I made our morning Nashville paper!

Traditions

It's good to see and hear about small town traditions that are being carried forward. Most small to medium sized towns around here don't do it in favor of hiring a private motorcycle escort service for around $100.00 per motor officer X 2 or 3 that's passed on to the family. The exception seems to be any kind of local dignatary, fire fighter or police officer that all the stops are pulled out for with agency vehicles..... that's good! MM
 
will at least they caught your good side. shame that had to show you working and ruin your image as a cigar smoking, beer drinking man of leisure with deep pockets from some mysteries whisky plant in Tenn. one more of my bubbles burst and life will never be the same. tell the boss next time he puts you out in the street you want a orange vest or at least hazard duty pay.
 
And in larger places...

We're trying to catch one "deep discount" provider in the act of running with blue/red strobes on his dash during a procession. He has a one vehicle fleet (old Dodge minivan). FL law requires a rotating bulb device, amber in color. I do miss the small town traditions I enjoyed in New England.
Nice story, Jeremy!!!
Thanks
Kev
 
Motorcycle Escorts

Here in the Twin Cities, we are fortunate to have an excellent funeral motorcycle escort service. Those of you who attended the '96 PCS int'l Meet here will remember them, as they escorted our motorcades to various places.

The charge is $210 per bike per funeral and worth every penny. We usually figure 1 bike per 20 cars, but the decision is ultimately left to the family. If a family does not want an escort (which is rare), the only option is for everyone to meet at the cemetery; we do not do "informal" processions.

In my hometown, funeral escorts are usually readily available because there is the city police, the county sheriff, and the regional state patrol office, all stationed in our town. When I worked for my dad, I remember times when all 3 agencies escorted the same procession, based on jurisdiction.
 
In August of '08, a dear friend of ours, a retired Methodist minister, died here in Galion. The interment was in a cemetery in a little burg south of Canton. So....we had about an 80 mile cortege drive, with my wife and I in our '76 Lincoln holding down the "back door." About 8 cars. White knuckles all the way. The cycle escort dropped off on the east side of Mansfield, but not before nearly getting run over by a woman-on-a-cell-phone in an SUV, who almost hit us too. After that, it was one close call after another on Rte 30, with vehicles merging onto 30 sans regard for the funeral procession. The cortege should have been marked better, too, as there were no lights at the rear of the parade. I drove all the way with hands clenched on the wheel, and left foot poised above the brake pedal. (Was glad I am a 2-foot driver.) The cem is on very hilly ground, with narrow cow path roads. Going up those hills all I could see was sky beyond the tip of the Lincoln's long prow. What a day. Rest in peace, Rev. Clair.
 
Honor of the deceased

I'm glad to see that some respectful traditions are still alive and well, during the past few years sometimes we have had to go without an escort when our police department is busy. Our local police and sheriff still provide at no charge to us or the family, escorts from the funeral home, church or lodge. And the folks here in Winslow AZ still stop their cars, take off their hats and wait for us to pass. Its part of public service in our books.
 
I forgot to mention the other heart-stopping moment in our 80 miles trek: About half way there, we were going along about 60 mph when a truck came down a ramp to our right and tried to merge into the middle of our cortege. The lead car and hearse each did a last-second very sharp hook to the left , and the rest of us followed suit. I had never seen a hearse rock and roll like that before, and hope never to see it happen again. It was like a scene from "Bullitt" or "The French Connection" or maybe "The Blues Brothers." "It's 80 miles to the cemetery, we've got a full tank of gas, a bike escort, it's a bright, clear day and we're wearing sunglasses." "Hit it."
 
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