Spooks & Scoots was started back in 1980, as a tribute to Hillsborough Co. ABATE President, Jim Hill, who was lost in a motorcycle accident. Originally known as “a tribute to Brothers lost, the name was changed to “a tribute to Brothers and Sisters lost” after the death of ABATE sister, Elaine Shearin, in 1991. Being held in October, the party always had a Halloween theme.Records being kept…in 2003, an Eternal Flame Memorial Tent was established, containing boards listing all Bros and Sisters lost in motorcycle accidents…sadly the list grew as the years passed.
I attended this event since 1994, missing only one…2001…the year I lost my wife. It grew in many ways: a helicopter came in in 2009 , providing rides over the grounds, and in 2012, a beautiful new pavilion was erected. Coffin beer coolers were the norm, as was the opening ceremony, where a “dead” biker is carried in a coffin inside the ABATE hearse, to lay in state inside the memorial tent…many tears visible during THAT ceremony. This was always followed by a give-away session, a tattoo show, and of course, the Beauty Contest on Saturday evening. Sunday morning, was the Memorial Ride.
Why did this event cease to happen…??? My guess is, too many other near-by events on the same dates…too bad…I’m hoping that this event can be resurrected …somehow…!! Thanks to Patti Nasrallah and crew for holding things together for all those years. No SPOOKS in 2016…very sad…
Miserable George
