It wasn’t a typical lunch crowd in downtown Madison.
Motorcycles filled the middle of the street Saturday as riders from across the country climbed off their bikes and headed into Whiskey River for lunch, leaving behind a sight that had people wondering what exactly was happening.
The answer was the first Midwest Regional Widows Sons Rally, a gathering of Freemasons who share a love of motorcycles and use that connection to raise money for charitable causes.
Michael “C-Bear” Parkinson, secretary/treasurer of the Nebraska Masonic Riders Association, was helping lead the inaugural regional rally, which started in Omaha before making its first stop in Madison.
“We’re a Masonic riding association,” Parkinson said. “We do 100% charity work.”
The rally drew participants representing about 15 states and two countries. The Widows Sons is an international Masonic motorcycle organization whose members are Freemasons, with rallies bringing members together around their shared interest in riding and raising money for charitable organizations.
In Nebraska, that has meant supporting several Masonic charities. Parkinson said his chapter, Keepers of the Word, was chartered in 2020 and has since raised thousands of dollars for organizations including the Masonic Eastern Star Home for Children in Fremont, the Masonic Home in Plattsmouth and the Tangier Shriners transportation fund.
For this rally, the riders were raising money specifically for the Masonic Eastern Star Home for Children.
The Madison lunch was hosted by Hiram’s Riders, one of the newer Nebraska chapters, at Whiskey River.
Parkinson said Nebraska chapters have previously held state rallies that drew visitors from elsewhere, but this was the first event organized from the beginning as a multi-state regional rally.
“We’ve typically held state rallies and had multiple people come visit,” he said. “We like to ride, so we’ll go see anybody for anything.”
That willingness to travel was evident in Madison. Parkinson said members regularly put significant miles on their motorcycles simply to support another chapter. When a chapter was started in North Platte, for example, members made the six-hour trip across Nebraska to help get it established.
The organization stretches well beyond the Midwest, with larger gatherings bringing together riders from several countries. Parkinson said past events have included members from Mexico, France, Ireland, Scotland and Canada, and the next international Grand Gathering is planned in Mexico.
The Grand Master of Freemasons in Nebraska was also among those participating in Saturday’s event.
Madison was the first stop after the rally began in Omaha. After lunch at Whiskey River, the motorcycles would head back onto the road before the ride eventually ended at the Masonic Eastern Star Home for Children in Fremont.
Not everyone knew exactly where the route would take them next.
“I follow the guy in front of me,” Parkinson joked. For the riders, though, the motorcycles are what bring them together while the purpose behind the organization runs deeper.
“At the core of it, every one of the men that ride are also Freemasons,” Parkinson said. “And Freemasons at their heart is an organization of good men looking to make each other better men and support their community in whatever way they can.”
