Hello Again!

Wow - it's been a while since I wrote last! We've been doing a lot on the social media scene. We've grown to over 6,000 fans on Facebook and are also active on Twitter and Linked In. Hopefully you can follow us on some of these. We're headed into the core holiday shopping season and we are stocked and ready to go! If you can't find what you're looking for here - tell one of our associates and we'll do our best to get you what you're looking for. We also are offering free gift wrapping every Saturday until Christmas. I promise to do a better job of keeping you informed on here! Next Thursday is Men's Night (don't miss it guys). Next Saturday Santa will be here and Jess from My Museum Tattoo Studio will be doing on-the-spot tattoos. Happy Holidays everyone. See you soon...
- Nicki

1,053 Pound Pumpkin

It's a true story. We have a 1,053 pound pumpkin outside our front doors. And it proudly wears our dealership colors. Thanks to the artistic efforts of Brenda and Cathy (2 of our very talented staff members), this pumpkin is not only awed because of it's size, but because of it's BEAUTY! The Adventure logo splashed on the front of the pumpkin is displayed for all onlookers to view as they pass by, conveniently facing the highway. Come check it out. I think you'll get a kick out of it. I know I've never seen anything like it. It puts me in the mood for fall weather. ~Nicki

Big "A" Fan!

Catchy title, right? Allow me to explain. Everyone likes to have a trademark, something they can be remembered by. Well, it just so happens we have the LARGEST FAN KNOWN TO MANKIND smack dab in the middle of our showroom. I kid you not, the LARGEST ceiling fan you will ever see in your life. We're talking a 40 foot, 9-wing steel fan that emits cool air better than a crisp autumn day. I tried to get photos, but pictures don't do this thing justice. The best part? It was made by a company called the Big A** Fan company. I wasn't using the word for dramatic effect. Have I peaked your interest yet? Mark my words...you want to see this massive steel contraption. If nothing else, you can leave our dealership knowing you just saw a big a** fan!

http://www.bigassfans.com/powerfoil_x

- Nicki :)

HARLEY DEMO FLEET

This past Friday/Saturday, we had the pleasure of hosting the Harley-Davidson Demo Fleet. And let me tell you, there's a reason it's called a "fleet." They thundered into our dealership with 17 - that's right - SEVENTEEN 2010 Harley-Davidson models. The most exclusive, the most saught after, and the most hardcore features ever seen on Harley-Davidson motorcycles. I shouldn't have been surprised that we were completely booked for 2 days straight. You read that correctly. We did not have one opening on Saturday - completely booked. We sent over 100 rides out on those beautiful new bikes.

I must say, since I was the one running the demo booth the whole time, that the heavy favorites were definitely the Ultra Limited, Screamin' Eagle Softail Convertible, and of course the ever-popular VROD Muscle. Personally, I'm a fan of the convertible, but to each his/her own. My mom came in to help me register people on Saturday and as someone who was just recently introduced into the "world of Harley" - she was blown away by the participation. I'm sure it helped that it was 70 and sunny with a slight breeze, but I like to think it's because everyone loves coming to our dealership.

Well I'll leave you with this thought...last year we were rained out both days, this year we were completely booked both days. I think the wheel of good fortune is turning in our direction, don't you?

:) Nicki

2010's ARE IN!!

Alright everyone - the much anticipated 2010 Harley-Davidson motorcycles are not only rolling through our doors on a daily basis, but we want to make sure you have a chance to test ride them! We have 3 demo days planned in the next 3 weeks. If you can't come up with some excuse to get yourself down here and get on one of these bikes, then I can't help you!

Here's what the schedule looks like right now. We have a demo day this Saturday, August 29th from 10am - 3pm with the following bikes available to ride: Ultra, Road Glide Custom, Wide Glide, XR1200, Road King, Heritage, Fat Bob, Street Glide, Softail Custom. Every rider gets a free gift and all you need is a valid endorsement and a helmet. Please wear long pants.

