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Monthly Archives

Florida Hog Rally

By Ron Cox

FL HOG RALLY

Fort Myers was the site for this year’s Florida HOG Rally, the Roar to the Shore, held from October 7-10th. The rally was hosted by SWFL HOG and Six Bends Harley-Davidson. HOG Chapter Assistant Director Bob Hotovy was the Rally Coordinator and almost all Chapter Officers chaired operating committees. Upwards of 1,500 HOG’s and guests attended the Rally, coming from all over Florida. Out of state-ers included HOG’s from Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arizona and California. European HOG’s came from England, Wales and a group from Switzerland.

Early Rally attendees were treated to a sumptuous free spaghetti dinner and were entertained by one of the area’s premier oldies bands Brylcream.

Thursday offered a variety of activities. Cadillac Blue offered country music tunes in the afternoon. There were numerous guided and self-guided rides to destinations like the Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary or a ride on the twisty back roads between Ft. Myers and Naples, ending at Naples H-D. Deb & The Dynamics provided the evening’s entertainment offering a mix of music for everyone’s taste.

Jerry “Motorman” Palladino and his crew of riders put on riding demonstrations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. One maneuver that drew raves and applause was when a slightly built woman moved from the back seat to the front while her male partner moved from the front to back seat while moving at a moderate pace.

Getting an early start on Friday, plenty of riders took off on a guided ride to the Keys and back. Some of the bike games were held like the road kill grab & balloon toss, the slow race and a new wrinkle to bike games a trike race. Not the kind of trike you’re thinking of, the kind you pedal!!! Precision drill teams from Daytona and Fort Lauderdale showed off their riding skills. DJ John Nichols entertained during the afternoon. Rally goers enjoyed sundaes at The Pit as well as the frozen t-shirt competition. Later in the evening the Grayson Rogers band entertained.

Since it was anticipated there would be a large number of Veterans in attendance, the SWFL mobile military museum was on site and next to it was the USS Florida, a 1/16th scale model of an Ohio-class ballistic submarine.

Last day of the Rally began with unlimited free pastries and cookies at The Pit. Self-guided tours took off while others began lining up for the Parade of Flags. Still others played bike games like the tennis ball pick & place and the ever popular weenie bite. Adam Holbrook put on his stunt show three times during the afternoon, precision drill teams from Daytona & Miami put on shows and the Dixieland Jazz Band entertained at The Pit.

Closing ceremonies included a military tribute to Veterans and deceased Vets, Guns & Hoses bagpipers, a helicopter flyover, awards and recognition to the Rally planning committee. It was announced that next year’s Rally will be staged in Lakeland. The Rally ended with a rousing show by Grand Funk Railroad.

 

 

 

 

 

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