We'll be closed on July 4th in observance of the holiday.  Since we know you're disappointed by that news, we offer the following fact-filled article to make it up to you.

With the Fourth of July coming up, we thought we’d remind everyone just what the Fourth means with a little Independence Day trivia.

 In July of 1776, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia for a moment of revolution against tyranny and taxation and ratified one of the most important documents in American history, the Declaration of Independence.  The first signer of the Declaration was John Hancock, who, according to legend, wrote his name extra large so King George would be able to read it without his glasses on – which is why we are asked to “put your John Hancock on this” in modern times.  Actually, only 2 people signed the Declaration on July 4; it wasn’t until August 2 of that year that all the copies were signed.  This event took place well before the motorcycle was invented, so it took a few days by horse to reach all 56 original signers.     

The first Fourth of July celebration was held in 1777 in Philadelphia, when the warships in the harbor shot off a 13 gun salute in honor of the 13 colonies, and included picnics, parades, and “rockets” (today we call them fireworks).  In 1779, the holiday fell on a Sunday, so for the first time the holiday was celebrated on Monday the 5^th.  The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi took place when Lewis and Clark marked the event in 1804 when they fired their ship’s cannon.  Even though most everyone in America at the time celebrated Independence Day, the day wasn’t declared an unpaid holiday until 1870; it wasn’t until 1941 that Congress declared it a paid federal holiday.

In 1903 another act of independance occurred when William Harley and the Brothers Davidson created the first in a line of motorcycles that allow each of us to celebrate our independance to this day.  We also hope you take a moment to remember the daring men and women that risked their lives to help form this great country, and those who keep it safe today.  We are indeed very fortunate to all be Americans!

This is just a quick reminder for all you Regular Rider card holders to CHECK YOUR EMAIL!  The big drawing for the motorcycle is coming up very soon, and you'll have a limited amount of time to return that email if you win.  We'd hate for you to miss out!

 If you have any vacation plans, make sure to schedule time to check your inbox!