In 2 weeks we have the privilege of hosting the Harley-Davidson® demo truck on Friday & Saturday, September 11-12. This will be during our HUGE Fall Open House. They will have a complete lineup of 2010 models availabe to test ride: Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-3pm. We'll also have a sidewalk sale, cookout, and a special for all veterans and public officials that day.

And of course, if you can't make it to one of our demo days, you are always welcome to take a bike out any day of the week...just say the word. We offer demo rides on any bike may be interested in purchasing. So I hope to see you all within the next couple weeks to check out the amazing innovations in the 2010 models. Screw it, Let's Ride!!

:) - Nicki

Thunder Thru The Valley

On Saturday, August 15Th Adventure Harley-Davidson held it's 2ND annual Benefit Poker run called Thunder Thru The Valley. This Poker run benefited the Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio. We had an amazing turn out for this free poker run! There were 131 bikes and 213 people!!

The highest hand won a $250 Adventure Harley-Davidson Gift Card and the lowest hand won a $100 Adventure Harley-Davidson Gift Card. Everyone that participated had a wonderful time and a beautiful ride.







The first stop on the ride was the Pine Tree Barn in Wooster. "Pine Tree Barn is a restored Dutch bank barn featuring over 25,000 sq. ft. of home furnishings and interior design, gift shops, and a gourmet luncheon restaurant."


After leaving this location, the ride headed to Quailcrest Farm. "Located just on the edge of Ohio's Amish country, this family business was begun as a perennial nursery in 1975. Quailcrest is well known throughout the state for its herbs, perennials, old roses, flowering shrubs and scented gerenaiums for the serious and hobby gardener. They offer a wealth of gardening information and ideas as well as eclectic shopping, relaxing gardens, woods to wander in,an assortment of dogs and cats, sunshine and fresh air!"






The third stop was the Dalton Dariette in Dalton, OH. The ride's forth and final stop was Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, OH. This company was founded in 1955 by Jay Lehman. "They serve the local Amish and others without electricity. Lehman's ships old fashioned, high quality merchandise all over the world."

The Thunder Thru the Valley Poker run raised $1,500 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio. Adventure Harley-Davidson would like to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone that participated! Big Brothers Big Sisters had a large number of volunteers to help make things go as smooth as possible. A big thank you to all of the volunteers!

Keep your eyes open for our new events that are coming up! And as always, come in and visit us! We would love to see you!

Escorting the Wall

On Thursday, August 6Th Adventure Harley-Davidson was part of something AMAZING! We were involved in the escorting of the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall.

The day started out with a ride from Adventure to Cambridge to meet up with the rest of the escorting bikes. We only anticipated 50 bikes for the ride to Cambridge, and we ended up having around 80 bikes! What a great turn out! In order to keep all of the bikes in one continuous line, Nicki had to use her tiny blue Ford Focus to block traffic on 39. That was quite a site to see! People were a little irritated at the momentary stop in traffic, but we didn't care. We were too excited to see all of the beautiful bikes in one large group and listening to the loud bikes zoom past us. After the line of bikes as out, we quickly hopped into Nicki's car and followed them. Bud was directly behind the bikes and sweeping the ride with the trailer. If a bike broke down, he would be there to put the bike in the trailer, and we would give the folks a ride in Nicki's car.

We made it to Cambridge safe and sound. I have never seen so many bikes in one place! there had to have been about 2,000 of them!! Nicki and I walked about the giant parking-lot and handed out free dealer t-shirt coupons to all of the bikers. It was a BEAUTIFUL day! Perfect for escorting the wall. A few hours passed and we were ready to hit the road. We also swept the big ride from Cambridge to Dennison.

Escorting the wall made me feel like a part of history. As we drove down the highway, people were standing on the overpasses with American flags and waving at the bikers. Nicki was honking the horn as we both had our hands out the windows waving at the people watching the ride. When we got to Uhrichsville and Dennison, we were part of a parade! We laughed because we looked so out of place. People were probably wondering how a little Ford Focus got mixed up in a parade of 2,000 motorcycles! I rolled my window down and waved like a beauty queen to the people on the sidewalks. Some people smiled and waved back, others gave me a confused look as if to say "Who are you?". I had a fun time pretending to be the Motorcycle Princess.
The entire experience was very heart-warming. Knowing that all of those men and women lost their lives for a greater cause made me even more proud to be an American. We live in a great country with dedicated patriots.

