Halloween Party and Fundraiser 2006

By Bill Luebbers

Halloween is always a great time for a kid, but I think I'm having more fun as an adult. First of all, we don't have to go around knocking on everybody's door just to get a few treats. At the annual Prairie Riders Halloween Party Fundraiser and Dance, you can fill up on all the tasty appetizers and cold beverages you want without having to say "Trick or Treat" even once.

Plus, you get a chance to win some of the many great raffle prizes that were available thanks to all of the fundraiser sponsors and other individuals that donate items, gifts certificates and weekend getaways each year.

This year was a lot of fun for all those that attended. A new band, the Rockin' Fenderskirts, did a great job of keeping us on our feet and dancing the whole night. Thanks guys — I hope you had as much fun as we did!

The costumes were awesome, and I think they keep getting better each year. There were approximately 130 people at the party this year, and almost everyone had a costume on — as usual. We had fairies and freaks, cowboys and geeks, werewolves and witches, and other hot (8!+@&).

We also had scary clowns, ghouls, Smurfs, pirates, a puzzle, a barbecue guy, a war guy, a 70s guy, a Corona guy, a Zorro guy, a vacation guy, a Goth guy — and some girls that were guys.

We had a roller girl, a hula girl, a kitty girl, a hippie girl, a sporting girl, a frozen girl, a caliente Spanish girl — and even some guys that were girls. Now that is always scary! Do we really ride with these people?

There were a lot of really good costumes this year! The costume contest is a lot of fun too, and we always get many creepy people entering it, which makes for great entertainment. The 2006 winners were:

• Jeff Willems as the Insane Clown.
• Perry and Jody Biederman and Chad and Jenny Koop as the Prairie Rider Puzzle.
• Tom Petrusky as the Tooth Fairy.
• Joey Petrusky and Liz Mills as the Smurfs.

Perry and Jody Biederman sold the most grand prize raffle tickets, and they get a free membership. They have sold the most tickets for many years in a row now, and special thanks go to them for their efforts. Will they have a challenger next year?

Who brought the most guests? Nancy and Jeff Willems, and they also get a free membership. Congratulations! And thank you from all of the Prairie Riders for your effort.

Another special person that we must not forget is Leigh Ann Petrusky!

Leigh Ann does so much for this club all the time, and she also put in extra effort to make this Halloween Party happen. Kim Dilg, our club president, summed it up best when she wrote in a post-party email, "Please be certain to extend a tremendous round of applause to Leigh Ann for all of her time and efforts. While there is support and input from various club members, she is the key to the success of this event, in coordinating all effort and taking action to making this event a lot of FUN as well as earning a profit!"

The photos you have seen so far are a few that I had a bit of fun with. They also appear in the photo gallery (linked at the bottom of the page).  I hope that you've enjoyed them!

I took many other pictures, of course and, Bart Rockow took a bunch with my camera also. Thanks, Bart! Check out the complete gallery to see how great we all looked.

The 2006 Halloween Party was held at the Fireside Restaurant and Lodge in Kenosha, Wis., from 7:30 p.m. to midnight.

Please patronize the following businesses that were so generous in their contributions to our 2006 Halloween Raffles:

• Ace Power Sports, Kenosha, Wis.
• Grand Geneva Resort and Spa, Lake Geneva, Wis.
• Lake of the Torches Resort and Casino, Lac du Flambeau, Wis.
• Goodwin Performance, Zion, Ill.
• Green Bay Packers
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Royal Fabricators, Gurnee, Ill. Special thanks to member: Bart Rockow.
• AmericInn Lodge and Suites, Munising, Mich.
• AmericInn, Norway, Mich.
• Angelo's Sunnyside Florist & Gifts, Kenosha, Wis.
• Apple Holler, Sturtevant, Wis.
• Avon, offered by member Melissa Van Cleve.
• Bad River Casino, Odanah, Wis.
• Body Beautiful Spa, Kenosha, Wis.
• The Brat Stop, Kenosha, Wis.
• Buffalo Wild Wings, Kenosha, Wis.
• Deluxe Media, Kenosha, Wis.
• Earl's Bar, Pleasant Prairie, Wis., offered by owner/member John and Penny Wilkomm.
• Easy Tan, Kenosha, Wis.
• Esposito’s Bar, Paris, Wis.
• Famous Dave’s Restaurant, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
• Fatman’s, Gurnee, Ill.
• The Fireside, Kenosha, Wis.
• George’s Club High View Bar, Kenosha, Wis.
• Gemini Salon and Spa, Kenosha, Wis.
• George’s Club High View Bar, Kenosha, Wis.
• Honada Sushi Restaurant, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
• Gordy’s Prairie Pub, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
• The Hub, Kenosha, Wis.
• Jazzercise, Kenosha, Wis.
• Jimano’s Pizzeria of Kenosha, Wis., Gurnee, Ill., and Antioch, Ill.
• Kaiser’s Pizza & Pub, Gurnee, Ill.
• Knockers Pub & Grill, Salem, Wis.
• Lia Sophia Jewelry, offered by member Traci Sikorski.
• Lucinda’s Tailoring & Alterations, Kenosha, Wis., offered by owner/member Cindy Bell.
• Mary Kay Cosmetics, offered by member Eloise Halstead.
• McBride's Gyros North, Kenosha, Wis.
• Menards Store, Kenosha, Wis.
• Meyer Material, Kenosha, Wis. Special thanks to member Perry Biederman.
• Mike Bjorn’s Fine Clothing and Museum, Kenosha, Wis.
• Modern Home Products, Antioch, Ill., and Bristol, Wis. Special thanks to member Tom Koziol.
• Neenah Paper, Neenah, Wis.
• Nick-n-Willy’s Take-and-Bake Pizza, Kenosha, Wis.
• Pepsi-Cola, Kenosha, Wis. Special thanks to member Chad Koop.
• Prairie Riders Snowmobile Club.
• R & D’s Roadside Saloon, Kenosha, Wis.
• R & R Saloon, Russell, Ill.
• Raymond Heights Golf Center, Caledonia, Wis.
• Route 12 Arctic Cat, Arlington Heights, Ill.
• Salon Ives, Kenosha, Wis.
• Silver Lake Marina, Silver Lake, Wis.
• Starbucks Coffee Shops, Kenosha, Wis.
• Sunnyside Club, Kenosha, Wis.
• Texas Roadhouse Restaurant, Kenosha, Wis.
• Tin Cup Bar, Trevor, Wis.
• The Waters of Minocqua Resort and Water Park, Minocqua, Wis.
• Vaj’s Garage, Bristol, Wis.
• Village Supper Club, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.
• Veolia Environmental Services, Gurnee, Ill. Special thanks to member Nancy Willems.
• Waukegan Steel, Waukegan, Ill. Special thanks to member Jenny Koop.
• Wild Side Discount Motorcycle Gear, Trevor, Wis.
• Woody’s International Engineering & Manufacturing, Hope, Mich.

View the Photo Gallery