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The Blog has received several letters of note. Clarke, who iniated the conversation about the Memorial Day parade, objects to my treatment of bikers. Others wrote about the parade with the most striking comments about the Supervisor's ineptness. "I wasn't so bothered by the politicians marching in the parade, that's their perogative. But what frosted me was to have Supervisor Warner shake my hand, and many others, with the greeting, "Happy Memorial Day!" What the hell kind of a greeting is that? This is a sacred day. There isn't supposed to be anything particularly happy about it. His other faux pas wasn't quite as grating but was still insulting. In his little "speech", he honored all the "soldiers" who had died for their country. I guess he never heard about airmen, coast guardsmen, marines and sailors. Oh well, just another example of our favorite statesman at his best."

Clarke wrote:

I usually like most of what you put on the blogger but I found your last addition to be disgusting. You ridiculed the biker community as a whole. The bikers that were in Hamlin on Memorial Day, while they did drink, were there to honor the memory of the service men and women that gave their lives for this country. My son-in-law is a biker while he chose not to ride on Memorial Day. Many of the riders were Vietnam vets. If they happen to have a drinking problem today, it might have something to do with the attrocities that they saw during their service to this country. I really think that you owe them a public appology.

I also wanted you to know that even if I do show interest in your views, that in no way means that I endorse the Democratic Party. Neither does it mean that I endorse the Republican Party. I believe that voting straight party lines all of the time is a waste of a vote and is something that a robot could easily do. I choose to vote for the person that I feel will do the best job for the office no matter what party he/she belongs to.

One thing that I do appreciate is that I think that you give me a place to air my views, although you are free to tell me to lay off at any time. I hope that you know that I will not be at all offended if you do that.

Clarke M. Mahaney

The Blog responds: Bikers, like any group, have good and bad members. The history and culture of bike gangs is not too pretty, fundraising for vetrans does not by itself elevate their stature.

The Blog will be happy to retract its remarks if either of following things happens: A Federal Law is passed that all Confederate "Stars and Bars" flags will carry a large navy-blue letter "L" on their face. Or, biker gangs and Motorcycle clubs lobby the legislature to make it a felony for anyone to tamper with the exhaust and noise-supression systems on motorcycles!

Vistors to the Hamlin "Highway to Hell" Festival

Hamlin Rises From The Ashes

June 1, 2012: Hamlin, NY

Hamlin NY today celebrates its fifth anniversary as America's official “Biker-Town USA.” On hand to celebrate were the Hells Angels, Iron Horseman and the Hamlin Headknockers. The event was marked by the annual “Highway to Hell” motorcycle ride and rock concert held on the fireman’s field in the heart of Hamlin.

Town Supervisor, Sonny Barger III, elucidated the short history of the “Biker-Town” designation. “It really started back in aught-four with the Molly Hatchet concert. We had a big ride with about 2000 bikes to raise money for charity. We’d been tryin’ for a few years to find a home, ya know, a place where we could get s—-tfaced and kick out the jams to southern rock, ya know. Yeeehaaaa! Nobody wanted us- ya know Fairport turned us down, so did Spencerport, Brighton, Ontario, Albion, Holley, Clarkson, Sweden, and I dun know, a buncha others. Wait here aminute.”


Supervisor Sonny Barger III (Right) with the Hamlin Town Board

When he returned from the beer tent 35 minutes later, he continued. “So’s anyway, what was I sayin? Oh yeah, we wanted a ‘home’ ya know, someplace where bikers would be welcome, ya know, like a place we could call our own. Hamlin, man, they were just so great. The town board didn’t ask no questions, they didn’t ask for money or nothing- they just said like, ‘Come on down’ ya know? So later, kinda over the next few months or whatever, we got to talking, and s-—t, we figured, ‘Hey, maybe we oughta all just move OUT THERE, ya know, like, become residents, then we ‘d have a real home. I mean s-—t, if fifty percent of the town is bikers we can pretty much do what we want, ya know?”

