Saturday's rain was enough to keep most motorcyclists from Atlanta's first Mudslingers Coffee and Chrome Motorcycle Awareness ride-in.
The 100-mile planned ride was canceled, too.
Still, the Mudslingers coffee was free, and riders with the Christian Motorcyclists Association were present with their tent, truck and a few motorcycles. As many as 50 people in all might have rallied for the ride-in.
"The CMA shows up to support the biker events and lifestyle," said Clay English, president of the CMA chapter in New Boston. "We consider it an opportunity to minister, pray for them and their bikes. We're all over the world. We're bikers, too."
Despite the soaking Saturday, the bikers who did show up ignored the rain and had a good time. A number of people came in trucks just to be part of the rally.
CMA has a major area connection. It was started in 1975 by Herb Shreve, an Arkansas pastor who purchased a motorcycle to close the generation gap between him and his son by riding together to biker events and rallies.
"It was apparent that the church had no outreach to motorcyclists," the CMA website describes.
"At first, Shreve prayed that others would take this mantle of ministry, but he accepted the task and began evangelizing alone at motorcycle rallies. In 1975, he resigned from his church to start CMA. It has grown to more than 125,000 members in 1,200 chapters and is in 31 countries."
English said his chapter's members usually find a rally or event somewhere to go every weekend, especially during the good-riding warm months.
"We just make ourselves available to show support. Most of us ride but you don't have to be a rider to be part of CMA. And we're nondenominational. Not affiliated with any single church, but we do love Jesus," he said.
To be a member of CMA one goes through a series of video training exercises and completes a questionnaire.
"I believe there are three chapters in Texarkana and a couple of others in the region."
English said as long as the biker community knows the CMA is there and cares about them with whatever concerns they may have, then the CMA's mission is being fulfilled.
A local family attending the ride-in were Candy and Louis Koob from Linden. Mudslingers owner Aimee and John Shelton indicated a second annual motorcycle ride-in will likely be held in the future. Their coffee drive-in is open 6:30 a.m. t0 4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.