"Crazy" teacher Embarks on Scooter Journey

 Photo by Andy Burriss

I was amused by this article from the South Carolina Herald Online that revealed the plans of a high school teacher who is about to embark on a 600-mile ride to raise money for  the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. I found it funny on several levels; that a 600-mile ride would be classified at "crazy," that he has arrange for 2 automobile escorts; that he is undertaking this trip with minimal scootering experience (well, that may be unwise), and that the ride is called "Moped to Memphis" when he is on a scooter.

Regardless, its a fun story and I wish him well in raising funds for a good cause. A happy and safe journey to him!

Let the Toy Runs begin!

Some upcoming Holiday Toy Runs:

San Francisco Scooter Girls
Date: Wednesday December 9, 2009
Time: 7-10pm
Meet: The Homestead, 2301 Folsom Street (at 19th) San Francisco, CA
What: Enjoy hot, meaty, delicious firehouse chili prepared by San Francisco Fire Dept, Station 7, and sweets provided by members of the San Francisco Scooter Girls! Bring a new, unwrapped toy & receive a raffle ticket! Weather permitting, we will also lead a leisurely holiday group ride--stay tuned for more details.

The Whichita Twisters had their toy run on Nov 1st. See photos here.


Blog entry soundtrack: "Watermellon Man" by Herbie Hancock

Upcoming Event: Scooter Jamboree

If you are in Sacramento this weekend look for the Scooter Jamboree :

Sacramento welcomes the first Scooter Jamboree at The Scoot Shop this Saturday and Sunday to raise money for arts and music.

In a creative collaboration between The Fay Throckmorton, Kenneth Scott Mackrel Organization for the Arts (T&M Organization) and The Scoot Shop, the Scooter Jamboree was created as a charity event to help local youth gain access to art and music and gain revenue for the city, according to Rebekah Spurgeon, co-owner of The Scoot Shop.

"We liked the charity and thought it would be a fun collaboration," Spurgeon said.

The Scoot Shop, located at 1619-A E St. opened last year as the only full service scooter repair shop and dealership. The festivities will begin Saturday with a meet-and-greet from 5-10 p.m featuring live music by Jeffrey Valentine and the Storytella's, fire spinning after dark and an art show featuring Chicago scooter artist Casey Sachen at The Scoot Shop.

Sunday will kick-off at 10 a.m. with a two hour scooter ride for charity around the capitol followed by a dinner party that night at The Scoot Shop. Proceeds from the ride will benefit T&M Organization for the Arts.

According to The Scoot Shop's website, Registration is $25 in advance and $30 at the door. You can register online by phone or in person at The Scoot Shop. Registration includes food and drink tickets, T-shirts and raffle tickets. All shapes, colors and sizes of scooters are welcome, but don't forget your helmet.

Scoot! Holiday Lights Ride

The local San Jose scooter crew has been holding a holiday lights ride for years. I used to host it at my house. Scooterists would meet there and I'd treat them to snacks and hot cocoa. Then, we'd get on our scooters and brave the cold to ride around and checkout the holiday lights. Once I moved out of that neighborhood, the scooterists across the street took it over, then a local shop, until this year when Scoot! sponsored it with San Jose Vespa.

We met at San Jose Vespa for some snacks and scooter talk. We held a raffle with proceeds o benefit ScooterRelief.org. Then we jumped on our scooters and Josh guided us through the surrounding neighborhood. We ended up at a local Starbucks where Scoot! bought the hot drinks. Norbert, Eddie and I decorated our scooters with battery-operated lights. I used the Braketext to broadcast "Happy Holidays from Scoot! Magazine." A man in a car stopped me to ask where I got the Braketext, and wondered if they made it or cars. Dunnno. At any rate, you can see the video that I posted on YouTube. Thankfully iMovie is easy to use.


Interested in a fun event to do in the winter? Try a holiday lights ride in your area!

Rachael Ray Scooter for Charity

Piaggio is partnering with Rachael Ray to raise money for her "Yum-O" charity. The scooter appeared on the December 11th Rachael Ray show and will be on auction until January 11.

According to the charity's website, "Yum-o! is a nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships."

You can bid on the scooter at the Charity Folks' site.