Ever since a small group of motorcycle riders convinced North Dakota legislators to let them "educate and not mandate," they've celebrated with a rally and this Friday, Saturday and Sunday they will return to Menoken Grove, gathering for the 30th annual ABATE State Motorcycle Rally.

Janet Frost, marketing and promotions director for ABATE, has participated in the rally for 27 of those 30 years. She's quick to point out that the rally isn't limited to bikes and is open to anyone age 21 and older willing to pay admission. Expectations are for 1,200 participants this year, many who return year after year to party with friends one more time.

"The inception of ABATE and the party started when a group of bikers were successfully able to petition the Legislature to allow ABATE of North Dakota to educate riders and not legislate a mandatory helmet law," Frost says. "They had this slogan, 'educate, don't legislate.' In other words, they wanted a program to train people, give them the proper riding skills - give them the tools and let wearing a helmet be their choice. That's what started the whole concept of ABATE of North Dakota."

ABATE is a national organization that originally stood for A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactment. Later the name was softened to American Bikers Aiming Toward Education, a change that first came in North Dakota but eventually was adopted, or at least a close form, by organizations across the nation.

The rally starts with the gates opening to Menoken Grove - located 10 miles east of Bismarck just north of Interstate 94 - at 9 a.m. "This usually consists of setting up camps," Frost says. "Our members are getting a little older, so we're seeing a lot more campers these days than people on bikes with tents. I'm expecting there will be about 200 campers set up."

Friday afternoon people will start gathering for various contests and give the 22 vendors' displays a once-over. At 7 p.m., the first of three bands will take to the stage. Running With Scissors opens, followed by Judd Hoos, and Misfit Toys will wind things down. Frost says the music usually ends at about 3 a.m.

The annual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Ride is the first event Saturday, with bikers lining up for a trip to Veterans Memorial Cemetery, south of Mandan. At 10 a.m., ABATE's board of directors meets. The games begin at 1 p.m. and consist of the bike rodeo - including such events as the tire toss, balloon toss and weenie bite. There also will be games for the general public, including the bat race, door knob race and keg toss. The same bands return to the stage on Saturday evening, with the order they appear reversed.

On Sunday, the Christian Motorcycle Association will hold a church service at 9 a.m., after which the rally closes.

Four of the vendors will provide food; the rest are product vendors. "You'll be able to find anything, from getting an oil change for your bike, to buying leathers or getting a tattoo or piercing," Frost says.

The rally is one of ABATE's fund-raisers, with proceeds used for the North Dakota Motorcycle Safety Program it runs. This year, the North Dakota Legislature increased motorcycle registration fees by $5, earmarking the new revenue for the safety program.

"The money will be used for purchasing motorcycles for the program, renting facilities across the state for training, educational materials and equipment," Frost says.

"We'll have about a 100 volunteers who will help bring it all together," Frost says. "We'll start planning and preparing for the next one as soon at this one is wrapped up. Even though we've been doing this for 30 years, it still takes a lot of work. We try to offer new and exciting events every year.

"The rally was a lot smaller when we first started," Frost added. "Basically, it's a reunion for bikers. These are all friends that make time to get together at least once a year, here at the rally."