Lompoc attorney James Hall said he hasn’t ridden a motorcycle in years. His old Yamaha collects dust in his garage.
Hall better start making room in that garage for a new bike, and set aside some plans for a road trip, because on July 6, he was announced the winner of a new Harley Davidson Street Glide courtesy of the Arroyo Grande Rotary Club and its second annual Motorcycle Raffle Fundraiser.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Hall told the Sun. “I’ve ridden bikes before, but not avidly. It’s been a long time.”
A ticket for the raffle cost $100, and 365 total tickets were purchased. That’s a 0.3 percent chance of winning the raffle, folks.
Hall said he wouldn’t have the Harley right now if not for the coaxing of Santa Barbara Superior Court clerk John Tennant, whose father is involved in the local Rotary Club. Being an attorney, Hall runs into Tennant frequently at the courthouse.
“Tennant kind of cornered me. He asked me to buy a ticket,” Hall laughed. “And I’m easy, so I did it.”
All joking aside, Hall was happy to oblige the clerk and contribute to the cause, never expecting to ultimately win the bike.
“The cause was good,” he said. “Tennant’s a courteous young man. Everybody has to deal with him at the front counter. He’s always been real polite and helpful to me. He’s willing to go that extra mile.”
Hall said he’s actively involved in “several different” nonprofit organizations in the community, but, ironically, the Arroyo Grande Rotary Club is not one of them.
“I’m a Kiwanis member. All the organizations are about community service, but each one thinks they’re the best,” he cracked.
At the time he was announced as the raffle winner, Hall was struggling with a bad bout of arthritis. He admitted he hasn’t ridden his new Harley yet.
“I couldn’t even brush my teeth properly at the time,” Hall said. “My son had to ride it home from the ceremony. Now that my hands are better, I’m going to have to take it for a spin.”
Hall hopes motorcycle rides become a family activity soon.
“My son has an older Honda, and he hadn’t ridden it in six months,” he said. “Once he found out I won the raffle, he quickly took his out of hibernation.”
According to the Rotary Club of Arroyo Grande, this year’s motorcycle raffle raised $36,500 and will be donated to various charitable groups in the community. The money will go toward funding youth and educational support programs in the area, the Boys & Girls Club, youth performing arts programs at the Clark Center, and other service projects in the community.
Contributor Peter Johnson can be reached at pjohnson@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jul 14-21, 2016.