Local pundit and unofficial town historian Martin Smith outlined what happened next. “At that time, back in ’04, the town board was pretty slow on the up-take. For nearly forty years, ever since the Duffy-Mott plant had abandoned the town, Hamlin had struggled to find a new identity, a new self-image. It tried a few things, like “Wheelfest,” which was supposed to compete with the Hilton Applefest. That didn’t work. I mean, that's like celebrating the history of the shoe, who cares? Despite all the farmland, the creeks and the park, the geniuses in local government couldn’t come up with anything. So when the bikers came, the town board just shrugged their shoulders. There was a mumbled, ‘Uh,umm,ok’ from them. After that, the politicians got a little giddy I guess. They liked seeing their name in the news. The Supervisor liked being on TV even though he looked like Andy Devine (No, not DEVINE, ANDY Devine!) Anyway, they just let the bikers keep coming back and the festival just got bigger and bigger. They brought in ‘Skynard’ and other big acts, bikers came from everywhere and just loved it. They’d take over the town for a weekend, all the local people would hide indoors. The fire department prospered since they had the beer sales, and the town board just continued to shrug and look at their shoes. ‘We can’t stop them now,’ is all they could come up with.”

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The new town flag

The tide turned when the DiMarco subdivision went up for sale in 2008. Originally built in 2005 as a “Senior “ and low-income housing complex, the 900 unit “Millstone” development soon failed. The builder hadn’t anticipated that, with no public transportation, even poor people wouldn’t move to the boondocks to live in sub-standard housing. The project never reached more than 30% occupancy.

Eventually, abandoned by the builder, the development went up for auction. Rob Schiller of Harris, Wilcox oversaw the sale, “Actually, nobody came except the Hell’s Angels. By that time Hamlin’s reputation as a town had hit rock bottom. Local government was a joke- slow, reactionary and petty- and now the town was home to half the motorcycle clubs in the five-county area. Property values had tanked, the good builders baled out and took their projects to Hilton or Clarkson. Anybody with any money had already left town. Hamlin was the first ‘Rural Ghetto’ as the census report described it.”


Hells Angels purchase Millstone Apartments, June 2008

Yet, there are positives to report as well. Crime is down significantly in Hamlin since the Angels took over the “Millstone” complex. In the first years of operation crime shot up 220% in this small town of 4500. Supervisor Bager explained, “Well, first we knocked on a few doors, then we knocked on a few heads. They got the message. Bye, bye.”

Now the sprawling, Soviet-style housing can almost be called homespun. “We’ve moved most of our moms in so we can be closer to ‘em!“ gushed the well-lubricated Butch Spanner, a mechanic at Wheelfest Motors. American and Confederate flags festoon the dull, grey buildings and the constant hum and thump of the Charlie Daniels Band can be heard day and night.

Apparently many ex-wives have also moved into the complex, “These guys would never see their kids if we didn’t!” said Bambi B. “Yeah, and we wouldn’t ever see a support-check either if we weren’t up their a---s everyday!” chimed in Lola D. Both woman declined to use their last names, “We don’t need to get beat up for talking to a freakin’ reporter!”

So it seems, after forty years of searching, Hamlin New York has finally found its identity, “Biker-Town, USA!”

"Highway to Hell" visitors pose for souvineir photo

Memorial Day, Not Advertising Day

The following is from a Hamlin resident.

I was quite dismayed to see our Republican politicians marching in the parade behind the "Hamlin Republicans" banner. To be truthful with you, I wish that politicians would stay completely out of Memorial Day parades unless they are there as veterans. Politicians are the ones that send our young people to other parts of the world to fight and possibly get wounded or die, sometimes for good causes and sometimes for bad. Then when they come back, it is the same politicians that virtually forget the ones that need government help. Remember "Agent Orange"? It killed all of the folliage but it didn't hurt our soldiers? Give me a break!!! The politicians need to let Memorial Day be a day to honor our fallen heroes and leave politics out of it. There, I've had my say.

Thank you,

Clarke M. Mahaney