THANK YOU so much for everyone that came out for the ride! You were a part of history! And also, Thanks to everyone that watched our ride or worked the stands in Dennison.
Stop in a see us soon!

- Anna

I've Come So Far

I am a proud employee of Adventure Harley-Davidson. I am a Marketing Student at the University of Akron and I am HAPPY to make the 45 minute drive to come to work everyday. Most people my age dread working during the summer. They would rather sleep in 'til noon, lay out by the pool, and get into trouble with friends when the sun goes down. But NOT me. My friends are HERE! I start every Saturday at 6:00am to make it to work at 8:00am and I wouldn't have it any other way. Just knowing that I will get to spend the day with my awesome co-workers is enough to make me hop out of bed and get going. Each day gives me something to be excited about and I have grown SO MUCH as a person by working here.

When I first started at Adventure in March of 2008, I was a shy, soft-spoken 20 year old girl with a lot of social anxiety. Just ask Margie, our Motor Clothes Manager! She will tell you about when I had my first interview with her. Oh BOY, was I nervous! I got so nervous during the interview that I actually broke out in hives. Yes, hives. It happens when I get nervous. Don't judge me! Even though I was a bit skittish, Margie took me under her wing and my journey began! I don't know what was wrong with me way back then, but the wonderful people at Adventure brought me out of my shell.

I started out on the phones. Okay, I was the type of person that hated to talk to strangers on the phone. I was a afraid to call and order pizza for crying out loud! Now I would be handling 10 phones lines at once! HOLY COW! This is when I met Rita, my first mentor at Adventure. Rita is one of the coolest chicks you'll EVER meet. At first I just sat at her desk with her at watched her work the phones. She picked up line after line with no hesitation. I thought "Okay, Anna, you can do this. Just pace yourself", and by the end of the day, I was answering the phone, transferring calls, and taking messages like I was born for it! Rita's patience and confidence in me to do a good job is was pushed me to succeed.I really started to blossom when I got the hang of the phones. I gained self confidence and my interactions with others became better and better each day.

But I really started to become the girl I am today when I started in Motor Clothes. Margie decided that I would be good as a cashier in her department. SO, on a busy Saturday she threw me into the action! Jenn started to train me and I picked up on it right away. I was SO proud of myself. I was finding out so many new things about myself! I felt like I could do just about anything! Interacting with the customers was really awesome. I really enjoyed helping them find the things they were looking for and making the most of their shopping experience. Margie would always tell us that our customers are guests in our store, and we should treat them as so. Seeing the customers' smiling faces, and knowing that I helped make them happy, is very rewarding.

And now I am being mentored by Nicki, the Marketing Manager. I have already learned SO much! I have the coolest Internship in the world. It's never a dull moment around here and there is always something new to get excited about. I feel so lucky to work at such a well-known establishment. Harley-Davidson is a top runner in the Marketing world and I am getting some great experience for my degree and career. I couldn't ask for anything better!

Now when you see me, I have bright eyes and a big smile. I'm not afraid to walk up to anyone and ask them how they're doing. I have confidence in myself to take on anything that life throws at me!

I have gained so many things by working at this dealership and interacting with my co-workers. We are like one big family. It is awesome to know that I have so many people that genuinally care about me. So thanks to ALL of you that have made such a huge impact on me and helped me grow into the person I am today! I love you all!

-Anna
Marketing Intern and Adventure Family Member

Meeting New People Everyday!

We're all about getting to know new people at Adventure, so don't be surprised if every single person within 5 feet of you asks you how you're doing. And unlike other places you've been, we really care what you have to say. I love listening to stories that customers have to share. Many of the people that we interact with are from out of state - or even out of the country! I remember one day this past winter, we had some gentlemen visit us from Italy! I enjoyed helping them pick out some souvenirs and learning some Italian. Each customer that walks through the door is his or her own individual, at we like to treat them that way!

