I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully other city administrations are less butt headed. I'd still like to see it take place at Thunder Bay for purely selfish reasons. I live near Lake Superior on the Minnesota side of the border and love the north shore of the big lake. It is awesome scenery and would make for some great rides. That's where Chris Hill is located, I believe (and if I'm remembering the name correctly). I would think that any city considered should have someone local who can act as a liaison and might have better luck convincing the police and city hall that it is a good idea... also that hosting a motorbicycle rally is not going to turn into something raucous and a problem. If the person presenting the idea emphasizes the most benign aspects of this hobby/sport/addiction/? and maybe even photos of some of the likely participants... seeing that some are geezers and people cruising around at 20 or 25 mph on bicycles with little motors and is not a threatening thing... plus that the local food shelf and other charities will benefit might help sway opinions. In other words it must seem like something of benefit and not a liability. My thoughts anyway. I'd really like to see this happen. It would be helpful to learn why Sudbury did not want it. Knowing the thinking there might help in developing a more effective strategy elsewhere. Summer 2010 is still a long ways off. Just a guess, but due to it's location I'm guessing that Thunder Bay may feel somewhat out of the mainstream of greater Ontario, perhaps getting the short end of the stick a little too often. Such a place might tend more to go it's own way. If there are already riders there, they may be able to give a heads up on how likely a rally might be possible. Same would be true for other locations under consideration. Maybe someplace relatively small and having a rough time economically might be more open to the idea of anything that brings people and a few dollars. There must be some way to make this happen.Not so sure this rally will happen. The mayor, and the police are not responding to me. I feel ignored. I may need to change location or something, I'll keep you all posted.
SB