Wino Willie’s Crew Motorcycle Club filled Lions Hall with Fort Bragg High School softball supporters Saturday in the inaugural of the Home Run, a ride and barbecue that raised more than $10,000 for the Lady Wolves.
Starting in Redwood Valley, Wino WIllie’s Crew, a motorcycle club with a storied history and original ties to Fort Bragg, made their way to the coast on a sunny morning (after setting up the hall the night before) and lined both sides of Redwood Avenue with more than 100 bikes for the barbecue.
Donations were lined up from a host of local businesses and organizations. Ferrell Gas pitched in the bulk of funds for a new scoreboard (an outfield fence, new uniforms and equipment are also on the list). Money raised from the auction and raffle pushed into five figures, according to Wino WIllie’s Crew President Jesse Ricks.
Fort Bragg Mayor Will Lee made an appearance, both at Lions Hall and at the Tip Top Lounge, where Wino Willie’s Crew and a number of guest motorcycle clubs rendezvoused after the ride. Lee welcomed the riders to Fort Bragg and honored their spirit of community service.
Starting about 1 p.m., tables at Lions Hall filled with club members, family and friends, and plenty of Fort Bragg High softball players and their supporters, all of whom volunteered for setup, at raffle tables, in the kitchen, and to generally keep things running smoothly, which they did.
“It was a huge coming together,” Ricks said. “We just had an idea and a direction and solid people, and it worked.”
Ricks credited “the hard work of the Fort Bragg Lady Wolves selling tickets and gathering donations all over Fort Bragg, and the pure dedication of my Brothers In Wino’s Crew MC, who spent the last four months along with their awesome wives, who donated time and cooked all the food for this event, and most of all the people and businesses of Fort Bragg.”
Source: Fort Bragg Advocate News