Sometimes we get visited by pets as well! A young lady brought in her tiny tiny dog, Gidget! She is a Tea-Cup Chihuahua and Tea-Cup Yorkie mix, and, man, is she a cutie! I could hold her in the palm of my hand! Here she is pictured sitting on the receptionist's desk!

Gidget was very excited to be at Adventure Harley-Davidson. She was hopping around on the desk and taking a look at all the beautiful motorcycles.

I would have sold her a Harley collar, but she's so tiny none of them would fit her! The owner said that this is as big as she would get. Meeting Gidget make me want to get a new puppy. But unfortunately, I should wait until I graduate college.

Today while helping out in the Motor Clothes Department, I met a very polite young boy. I did not catch his name, but he has a great eye for cool clothes! I escorted him from clothes rack to clothes rack trying to find the perfect t-shirt for him. He was the cutest little boy I have ever met! "Oh yes, i like this shirt a lot. Is it a 7/8? Oh yes, this will fit me just perfectly", he said as he slipped his little arms into a super sweet gray Harley-Davidson Kids' zip-up hoodie. He really liked a gray Harley shirt with stripes down the sleeves. What a stylish young man! I hope he, and the rest of his family, stop back in to see us again!

Meeting new people is the best part about working at Adventure Harley-Davidson. Each day, our family grows! If you are ever lonely, bored, or just needing some friendly conversation, stop by our shop, we'll be happy to make you feel at home!

See You Soon!

Red, White, & Chrome

Last Saturday was our 2nd annual American Red Cross Benefit Poker Run. All the proceeds from the day were donated to The American Red Cross Muskingum Lakes Chapter. Though the weather was a little chilly in the morning, the clouds eventually parted and the sun managed to peek its way through. As you'll see here, we did have some folks take off before the sun made its appearance!

And the Harley-loving children found ways to occupy themselves while their parents were waiting to take off on the ride!

The Red Cross had volunteers helping with everything from registration, grilling, and 50/50 tickets! Check out those Red Cross volunteers hard at work!

Some of you may recognize this culinary expert. That's Chad Conrad, the Executive Director of the American Red Cross Muskingum Lakes Chapter! He contributed a lot of hands-on help for the run!

When the riders returned to Adventure after the run, which visited Heini's Cheese Chalet, Java Jo's Coffee Bar, Heini's Gourmet Market, and Broadrun Cheese House, they got to enjoy a complimentary dinner, dj, and door prizes.

What a great day. We ended up with TONS of bikes, even more people, and everyone had an awesome time. I know what you're thinking...I have to say that :) But really - we had fun and I got plenty of positive feedback. Join us for our 2nd annual FREE poker run on Saturday, August 15! And check out our other upcoming events at www.adventurehd.com/dealership.

- Nicki

I'll Never Eat Apple Pie AGAIN!!

On the 4Th of July, Adventure Harley-Davidson put on a Apple Pie Eating contest. At first, men were excited to sign up and boast about how they would win the competition. However, when chow time came around, they were meek as mice. The names started to drop off the list as the pies were being set out for the feast. I thought to myself "What would get these guys to do this contest?" and I had an idea. "I'LL DO IT!" I screamed to Nicki, our Marketing Manager.

I figured that my "put me in coach" attitude would get the guys to man up and compete. I mean, I'm a girl and weigh about half as much as any man that walks in this dealership. Surely they could win a pie eating contest against me. And, of course, they couldn't let a GIRL win! So I put on my apron, tied back my hair, and got ready for WAR! I told the guys that I would show no mercy, so they'd best bring their A-games.

People couldn't believe that the girly marketing intern was about to shove her face into a apple pie, but it was about to happen! The four of us took our seats and began to mentally prepare for battle. I chanted a few mantras in my head and tried to Zen myself out.

"Hands behind your backs!..... GET READY!!!....... GO!!" and we were off! I slammed my face into the pie and took the biggest bite I could. The crust was thick and dry, and I needed a drink of water right off the bat, but I just chewed through it.

