JULY 12, 2026
The July District 5 Meeting was held at noon on Sunday, July 12th at Big Dawgs Bar in Kansas City, Kansas. Tony called the meeting to. order. All stood for the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence for those lost.
Reports.
Sergeant at Arms Report: Kim reported on the numbers of members and non-members at the meeting. All were welcomed.
Secretary’s Report: James went over the minutes from the June District 5 Meeting. Besides one correction, the meeting minutes were accepted as read and printed in the newsletter. The correction was in the time for the September District 5 Meeting. The meeting will take place at 12:00pm, not 1pm as stated in the June meeting report.
Treasurer’s Report: Tony gave ABATE of Kansas Inc. encourage others to go next time. Reminder if you would like a chance to speak up and voice your opinion or story of the Profiling Bill and The Right To Repair we encourage you to go to votekansas.gov.
Membership Report: Tony reported on the membership numbers.
State Report/Legislative Report: Tony reported due to low outcome this year, there will not be another Back to Our Roots Rally. Right now in Kansas, not much is going on legislatively because politicians are busy trying to get elected or re-elected. Nationally, little is going legislatively, however President Trump did sign in the Right to Repair. Unfortunately, the definition of a motorcycle did not get “defined,” and is currently dead at a federal level.
Much like in Arkansas and in Texas, we have lobbyists working on our interests in Kansas on an inherent risk law in Kansas. This would allow for when an organization like ours would put on an event, it wouldn’t necessarily have to have a big insurance policy to cover if someone gets hurt at the event. That person is responsible for themselves, and to have insurance on themselves, i.e. medical and vehicle insurance.
Mid-South MILE is coming up and will be in Topeka. Also, MRF Meeting of the Minds will be in Milwaukee, WI two weeks after the Labor Day Rally. Both are really good and informative events and are worth attending.
Work weekends in preparation for the Labor Day Rally have started. Working during the work weekends will count toward early (Thursday) entry to the Labor Day Rally. You must sign in and have your hours logged to get the free early entry pass.
See the State Report in the newsletter for more information regarding the State Meeting.
Old/New Business.
Trophies have been donated to the district by Varsity Sports, at 7817 Parallel Pkwy., Kansas City, KS, for use for district events. Thank you Varsity Sports.
Plaques for the winners of the Labor Day Rally Bike Games and Bike Show have been cut, and routed, so they are almost ready to go. We need donations for both “Party in a Wagons.”
The End of Year Party date, location, and band is booked. It will take place at the Moose Lodge in Kansas City, Kansas. Lisa and Beth are taking care of the food arrangements.
Nominations and District 5 Board Positions: Due to other obligations and things that have come up, Bud Chapman has stepped down as District Assistant Representative. Dozzle has stepped up to fulfill the role in his place until the next election. All were in favor of Dozzle as the fill in and there were no objections. Dozzle was approved by those present to fulfill the duties as District 5 Assistant Representative until next year’s election.
Tony Rawls-Riley was nominated for the position of District Representative. Tony accepted the nomination. Angela Thomasson was nominated for the position of Treasurer. Angela accepted the nomination. Betsy Clark was nominated for the position of Sergeant at Arms. Betsy accepted the nomination. Voting begins in October and will go November and December. Ballots will be printed in the newsletter in October and November. Ballots will be counted and then announced during the December District 5 Meeting.
Meetings.
The August meeting will be at noon on Saturday, August 1st at the Labor Day Rally Site – Paradise Pt, Ozawkie Township, KS 66070. The meeting will be on the old vendor pad and will be part of the District 5 work weekend, in preparation for the Labor Day Rally.
The September District 5 meeting will be held at approximately noon on Sunday, September 6th at the Labor Day Rally Site. It will be on the game field during the judging of the District 5 Bike Show. – Paradise Pt., Ozawkie Township, KS 66070.
The October District 5 Meeting will take place at noon on Sunday, October 4th at The Moose Lodge – 6621 Turner Dr., Kansas City, KS 66111.
The November District 5 Meeting will be at noon on Sunday, November 1st at the Coachlite Club – 2103 S. 34th St., Kansas City, KS 66106. (Note: This is a cash only establishment) Larry won the prize drawing and donated his winnings back to the district. Thank you Larry.
Lisa made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Beth. All were in favor, and the meeting was adjourned.
Kim brought hotdogs for everyone to enjoy. Bobbi brought some really good pasta salad to share.
JUNE 14, 2026
The June District 5 Meeting was held at noon, June 14th, 2026, at Full Draw in Edgerton, KS. Tony called the meeting to order, and the meeting was kept informal, due to low attendance.
Reports.
Secretary’s Report: James read over the minutes from the May District 5 Meeting. Aside from two minor errors, the report was accepted as read and printed in the newsletter.
Treasurer’s Report: James read over the accounts as reported by Angela. The accounts have been audited and are in good standing.
State Report: Tony did not attend the June State Meeting in Gove, KS. See the State Meeting Report in the newsletter for more on the State Meeting.
The Back to Our Roots Rally was last week. The rally had low attendance. Those that were there had a good time. The District 5 Games were a hit, especially the “Wet Spot” game.
Work weekends for the Labor Day Rally will start July 18th & 19th. The campground will be open. Friday night, the 17th, for those working the weekend.
Tony was in Washington D.C. for Bikers on The Beltway. One important issue is getting back with legislators about the definition of a motorcycle.
New/Old Business:
Nominations for District 5 Board Positions of District Representative, Treasurer, and Sergeant at Arms open in July. Voting will begin and run in October, November and December. Ballots will be printed in the newsletter in October and November. The ballots will be counted and then announced during the December District 5 Meeting.
Tony will be purchasing wood to make the plaques for the District 5 Games and Bike Show winners at the Labor Day Rally. We will still need donations for the two Party in a Wagons we will be giving away.
We need to get our meeting attendance up. District 5 Meetings are open to the public. They meetings are a good time with good people. Come help us make the decisions that affect the district, and riders everywhere.
Meetings.
The July meeting will take place at noon on Sunday, July 12th at Big Dawg’s Bar KC – 6720 Kaw Dr., Kansas City, KS 66111.
The August meeting will be at noon on Saturday, August 1st at the Labor Day Rally Site – Paradise Pt, Ozawkie Township, KS 66070. The meeting will be on the old vendor pad and will be part of the District 5 work weekend, in preparation for the Labor Day Rally.
The September District 5 Meeting will be held at approximately 1pm on Sunday, September 6th at the Labor Day Rally Site. It will be on the game field during the judging of the District 5 Bike Show. – Paradise Pt., Ozawkie Township, KS 66070.
Please be sure to check the District 5 Website for any updates to dates, times and locations of meetings. www.abateksdist5.org
A motion was made by Mary to adjourn the meeting. The motion was second by Marty. No one opposed all were in favor and the motion carried. Meeting Adjourned.