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VOLUME 59 ISSUE 33 AUGUST 16, 2022 P123 cycle Club, so the Dons became an outgrowth of San Jose's original motorcycle club. Sifton's dealership became a focal point for the San Jose Dons. Sifton's wife Stella and his daughter Jean often worked together putting on field runs and other motorcycling events, doing everything from registering riders to making sand- wiches for the participants. One of the first big events the Dons hosted was a Hillclimb, which became one of the largest Northern California motorcycle gatherings during its heyday. And, of course, Arena was usu- ally the rider to beat at the climb. On weekends when the club didn't host a competition event or field meet, they often organized a club ride. Arena led a group of 20 or so riders on one of those weekend rides, and with a national-class racer at the point, you can imagine what happened. "We were riding together north of Oakland heading to Martinez," Arena recalled. "I was out front setting the pace when a cop pulled the whole group over. The cop wanted to write everyone a ticket, but I said to him I was the one set- ting the pace, and it's my fault we were speeding, so I should be the only one to get the ticket." The officer agreed and let the group go after issuing a speeding ticket to Arena. But that wasn't the end of the story. Weeks later, Arena was home when he heard a sharp knock at his door. When he an- swered, it was two police officers standing at the door to take him before the judge in Oakland for the unpaid speeding ticket. Sam said he simply forgot to pay the fine. The judge gave Arena two options—a $15 fine or two days in jail. This was the 1930s when $15 was a lot of money. "I figured 15 dollars was half a month's wages, so I went with doing the time. I spent most of my time in jail sweeping floors," Arena said. After two days in jail, Arena began the long walk back home to San Jose. But when a passing mo- torist, who happened to be a fellow club member, saw Arena wearing a club sweater, the fellow picked him up and gave him a ride home. It didn't take long for the mem- bership of the Dons to expand to the point that the dealership was no longer big enough to serve as a regular meeting spot. So, the club found a place they could rent to hold meetings and other club functions. To join the club in the 1930s, there was a one- dollar initiation fee and 50 cents monthly dues. The dues helped pay for club expenses but didn't quite cover the cost of renting the clubhouse, so at meetings and weekend get-togethers, the club offered quarter beers and shots. Early on, the bar was simply an old door sitting on two sawhors- es. But one of the club members was a talented carpenter, so he built a bar with barstools. An old pool table and some couches and chairs were donated, and the club became a proper hangout. One of the club traditions was called the "Bone Prize." At the end of the weekly meetings, sto- ries of fellow club members who did something stupid or embar- rassing were told. Whichever story got the most laughs, that member would be given the Bone Prize, a cow leg bone with clamps that were attached to the front forks of said member's motorcycle. One of the club's most famous competition events was called the Tin Hat Derby. It was an annual enduro that ran from San Jose up into the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Derby ran 200 miles, and, at the time, it was inaugurated in Like most M/C clubs across the country these days, the San Jose Dons struggle to find new members.