Note: For Twenty-three years, the Harley Owners Group Chapter 66 Alaska, Anchorage Chapter has been active and growing on our states highways. What began as a once a month get-together for coffee and laughs has developed into an organization that sets the standard for community involvement, and promotion of a positive image of motorcyclists

In 1983, Harley-Davidson established the Harley Owners Group, or more simply, HOG. The Motor Company realized they had thousands of customers who wanted to share their passion to ride and be able to show off their pride their Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

During the fall and winter of 83-84, Barry and Karen Matteson, Slim and Lillian Shomper, Jerry and Sue Winfrey, Jack and Don Mize, and perhaps a few others whom I have forgotten, decided we should have our own Harley Owners Group. We started by going to a different restaurant once a month for a "meeting". To insure punctuality, the last to show up got stuck with the bill. Our first directive was to remain non political and have fun. The camaraderie and enthusiasm grew, as did the number of people attending. Fortunately, with the increase in numbers, we had to abandon the punctuality rule.

By 1985 there were over 60,000 national HOG members, and Harley-Davidson formed a plan to establish local chapters throughout their dealer network. Of the 49 chapters established that year, the Alaska Chapter was among the first to apply. We chose the name "Alaska Chapter" because we represented such a large area of the state. We added the word "Anchorage" because of the location of the sponsoring dealership. The House of Harley-Davidson in Anchorage. We received our official HOG charter for the Alaska Chapter, Anchorage on October 8, 1985.

By 1991, HOG National had over 150,000 members with 685 chapters. Today (July 2006) there are approximately 1300 chapters with over 1,000,000 members worldwide. HOG is the largest factory sponsored motorcycle organization in the world. The Alaska Chapter, Anchorage has maintained a membership of between 650 and 800 for the last 10 years.

In 1994, we held out first State HOG Rally in Anchorage, by this time a chapter had been established in Fairbanks, and we agreed to alternate the State Rally between the two locations, which we have done since. There are now four HOG chapters in Alaska: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai Peninsula, and Mat-Su Valley, which expands the possibility of different State Rally locations for the future.

Part of the success of the Alaska Chapter, Anchorage is the result of our motto "To ride and have fun". The only requirements to become a member are to own a Harley-Davidson or Buell motorcycle, and be a member of HOG National. The local membership fee is only $20 (as of July 2006) per year. Associate Memberships are available, and we have an active Ladies of Harley group within our chapter.

Alaska Chapter, Anchorage has supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1984. Our current MDA fund raising activities are centered around the annual Live Ride. Riders register for the event and spend time getting donations from friends, relatives, and co-workers. For every $100 in donations, the rider gets a chance to win a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Since 1984, we have raised over $250,000 for the local chapter of MDA.

What does the future hold for HOG? To quote the member literature: