Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 - Mason Coun Journal- Paoje A-l
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Chog
and
t
his hog
CHOPPER: Shelton man wins
first place at motorcycle expo
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@maioncoun, com
i
A lifelong love of Harley-Davidson motorcycles'
came to a high point for a Chuck Greninger earlier
this month.
Greninger, 60, also known by his ride nane as
"Chog," took first place in the Colorado Motorcycle
Expo's American Sportster Radical]Custom didsion
with his red 1974 Harley-Davidson Ironhead chop-
per. The competition took place Feb. 1 and 2.
"This was my dream since I was 16 -- to have a
show bike chopper," he said. "To be actually in the
show, it was a fantasy."
Greninger came by his nickname while tak-
ing a ride on his other Harley-Davidson. An
Oregon tate Police Trooper pulled him over
because a U.S. flag on the bike obscured his li-
cense plate.
The personalized plate reads BGCHOG, for Big
Chuck's Hog.
The trooper asked, "BG, does that stand for
big?" Greninger recounted.
He answered yes, and the trooper responded,
"So what's a chog?"
Since then, Chuck has been Chog.
Greninger has had seven Harley-Davidsons,
and bought his award-winning chopper three
years ago. At that time, the bike was already
stretched to nearly 10 feet long, more than 3 feet
see CHOPPER, page A-24
HARSTINE ISLAND NEWS
Journal photo by Natalie Johnson
Chuck "Chog" Greninger sits with his customized 1974 Harley-Davidson Ironhead.
Greninger took first place this month in the Colorado Motorcycle Expo's American
Sportster Radical/Custom division.
New sign greets drivers heading across bridge
en you cross the bridge onto
e island you have probably
oticed a beautiful new sign
welcoming visitors. The artist's name
down at the bottom is S.A.M., and that
stands for our own Shelleen
Mathews. This sign has been
attached to the old sign. Island-
ers have done this so that the
history island signage stays in
one place.
Senior lunch has it's menu
set for March. On March 5,
organizers will be serving up
barbecue ribs, along with cole-
slaw, corn bread and lemon
bars. Then, on March 19, you
can look forward to a great
Irish lunch, including corned
beef with cabbage and carrots, col-
cannon, traditional soda bread with
honey butter and, for dessert, lime
sherbet. The hall doors open a little
before noon. The food table opens at
By MIKE
CALLAGHAN
their friends are invited.
There is work afoot to make the in-
tersection at the Harstine Island Com-
munity Club corner a four-way stop
-- could a stoplight be in the island's
future?
The February meeting of
the community club was just
great. So many things hap-
pened and so much informa-
tion was put out that I will
be devoting several columns
to this wonderful evening.
The first thing that hap-
pened was a new flag being
raised over the hall in honor
of its 100th year. Richard
Peet donated the flag and it
was sent to the Washington,
D.C. It was raised and brought back
to be again raised at our hall. About
50 gathered in the cool evening as
the honor guard prepared for the cer-
emony. The sky was clear with hints
operative, allowing a slight breeze as
the flag unfurled. Nick Neuerburg was
the master of ceremonies and he did a
great job. I've included a portion of his
presentation because it was moving.
Good evening, tonight, as part of
our continuing Centennial Celebra-
tion, we are gathered here together
for the presentation and dedication
of a new flag to fly at our hall this
year. This flag, donated by island
resident Richard Peet was sent back
to Washington and flown over the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and
will now fly here at the hall through
2014. I'd like to start by thanking
those who had a hand in planning
and preparations for this ceremony to
include Richard for the donation, B.J.
Beauchene for chairing the committee,
and Sandy Murphy for her work on
the centennial project.
"Secondly, I would like to intro-
duce and thank the following who
proper presentation and dedication
of this flag. Here to lead us through
the ceremony is current commander
of our local VFW -- Jay Grayson. As-
sisting him will be the head of the
Shelton High School Naval Nation
Defense Cadet Corps, Sgt. Major Dan
Hernandez and members of his junior
drill team.
"Before I turn it over to Cmdr.
Grayson, let us take a second to reflect
on what this flag, the symbol of this
great country, represents. It is our
symbol of liberty, of justice and of per-
severance. It represents country and
community and is a banner of freedom
for us and the world. Let us remember
all those who have and continue to
serve to protect those freedoms and
honor them with respect and grati-
tude. Let us celebrate for what these
three colors of the flag represent -- red
for valor, blue for justice, perseverance
noon. All those ages 50 and,elder arid' ' . of pink atld orange. The wind was co, . hazee zolunteered to assistlus on a .
; , see,4RSTINE, page A-24
