Illuminatus Motorcycle Club of Illinois to Host 9th Annual Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show on July 13th

Family Friendly Event Benefits Feed the Need

by Tara L. Simmons

There is a certain type of stereotype regarding motorcycle riders. Many people think of them as wild and crazy, reckless thugs and thieves. The truth is, ‘bad bikers’ are few and far between, with somewhere around 1% actually fitting that stereotype. I literally grew up on a motorcycle. My dad always had a bike. I drove a motorcycle before I drove a car. My dad would take me or one of my siblings on a two week vacation with him on his Harley the year we turned 12. Other years he took my mom. So I know a thing or two about motorcycles, and the people that ride them. A motorcycle club is like any other club:  like minded individuals gathering together to do what they love.  In this case, it’s riding motorcycles.

There is another thing that a large majority of motorcycle riders love, and that is helping charities and those less fortunate. Illuminatus Motorcycle Club of Illinois is one of those clubs.

Illuminatus Motorcycle Club of Illinois opened in 2012 in the small town of Farmersville, which is about 20 miles south of Springfield, right off Interstate 55. Their mission from the start was charity, and with that in mind, they formed  Feed the Need.  Feed the Need allows Illuminatus to provide full turkey dinners to area families that would not otherwise have one, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. It also provides toys to needy families at Christmas. According to Illuminatus  president James Barnes, in the 12 years the club has been operating they have served over 1,000 families in need.

Illuminatus also provides six bicycles as prizes for the Farmersville Easter Egg Hunt each year – two per age group (a boy’s and girls bike) for three age groups. They partners with KC Hall in their various fundraising efforts, support the Irish Days Festival each year in Farmersville, and are active in the community in general.

Their biggest fundraising event of the year is coming up next month, their Annual Car, Truck and Motorcycle Show. This will be the ninth year for the event and will be held on Saturday, July 13th, on the downtown square in Farmersville. Registration will be from 9 a.m until judging starts at noon.  First through third place trophies will be awarded in 18 classes plus special awards for Club Choice, People’s Choice and Irish Days Queen’s Choice. Dash plaques and t-shirts will be presented to the first 50 registrants. Registration the day of the show is $25, but you can preregister for $20 through June 30.  Send an email to [email protected] for a registration form or  find the registration form on their Facebook page: Illuminatus MC “Feed the Need” Annual Car, Truck, and Bike Show.

But you don’t have to own a show car, truck or motorcycle in order to be part of this fun, family friendly event. You can just come out and look at all the amazing entrants, enjoy great food, music by A-Z Music, trivia games, raffles and more. Bring the kids too! Farmersville’s large downtown square features plenty of shade, a very nice children’s playground (with special equipment for specials needs kids) and clean, modern restrooms. And ladies, there is an amazing store just across the street from the square/park – you may have seen their ads in The Buzz – if you have never shopped at The Rooted Home before, this would be an excellent opportunity!

Another opportunity to be involved in the mission of Illuminatus Motorcycle Club of Illinois is to be a trophy sponsor or vendor for the show. Cash donations are always accepted as well. Illuminatus Motorcycle Club of Illinois is a registered 501(c)(3) charity so your contributions are tax deductible.

If you ride, and you would like to find out more about joining  Illuminatus Motorcycle Club of Illinois, feel free to stop by their clubhouse, located on Farmersville’s downtown square. If the lights are on and bikes are out front, they are open. You can also email [email protected] for more information.

Save the date for Saturday, July 13th and have a good time, enjoy good music and good food, and support the very worthy cause, Feed the Need. For more information about the club, or the club’s charitable work, call or text club president James Barnes (217-931-2354) or vice-president Ben Jacobs (217-851-2408). You can also email  [email protected]