Crazy Mary’s Whiskey Run

By Andy Johnson

The buzz of nearly 60 motor scooters broke the clear, crisp fall morning air of October 2 as riders lined up in front of Vespa Lexington on 198 Moore Drive to stake their place in history: Lexington’s first scooter rally. Riders came from as far away as Dayton, Cincinnati, and Louisville and rode everything from 50cc Vespas to 500cc Suzuki Burgmans, capable of cruising at more than 100 mph.

The inaugural rally, hosted by Lexington’s Circle 4 Scooter Club, was titled Crazy Mary’s Whiskey Run in honor of two Kentucky icons: Mary Todd Lincoln and bourbon. Crazy Mary was a lighthearted play on the popular (if erroneous) historical belief that Lexington native Mary Todd Lincoln went insane after the assassination of her husband, Abraham Lincoln. Although scholars have largely debunked the myth, the title Crazy Mary was intended to reflect the general cheekiness of most scooter rallies. The Whiskey Run portion hinted at our main stop along the ride: Buffalo Trace distillery.

The rally began the evening of Friday, October 1 with registration at Vespa Lexington, one of the rally sponsors. (Other sponsors included The Morris Book Shop and national scooter-oriented businesses Corazzo and Scooterworks). A group then rode downtown to enjoy the free festivities in place for the World Equestrian Games.

Saturday held the main event: a ride through portions of Central Kentucky. After a continental breakfast in the chilly morning at Vespa Lexington, we left Lexington for the winding backroads of Central Kentucky. After brief stops in Millville and Nonesuch, we pulled into Buffalo Trace by early afternoon for lunch and a tour of the distillery. After the tour, we cruised to Frankfort and paused for a group photo in front of the Capitol Building.

Bikers descend upon the capital.

We then meandered our way back to Lexington through miles of autumn-touched trees, curious horses, waving people, and increasingly strong winds, finally winding through the grounds of Keeneland.

We ended the ride as planned at Oleika Shrine Temple on Southland Drive, but had to move our party back to the protection of Vespa Lexington as the rains rolled in. There we feasted on barbecue, beans, and coleslaw (with vegan options) and sampled home-brewed beer crafted by one of the riders.

The rain prevented us from holding most of the games we’d planned, though an intrepid few braved the downpour for a slow race, in which riders win by going as slowly as possible without putting their feet down. (It’s more difficult than it sounds.)

The rally even drew a scooter celebrity: Angie “Bonegirl” Buettner from Cincinnati. Bonegirl’s fame comes from her amazing devotion to riding. She began riding in 2006 and, never having ridden a scooter or motorcycle before, the scooter celebrity admits she was “scared to death.” She began riding everywhere, though, and in 39 months put over 40,000 miles on her pink Buddy 125, a feat that inspired Genuine Scooter Company (maker of th

Buddy) to name her Buddy of the Year and to reward her with a new scooter. Bonegirl has now ridden over 50,000 miles, many of them in charity events, at rallies, and over the roadways of the U.S. She has even completed, more than a dozen times, the infamous Tail of the Dragon, a notoriously twisting road on the North Carolina/Tennessee border that has claimed the bikes and/or lives of many skilled riders.

Like most dedicated scooterists, Bonegirl has noticed profound changes to her life thanks to riding. “I see things I would have never seen in my car,” she says, “planes overhead, the gorgeous colors of leaves as they fall on me from the trees, the size and shapes of clouds. I smell things I didn’t notice in my car: the wood of a backyard campfire, newly fallen raindrops on the asphalt, restaurants frying bacon on my early commute to work. My experience now as a rider allows me the opportunity to take advantage of the gifts of life off the beaten path.”

If you would like to explore life off the beaten path with other riders, or if you have questions about riding scooters, look for the Circle 4 Scooter Club on Facebook, or contact Vespa Lexington (www.vespalexington.com). The Circle 4 is open to anyone who rides scooters of any size, make, or model, vintage or modern. Motorcycles are welcome, too.

[Article revised October 18: A change in the copy-editing process incorrectly identified Angie “Bonegirl” Buettner as a “Vespa celebrity.” Bonegirl does not ride a Vespa and is in fact sponsored by the American company Genuine. We have replaced this incorrect description of Buettner with Johnson’s original–and correct–description, of her as a “scooter celebrity.”]