Name/Title
Magazine, Easyriders, Bikers Visit the Waupun Correctional Institution, 1981Description
Bikers visit the Waupun Correctional Institution. Taken from the Easyriders, Number 101, November 1981. Note: not all of the articles in the magazine were OCRed and put into PastPerfect.
Bike Show For Shut-ins
Freedom is a word a lot of people use, but not that many of them know what it's all about. Bikers know freedom and they use up every ounce of it. But every once in a while a bro gets caught up in a situation that may get him some down time, courtesy of the state. So a bunch of scooter bums got together in Wisconsin back in 1977, after reading about some bikers visiting their bros out in a California slammer. That '77 Wisconsin show, with just over twenty bikes, has grown to where it is today - namely the bitchin'est bike show behind bars in the country.
It took a lot of work from a whole lot of people, on the inside as well as the outside; but when the planning was all over, we ended up with 175 of the craziest bums who ever kicked over a ride. Sit back now and try to picture how this went down.
The week before the show, everyone from all over the state was doing the last-minute little things, like polishing chrome, checking tires, putting the rings back on a piston or two that had been on the bench for a week or so – you know, the essential stuff. The show was set for Saturday, June 20; but most of the boys were getting together earlier on some land in Oshkosh
about thirty miles from the prison. The land belonged to the Zodiacs MC, and their boss said we could stay there to rest. Seems we had to be at the gates of the joint at 6 a.m. Shit, ever try to tell a bunch of stew bums to lay off the sauce 'cause they had to get up early? Well, the beer ran out around two in the morning, but that didn't stop the party By 4:45 a m., when we had to get ready to hit the fast lane, we had a crew that looked as if they'd just got done setting a world record for doing something wrong. Somehow we hit the breeze on time, leaving behind only about three dudes who must have been having erotic dreams or something.
The pack was impressive, to say the least. You don't often see that many bikes rolling before the sun comes up, After a shakedown at the gate we lined up inside the wall, and at the signal from the head security cat, we cranked 'em over and made as much noise as possible rolling into the recreation field. The looks on the faces of the residents would have been enough right there to make it all worthwhile. But there was a lot more in store. Morning rains bitched up the first rec period a little. The band, Short Stuff, couldn't play because their equipment got a little damp, and electrocution isn't allowed in Wisconsin. Had to call off the tug-of-war contest too, but the annual baseball game went off as usual.
The food services from the prison whipped up their goodies again this year: hot dogs, salads, and Kool-Aid. Last year, when I pigged out on that food, I couldn't get anything going with my ol' lady for about a week (I think they put something in the food).
The afternoon rec period was a little better than the morning's. No rain this time, and you could see things were a little more mellow. When trophy time came around, it just about blew everyone away. The residents came up with some great stuff. About twenty dudes were responsible for coordinating the classing and judging of the bikes. And more were involved in actually making the trophies. The head man for the residents this year was Flapper, who organized the judging and various work details. His club bro Junkyard helped out, even to the point of baking a special cake presented to ABATE of Wisconsin for their efforts in getting all the bikers up to Waupun for the gig. Many of the hand-crafted awards were made by a righteous bro named Kelly. It would take three pages to name all the people involved in the show, so let's just say it couldn't have happened without the combined effort of over a thousand true brothers. Inside groups, such as the lifers and the Latino group, had a major role in the show, as well as the many ABATE members and patch holders who rode in.
This year's show was dedicated to the memory of Bob Hinze, an ABATE member who was killed in an accident about a month before the show. He was a leader of the Zipper Band, which performed at the last two prison shows, and he was one of the original crew of bros who got that first show going back in '77.
Things will regress to the institutionalized life for our bros back in the walled city, but they can at least pass the time knowing we haven't forgotten them, and we will be back again next year to give them the sights, the sounds, the smells of Milwaukee iron and the taste of a day's freedom with their bros.
-Pan
Photos by Billy Tinney and WoodyAcquisition
Accession
2007.0020Source or Donor
James & Harriet LairdAcquisition Method
Gift
