CHIX at the CROSSROADS
June 15 - 29, 2024
In the South, the sun plays tricks on your eyes. One moment the landscape is saturated with deep hues, and you are drunk with the vibrant beauty of it all. The next moment a shadow falls across the land which becomes sepia-toned like a worn photograph from your grandmother's hope chest.
There are spirits here. Some say ghosts. Some say the Devil. There are some who say it is nonsense altogether. But you feel it in the music that rises, fully formed and fully rooted in this land. You breathe music here. It is in the air. You drink it in the sweet tea. It is the soul in soul food.
CHIX at the CROSSROADS
Building on the phenomenal success of their June 2022 event Chix on 66 - Powered by Harley-Davidson, the Riveter Chapter of the AMCA is planning another journey through Americana called Chix at the Crossroads. This time, the Chix will travel through the American South. Beginning in Maggie Valley, North Carolina at Wheels Through Time Museum, the Chix will depart North Carolina for Tennessee, spending the night in Chattanooga before traveling northeast to the musically rich city of Nashville for a couple nights.
Heading southwest from Nashville, the Chix will ride a portion of the Natchez Trace Parkway to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on to Tupelo, Meridian, and Natchez, Mississippi, before turning north on the Blues Highway toward Clarksdale, Mississippi, where they will pause for a few nights to take in blues history, both living and preserved. Finally the Chix will end their musical tour in another southern city rich with history - Memphis, Tennessee.
The southeastern United States, with its mountain ranges, vast farmlands, rivers and swamps, often unfriendly weather, and punishing social structures provided creative souls with much raw material for their music. Out of this primordial cultural gumbo came country, blues, folk, rockabilly, soul, later R&B, southern rock, and pop.
Beginning with the John and Alan Lomax field recordings of African American work songs, the musical output of this region has been documented almost from the beginning of recording technology. Later, small studios all over the Southeast tapped into local musical resources, and produced literally thousands of songs that became hits - many becoming cultural touchstones.
It's a Wrap!
The Chix at the Crossroads event was a fantastic experience from our beginning registration and tech-in at Wheels Through Time in Maggie Valley, to our final day together riding from Clarksdale, MS to Memphis, TN.
We had an impressive group of women riders who really dug in to the theme of the event. They eagerly listened to the Spotify playlist that was compiled specifically for this event, and most of them visited every single museum we suggested. Five museums were included in their registration package, so the riders could have just done those "for free" and moved along, but to a person, they all visited many other museums and sites, enjoying and embracing the experience.
I cannot say enough about the amazing support crew we had: Ryan Allen, Dana & Mary Lasher, Kellie Rendleman, Henry Rendleman (at tech-in), Joe Sparrow & Gary Wright. Several of the bikes presented at tech check with issues, and our crew knuckled down and made things happen. Even with that, they had all the bikes teched in on the first day, so the second day, they were free to work on remaining issues, spend time getting to know the riders, and doing some extra prepping for the next two weeks based on what they had seen at tech.
During the two week ride, this team handled every sort of thing from minor fixes, to fixing or replacing yard saled pieces and parts, to somewhat major diagnostics and repairs. I cannot thank them enough. They were the dream team, and we are all grateful for their positive, can-do spirit, their mechanical and improvisational skills, and teamwork.
The routes, designed by Dana Lasher, with assistance from Mary Lasher, were incredible. Not only did Dana put us on fantastic roads with well chosen lunch stops and plentiful gas stations, she made sure that we were on tree-lined blacktop as much as possible. This is no small feat - you can ride for miles in the deep south on desolate roads with no shade in sight. We hit some high temps in southern Mississippi, which were a challenge for us and our bikes, but riding under tree canopies for a good bit of each day helped tremendously, keeping us as cool as possible, given the environment.
For the time being, we will not be planning any more 'official' two-week events; rather, we are going to smaller events that more of our members can afford, both in time and money. These larger events take a full two years to plan, which takes our board away from being able to serve the chapter in other ways. While I love seeing women absolutely blossom during these amazing experiences, I believe we can reach more women, do more skill building, and have the same overall impact on women riders if we do smaller, more affordable events.
That said, look for our first AMCA road run in May, 2025. It will be in southeastern Kentucky where the roads are absolutely fantastic! We will bring more details and provide registration links as they are ready.
Till then, thanks everyone for an epic Chix at the Crossroads, and if you missed it, please join us in KY, 2025!
Our Sponsors & Partners
Antique Motorcycle Club of America - Sanctioning Organization
Chix on 66 could never have been more than a cool idea that never happened if it weren’t for support from the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA). Chix on 66 is an AMCA event hosted by the newly formed Riveter Chapter.
The Antique Motorcycle Club of America was founded in 1954 by a group of antique-bike fans in the New England area. In the decades since, the AMCA has grown to become one of the largest organizations of antique motorcycle enthusiasts in the world, with 12,000 members worldwide.
From the beginning, the purpose of the club has been the “preservation, restoration and operation of old-time motorcycles.” Members of the AMCA own, restore, preserve, study or just admire motorcycles that fall into the antique category, meaning they are at least 35 years old. Although the Club is based in the United States, fans of motorcycles from all countries are welcome, and ownership of an antique motorcycle is not required to become a member.
AMCA Executive Director Keith Kizer says, "Women have always been an intricate part of the AMCA, yet overshadowed by their male counterparts in regards to public exposure. Of the handful of Honorary Members of the club, four are women. It's high time that the women who are active in club activities step into the limelight. The Riveter Chapter is a whole new approach on chapter activities, focusing not on the location of the person, but on the common bond of interest of the individuals."