I could hear the crowd cheering for us.

Family members calling out names, co-workers giving me words of encouragement. One would have thought we were running a marathon, rather than just eating apple pies! "Chew Chew Chew! Bite! Chew Chew Chew!" I tried to pace myself the best I could. After eating about 1/4 of the pie, I felt my tummy say "NO MORE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?!" and I made the decision to bow out of the competition. I had done my duty to the dealership by getting people excited about the contest, so I did not feel too bad about stopping early. The contest went on without me and the guys did AWESOME!

Bill (looking ever so full in this picture) ate his ENTIRE apple pie. I couldn't believe it! All of the sugar from only the 1/4 pie I ate was making my heart pound, I can only imagine what a WHOLE pie would do to me! The three guys that participated all got Adventure T-Shirts, and the winner, Bill (pictured to the left) got a $100 gift card! Too bad we don't sell pies here at the dealership, he could have bought a whole box full!

All in all, I am glad I stepped up to the plate and got my face a little dirty. We are all about FUN here at Adventure, and I had a BLAST on the 4Th of July!

- Anna (Marketing Intern & Apple Pie Expert)

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Saturday was an awesome day here at Adventure. We had the priviledge of celebrating our 6th anniversary with 2,300 of our closest friends! Really though, it was pretty incredible. We had a day packed full of fun for riders and families alike.

Jessica from MyMuseum Tattoo Studio was doing on-the-spot tattoos. For those of you who aren't from around here, you may not understand the magnitude of what this means. Let me give you a little insight. Jessica has an 11 month waiting list before people can get work done. She is just that good. So when she was here, people had the opportunity to jump the list and get tattoo'd on the spot. Needless to say she was booked through the whole day by about 9:30am.

While the adults thoroughly enjoyed Jess being here, we had to make sure to provide some entertainment for the kids, too. So what did we do? We brought in a clown of course! This do-it-all clown was complete with facepainting, prizes, and all sorts of fun kids games.

So the little boy above had already gotten his face painted and played some games, but we thought he needed a little more entertainment. So we had some guys flip through the air upside down.

Don't worry. That's not our sales team up there! We brought in the Flat Out Freestyle stunt team from Chicago Illinois. We've had them here one other time and botht times have been a huge hit. With our dealership located right next to the highway, I would love to have been in the heads of the people driving past and seeing motorcycles flip through the air!

And obviously you can't have an event without food and music. So The Point Restaurant of Cambridge came and set up their log cabin. By the looks of the line, I'd say they were pretty busy, wouldn't you? And Sneeky Peek gave us a live performance for 4 hours via the parking lot.

Overall, I would say Saturday was maybe the most fun I've had since I have worked here. It was just a great day for everyone. Everything ran smoothly, we had perfect weather, and there was enough going on to keep the whole family having a great time all day. If you missed Saturday, don't worry - we have new things happening at our dealership al lthe time. Visit our website at www.adventurehd.com to find out what's to come this week and hopefully we'll see you very soon!

- Nicki

Ohio State HOG Rally!

The Ohio State HOG Rally took place on Saturday, June 13th, 2009. HOG members from all over the state of Ohio hit the road and had a blast! Over one hundred bikes revved their engines in Zanesville and made the trip to Adventure Harley-Davidson for some lunch. We served burgers and hot dogs to the hungry HOG members as a reward for their dedication to riding.

I'm Anna! I'm the marketing Intern at Adventure Harley-Davidson and I LOVE it! What other college student gets to go to work and have a BLAST with so many awesome customers and co-workers?! Events like the Ohio State HOG Rally make my job ten times better.

As I stood at the grill, working on my culinary skills and burger flipping technique, I heard a rumble like Zeus himself was coming my way on a Fat Boy. There they were! One hundred beautiful Harley-Davidson Motorcycles riding through the sunshine. "Flip Faster! Flip Faster" I said to myself, "These bikers are going to need some grub!" I did my best to get enough food on and off the grill in time to feed the big crowd. It was a success! Everyone walked away with a full tummy and a smile on his or her face! :) We had a few casualties along the way, however. As the fallen burger and hot dog soldiers hit the concrete Sarah and I yelled "MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!" We had a good laugh about that, but right back to work.

