyries and
Shadows are exclusively built for a worldwide market. The Marysville Auto
Plant will be open for tours on Thursday and Friday only. The East Liberty
Auto Plant will host tours on Thursday only. Tours of the Engine Plant in
Anna, Ohio, approximately 45 miles west of the Marysville Motorcycle Plant,
will be offered only on Friday. Guests must purchase a one-day, $15 Honda
HomeComing pass at the Marysville Motorcycle Plant to be admitted on any of
the tours.
Honda HomeComing will end Saturday with a banquet from 5 to 8 p.m.,
climaxed by a grand prize drawing for a 1999 Honda Valkyrie Interstate
motorcycle valued at $15,000. Tickets for the drawing will be sold all three
days. Participants' 3-day, $45 registration fee includes a drawing ticket and
admission to the closing banquet, in addition to admission each day to events
at the Marysville Motorcycle Plant.
HAM currently has 13,200 associates producing more than 840,000 vehicles
and 900,000 engines and drivetrain components per year for customers in North
America and more than 100 countries around the world.
