Hundreds of bikers and others gathered Saturday, April 2, for some grilled burgers, brew and fun, and to help raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The second annual Bikes, Burgers & Beer Bike Show at Trippett Insurance, a Nationwide agency at 6462 Stage Road, featured two prizes the Trippett Agency is raffling off – a green Harley Davidson Road Glide valued at $28,000 and a new golf cart.
Chris Trippett, who took over the agency when his father, Michael Trippett retired in 2018, said the event and fundraiser is a way to gather with those passionate about riding bikes and to give back to St. Jude.
His brother, Matt, was a patient at St. Jude when he was 16 years old and doctors there saved his life, Chris said.
at year’s end. Proceeds from the raffle will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
On Saturday, 200-300 bikes came to the Trippett property, which has a spacious parking area in the back and plenty of green space for a good cookout. They went through 300 burgers.
Trippett Insurance was started by his father and grew to five locations at one time, Chris said.
His father had wanted that building at the northeast corner of Stage and Altruria roads for many years, Chris said, and finally was able to buy it at the end of 2010 and move the family agency there from Kirby Whiten Road.
Chris had left the family agency in 2010 to take over his own Nationwide insurance agency on Mount Moriah Road, but had hoped he might one day get back to the family business.
“That was one of the biggest decisions I had to make in my life,” he said. “Growing up in the family business is what I always wanted to do. Back then, Nationwide had a policy that other agents couldn’t buy other agencies, so when I left, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance to come back.”
His father’s retirement in 2018 opened that chance, and he was able to get things worked out with Nationwide to come back.
And then his father did, too.
“He got bored. He got into his Harleys and rode around the country and had fun and all that, and then I said, ‘Dad, it’s time to come back to work.’”
So Michael Trippett is now office manager at the agency, but enjoys riding his Harley on the weekends. Chris loves to ride, too.
The giveaway drawing for the Harley and golf cart will come at the end of the year. Raffle tickets are $100, which all goes to St. Jude.
Trippett Insurance will host another fundraiser for St. Jude on Saturday, May 7.
Trippett’s Ride for St. Jude is the second annual ride and the destination this year will be Serendipity Resort and Campground in Brownsville, Tenn.
The cost is only $10 per vehicle, but additional donations for St. Jude are welcome. This ride will include not only motorcycles, but cars, Jeeps and side-by-sides.
Registration starts at 10 a.m. at Trippett Insurance, 6462 Stage Road, with departure at 11:15 a.m. The rain out date is May 28.