Even though I smelled like a burger, and lost all of my knuckle hair to the flaming grill, I couldn't stop smiling! I have the best Internship EVER!

But enough about me, I'll let you take a look at some pictures of the State HOG Rally. If you attended the event, look for yourself in some of the pictures! If you couldn't make it, be on the look out for next year's! Just like EVERY event at Adventure, everyone had an awesome time! So, don't miss out on anymore events.

Keep up on our events by checking our website: http://www.hmhd.com/

There weren't just bikers from Ohio at the dealership on Saturday! Riders came from all over the United States, and some of them had some pretty vanity plates!

We had a heck of a crowd at the dealership! I was so happy to see SO MANY bikers!

Don't be shy to stop by Adventure! We love meeting new people, and keeping up with the friends that we already have!

Get out there and RIDE!

-Anna

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone: Customer Testimony

My name is Jackie Mason. I used to love to jump on the back seat of anyone’s bikes to get a ride. Unfortunately, the rides were few and far between. I though, I can do this myself. I had some money saved and I went to the H&M Harley-Davidson dealership in Dover, OH. With my husband’s support – even though he didn’t ride at the time (now he has an Electra Glide Standard), I bought a 2004 pearl white Sportster. I enrolled in the MSF course, learned to ride, and got my endorsement.

We live in the country on a dirt road – up a hill. Comfort zone? I found I can ride on my township road – gravel, ruts, washboard hills and all! You just do what you have to if you want to ride!

I have since graduated from my Sportster to a 2006 Softail Heritage Classic. Pearl white, of course, and lots of chrome! I am also the proud owner of a 2008 Crossbone – Pearl Olive Green.

I looked forward to attending Adventure Harley-Davidson (formally H&M) events. One night the dealership held a “Ladies Garage Party”. Out of my comfort zone, I went without knowing anyone else there! It was great! The food, the seminars and… another escape from my comfort zone! I overheard two women talking about going to the ladies ride to Napoleon, Ohio. So… I introduced myself and asked if I could go with them.

Barb and Janet were very nice. Both experienced riders, but it had been years since they had ridden until recently. We hit it off immediately! That was the start of a great friendship! Both ride Harley-Davidson Deluxe bikes. Bard a Maroon 2005, and Janet a Blue 2008.

We made that trip to Napoleon and had a tremendous adventure! Now we make the “Women Ride” to Napoleon our first “official” ride of the season. Along the way, we have picked up other women riders, but it always seems to go back to the original three: Barb, Janet and myself.

I urge any and all ladies – Step out of your comfort zone – learn to ride, get on two wheels, introduce yourself, go on rides with other lady riders. Be safe, be smart and have a fun time out of you comfort zone!

We Went HOG WILD!

On Saturday, May 30, we had our 5th Annual HOG WILD party and man was it a party! With over 1,100 people in our door that day - it was quite the day. We had a charity BBQ to benefit 5 local charities (P.A.L. Mission, MDA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, American Red Cross, and Hospice) and gave a $500 donation to the charity with the best BBQ sauce (judged by donations from our customers). MDA won the best sauce, and with everything combined, we raised over $3400 split between the charities.

We had a HUGE sidewalk sale - with people EVERYWHERE!! With the Music by Mobile Jams, and vendors doing charicatures, insurance quotes, pinstriping, drag racing...the day was eventful and full of energy. The New Philadelphia Stars girls softball team raised over $700 for their team selling pop, water, and chips and seemed to have a great time doing it.

WHAT A GREAT DAY! Don't worry - if you missed it, we've got plenty more going on this summer. Our Anniversary Celebration is on June 27th so bring your family to enjoy stunt teams, a live band, vendors, bikes, and great food.

Nicki Snyder

Marketing Manager