Here’s the text of a letter from Harley-Davidson to Story Hill residents regarding the 105th Harley anniversary celebration that runs from Aug. 28-30 (with a couple typos corrected):

August, 2008
Dear Resident/Business Owner:

As you may know Harley-Davidson Motor Company is celebrating its 105th Anniversary this year with a number of exciting events. We would like to make you aware of specific activities that will be taking place in your neighborhood over Labor Day weekend.

On Thursday. August 28, Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) members from all over the world will help celebrate 25 great years of riding together at an all-day CLUB H.O.G, 25 event on the Miller Park grounds.
This event will be exclusive to one H.O.G. member and a guest. The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. and conclude by 11:00 p.m. The event will feature live musical entertainment, comedians, a motorcycle Ride-In Show (motorcycling styling contest), stunt riding and Muscular Dystrophy fundraising activities.

Then, on Saturday morning, August 30, the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Parade, led by the Parade of MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Heroes, will make its way from Milwaukee’s Miller Park, up Story Parkway to Bluemound. Riders will continue east on Wisconsin Avenue, turn south on Milwaukee Street, then turn east on Erie Street to the parking lots of the Henry Maier Festival Park.

The parade will begin staging at 6:00 a.m. Riders will be advised to enter Miller Park from Interstates 94 and 41. The parade will depart from Miller Park at 9:a.m., with an anticipated completion time of 12:00 noon.

The parade will be led by the MDA Heroes, who are those individual, who have raised at least $6,400 each, that is equivalent to sending eight kids to MDA Summer Camp. Since 1980, the Harley-Davidson family of customers, dealers, suppliers and employees has raised more than $65 million to fight muscular dystrophy.

The parade traveling through Story Hill during the 100th Anniversary was one of the highlights of the event and we hope you will once again come out to welcome riders from all over the world to Milwaukee. We are very proud to be a Milwaukee-based company and we sincerely appreciate the fantastic support we have always received from our community.

Harley-Davidson hopes to make the 105th Anniversary activities a great experience for everyone. We have had several meetings with your neighborhood association and we continue to work with law enforcement and city officials to manage traffic flow issues and safety. We also continue to communicate to our riders about safe and respectable riding practices while participating in our celebration.

For more information on Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary events, please visit us at www.harlev-davidson.com.

I would also be happy to answer any of your questions. Feel free to drop me an email at tony.shields@harley-davidson.com.

Thank you and we look forward to once again working with your neighborhood.

Almost impossible-to-read yard signs urging Harley participants to keep their bikes’ volume down also have been distributed in the neighborhood.