“As the demographics of motorcyclists have changed, it made sense to create a women-focused chapter of the AMCA, which is where the Riveter Chapter comes into the picture,” says Riveter Chapter President Karan Andrea. “I was looking for advice from Keith Kizer on how to make this Route 66 ride happen, figuring he would give me a few names and ideas, and wish me luck. Instead, he suggested that I create this chapter and host the event through the new chapter.”
The Riveter Chapter of the AMCA (Host Chapter) which has a nationwide membership, is the first woman-focused chapter of the AMCA. The purpose of this chapter is to give women motorcyclists an increased awareness of their own history, and an enhanced vision of their future in motorcycling. By bringing female AMCA members together in a single chapter, we intend to raise the visibility of women in the sport and concentrate their talents under the aegis of a single chapter.
Many women riders are unaware of the rich legacy of female riders and may feel disconnected from their contemporaries. We intend to increase women’s awareness of each other. We also intend to improve access to other women in the sport through visibility and networking. Many women may have never seen a female mechanic, nor have they seen another woman ride or race a vintage bike. For these reasons alone, a chapter containing powerful, talented, dynamic women helps to fill that void, and fills the space with inspiring role models.
The focus of this chapter will be on sharing the history of women in motorcycling, and supporting contemporary women riders. They will see women riding and wrenching just like they have been doing since not long after the first motorcycles were built. We hope this will challenge and inspire our members to reach for goals they may never have considered previously.
As the largest growing market segment in the sport of motorcycling, our past must press forward in order to shape our future.
Dale's Wheels Through Time Museum
Dale's Wheels Through Time Museum is graciously providing the kickoff Site for Chix at the Crossroads. Through their generosity, we have a beautiful location for our riders to gather over the weekend preceding the ride, and our staff can perform registrations and tech checks while the riders wander through the museum's extensive collection of vintage motorcycles.
Women Riders Now - Premier Media Partner
Leading motorcycle publication WomenRidersNow.com (WRN) is our Premier Media Partner for Chix at the Crossroads.
Please sign up for WRN’s free monthly newsletter (womenridersnow.com/newsletter-signup) to stay informed.
Kickstart Cycle Supply
Kickstart Cycle Supply in Hackensack, NJ has history with two of our riders and three participating motorcycles. They have also supplied generous support to our event.
lowbrow customs
Lowbrow Customs celebrates 20 years this year (2024) supplying the vintage and custom bike market with high quality parts. Chix at the Crossroads is grateful for their support.
rever navigation
Chix at the Crossroads could not exist as a successful event without the ability to plan and share GPS routes. REVER came on as an event sponsor, providing our riders with their navigation app.
Black Hills Custom Parts
From their location in Rockaway, NJ, Black Hills Custom Parts serves the Evo and Twin Cam Harley community's needs from parts and accessories to power packages and dyno tuning for performance.
Spacey's Rock-n-Roll Tattoo
Spacey's Rock-n-Roll Tattoo in Meridan, MS places themselves at the crossroads of the arts communities in Meridian - visual arts, skin art, performance art and music - you can find all of these and more at Spacey's. If you are local, don't miss their planned events.
Hopson Hospitality
Hopson Hospitality, located adjacent to the ShackUp Inn in Clarksdale, MS, is a hospitality gateway to the arts and culture of the Mississippi Delta. Their weekly events draw locals and tourists alike to experience the history and eclectic artistry of the area.
Iron Trader News
Iron Trader News is backed by over 30 years of riding and writing experience. An outgrowth of the print magazine IronWorks it's populated with original voices bringing the best in biking, providing an inclusive approach to motorcycle info, products, events, features and entertainment where every rider of every brand and experience level is welcome.
Shadow-Light Media
Throttle Gals Magazine
Tattooing by Whitney
Some of the super-talented women behind our images.
Marjorie Kleiman of Shadow-Light Media works tirelessly (and sometimes even tiredly!) putting our PR and media communications together. She has also secured sponsorship after valuable sponsorship, and without her, CHIX at the Crossroads would not be the amazing event that it has grown into.
Trish Horstman of Throttle Gals Magazine gave us our 'look.' Trish designed our beautiful CHIX at the Crossroads logo, based on her previous CHIX on 66 logo artwork.
Whitney Schiller - Tattooing by Whitney - designed the beautiful Riveter Chapter logo.
VISIT CLARKSDALE MISSISSIPPI
Visit Clarksdale provides valuable up-to-date tourism information. Clarksdale is a blues mecca, producing festivals and events year-round, but most heavily in the summer. Unlike many tourism sites that are rarely updated, Visit Clarksdale is updated frequently, which makes it a valuable resource for locals and tourists alike. Visit Clarksdale has graciously welcomed Chix at the Crossroads riders to their community.
GUN FOR HIRE
Gun For Hire supports the firearms community, and particularly welcomes women to the sport, providing classes and events specifically for women. They also provide education and training in self-defense, first aid, and firearms history.
INDIAN MOTORCYCLES
Indian Motorcycles has a long history of supporting women motorcyclists, going back to their support and sponsorship of Adeline and Augusta Van Buren on their cross-country journey in 1916 on Indian Power Plus motorcycles. They continue this support through their Empowersports Women’s Riding Council.
MY MEDIC
My Medic is a company dedicated to providing equipment, supplies and training for emergency response. They have generously donated trauma kits to Chix at the Crossroads.
©2023 by Riveter Chapter of the AMCA, Inc.