MAGOFFIN COUNTY – The annual Hillbilly Christmas in July bike ride will come through town this Saturday, with a Harley Davidson giveaway, cash prizes and many silent auction items available, all to raise money for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Lexington, KY.
This year the non-profit group is celebrating 17 years of Hillbilly Christmas in July, held the third weekend in July, with the biggest ride since the pandemic began scheduled for this weekend.
All vehicles are welcome to participate in the ride and chances to win the motorcycle are being sold for $10, with the winner to be drawn from a hat.
Jimmy Kinney, with Hillbilly Christmas in July, Inc., told Mortimer Media Group, “We’d like to invite everybody out to our little ride this year, Randy Jones Memorial Hillbilly Christmas in July Ride. We leave Pikeville at 10 a.m. sharp, Saturday, July 16, and coming to Jenny Wiley Lake. There we’re going to do a little drawing for $200. You have to register, and you have to be present to win this $200. We leave from there and we’ll be coming to Salyersville to Ramey Park and there we’ll be doing another drawing for $200. You have to register and be present to win that. From here, we go out Rt. 7, over to 404 and back to the MAC. There we do another drawing for $200. You have to be present to win and must register. So, this little trip this year is going to be exciting. We’re giving away $600 and when you get to the MAC we have a few auction items you’ll definitely want to look at. We have some good stuff, and good, cheap prices, hopefully, if you get the right bid. Then we give away a brand-new Harley Davidson motorcycle. We’ve been selling chances on it since last year and about 4 p.m. someone is going to be the proud owner of a brand-new Harley bike. We encourage everybody to come out. The weather is going to be perfect, and we’ll be going through Pike, Floyd, Johnson and Magoffin counties. Good ride and I hope everybody enjoys it. All our proceeds go to the Lexington Shriners Hospital and that’s very important to us. Right now, there are $671,000 we’ve taken to the hospital in 16 years and we’re hoping to hit around $60,000 this year and our goal is to meet that $1 million in 20 years. Come out, ride with us if you can and maybe, if you’d like, make a little donation. Anything we can do for the kids.”
Kinney also encouraged anyone who has a child that needs help to contact the Shriners Hospital.
Registration begins in Pikeville at MineShaft Harley Davidson at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, with a $25 fee to join the ride, and $5 for each additional passenger, to cover their lunch. All bikes will leave out there at 10 a.m.
The silent auction will go on from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Mountain Arts Center, and tickets for the Harley Davidson are available for purchase now until the 4 p.m. drawing.
For more information, follow Hillbilly Christmas in July, Inc., on Facebook, go to www.HillbillyChristmasinJuly.org or call 606-226-0726 or 606-205-5134.
