Their ears are still ringing from the roar of all those motorcycle engines that revved up on Bagby in front of the Hobby Center when the Deacons of Deadwood, that wiley motorcycle "gang," gathered for the first act of their two-act benefit evening.
It was the ninth annual so-called charity ball for the motley crew that is comprised of every imaginable professional from cancer surgeons to lawyers to oilmen. The group even includes Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez. To date, these kings of the road have raised more than $500,000 for numerous charities including Camp for All and Ronald McDonald House.
The guys and gals began the party on the balcony at Artista, their Harleys and BMWs parked across the street at Tranquility Park. After an hour or more of schmoozing in their risqué black leather and doo-rag costuming, the pack boarded their bikes for the police-escorted jaunt, the Deadman's Hand Motorcycle Parade as they call it, to La Colombe d'Or on Montrose.
In the swank French ballroom of the hotel, they wined and dined and danced. In the mix were Sam Allen and Christina Lapping, Vanessa Croix, Kemah Blair, Jodi Southwick, Angie and Jay McKendree and Lisa and John McCord.
The club meets the first Thursday of every month at the Saltgrass Steakhouse on Shepherd, guests welcome. They close the meeting with a short ride.
So far this year, members have logged in 74,000 road miles and counting. They have group rides across the state and around the country.
