By Lulu Rue, Ziffra & Caldwell, First Turn Steakhouse & Lounge and some very special folks helped fill the pantries and thereby the stomachs of lots of folks for the holidays with our Annual Grub Run in December. The main reason this is such an important event is that right after the Thanksgiving holidays the food banks are depleted! So we rally all to saddle up for this yearly event and split the bounty with Second Harvest Food Bank and Children’s Home Society. Many are not aware that when kids in the Children Home Society system turn 18 but are still in school, state funding is stopped and these groceries really help them get through a difficult time…Christmas. I am all for toy runs, but playing with toys just isn’t much fun if your stomach is growling so this is very important at this time of year particularly. This year we managed with the help of my great friends from Rolling Thunder FL Chapter 8, new friends from the Daytona HOG chapter and students from Seabreeze High School 3,000 pounds of food was weighed and $3383 raised. This couldn’t happen without the caring elves on two and three wheels that rode with us on this event. This event had an immense amount of support from so many local motorcycle clubs and it was greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone that gave of their time and more importantly, food. The winners of the $100 cash prizes for the 2 wheeled bike (Jack Mayse 200 lbs), trike John Trask 53 lbs.), bike trailer (Sam & Leo 418 lbs.) and club with the most food (HOG 868 lbs.) all donated their prize money back. These guys and gals are more like Santa Claus than elves!!! Whether you came with 1 can or 235 cans of food on your bike we would like to thank you so much for your generosity as it all helped us surpass last year’s numbers. And Niles thank you for your cash contribution that you collected from your work route of $300!! And to Kim and the golfers from White Eagle that donated a huge amount of cash and gift cards out of their profits from the White Eagle Golf Classic. All of this is the true meaning of Christmas! We are hoping to really grow this event next year and are hoping to challenge the high schools to participate…Rue, Ziffra and Caldwell are even offering a scholarship to the high school that can donate the most food. Nothing better than children helping children to instill a sense of what charity and giving is all about! We are also asking the bars & restaurants to participate in a Pub Grub Challenge. We hope that in the Volusia, Putnam and Flagler County to have each bar gather 100 pounds of non-perishable food. That should really be a fabulous way to really increase the amount of food needed for the shortages experienced during the holidays. Please put this on your DO NOT MISS LIST we would love this to turn into the biggest bike run of the year and it only takes grabbing some “GRUB” out of your cupboards and a tank of gas to participate! The date is Saturday, November 30th 2013! A special thank you to Denise Hilliard and the people at First Turn for hosting the party, Denise helps organize this event and even had some free Grub for the riders and live music. Including all the folks from Rue, Ziffra and Caldwell, particularly Jessica Eckelbarger who work hard all year to organize and promote this event. Hover Your Mouse Over The Picture For Slide Show Controls [autoviewer id="230" width="600" height="600" ] Read the rest of this entry »

By Deborah Speicher

What a great way to kick off 2013 with the downtown Sarasota party known as Thunder by the Bay. Lots of vendors, entertainment, good food, motorcycles and people, the streets were jam packed! This event has now been expanded and started on the evening of Thursday January 3, and ended Sunday January 6. Thursday evening’s “Kick Start” party at Michael’s Tasting Room featured fine liquors, wines and cigars. Friday night featured a “Born to be Wild” kickoff party at the Hyatt Regency with live entertainment, silent auctions, casino style gaming, Harley-Davidson fashion show and much more. By Saturday, they were dancing in the streets (literally!). A Blues Brothers review, along with more great music from the local rock and soul group the Lauren Mitchell Band, had the crowd movin’ and groovin’! While the music played on into the night, there was a “Light Up The Night” LED bike show. Sunday started with a blessing of the bikes and the “Cruise for Cash” which benefitted Suncoast Charities for Children. There was also nonstop entertainment and a 15 class bike show. The finale for the day was The Marshall Tucker Band. Mark your calendars for January 2014. Sarasota has a lot to offer in the way of food, lodging and amenities, and when coupled with the streets blocked off for motorcycles only plus a large parking garage with FREE motorcycle parking, it is truly a biker-friendly event!

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By Billy "Kneecap" Braddock Camp Boggy Creek is one of my favorite charities. The past four years has seen the deaths of three of its founders. On September 26, 2008 Paul Newman died. I had the pleasure of an encounter with him at Watkins Glen Racetrack many years ago. On July 30, 2009 we lost Bruce Rossmeyer. I knew and liked him and had the privilege of riding with him yearly on the Ride for Children. On December 27, 2012, we lost General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (Stormin’ Norman). This was one Great American. Without these three we would not have Camp Boggy Creek and many sick children would not have the privilege of going to camp like normal kids. These three men symbolize what Americans are all about. They will be deeply missed. Here we go again. It's time to trash the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. I've read so much about gun control this past month, I think I am going cross-eyed. The benefits of gun ownership are never explored by the anti-gun media. Guns are used about 2.5 million times a year to stop crimes and usually are never fired. Studies have revealed that for every life lost to a gun, 65 lives are saved. John Lott's studies have shown that when concealed carry laws are passed, violent crime rates drop significantly. In Great Britain hand guns are outlawed. Violent crime has increased to the point where British Bobbies are now carrying firearms for the first time in history. The politicians tell you they do not want to outlaw guns, but the federal government wants to be notified of all gun sales even between private individuals. I tend to be a student of history and I've seen that gun registration is followed by confiscation. Remember, Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. Actually, it has already occurred in this country. New York City registered handguns, followed by confiscation a few years later. California, where the so-called “assault weapons” (a pencil can be an assault weapon) were first registered, and then confiscated. The Second Amendment was written to give the right of the people the ability to defend themselves against tyrannical government. If you think that our government could never become this controlling think about the mandates imposed by OSHA, Medicare, Medicaid and EPA. My first Social Security card said “not to be used for identification”. The law says you are not obliged to use your SSN for anything but the Social Security program and taxes. Try not using it and see what happens. The politicians like to change words in order to make bad things not sound as bad. Examples are investing/ instead of government spending, undocumented workers/ instead of illegal aliens, and overseas contingency operation/ instead of global war on terror. Now, instead of gun control they're saying/ gun violence prevention. It's been said that a ban on guns is sort of a war against women/guns are a great equalizer. I personally think you should carry a weapon for the same reason you put your seatbelt on, you never know when you'll need it. I just got through reading 13 rules of Gun Fighting. It made a lot of sense, especially the one that said guns have two enemies: Rust and politicians/ the average response time of a 9/11 call is 23 minutes, the response time of a .357 is 1400 ft. per second/ and cops carry guns to protect themselves. Liberals like to tell you that it's the police department's job to protect you. However, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the police have no duty to protect (Castle Rock v. Gonzales, No. 04-278). Therefore, the Supreme Court has told us the primary responsibility for your own safety and protection of your life and the lives of your family-IS YOURS. “Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading”-Thomas Jefferson. Now, the politicians are going to pass more gun laws. We already have 20,000 gun laws in this country. Will 100,000 laws that only law-abiding citizens will heed make a difference? The government has no proposal to get guns out of the hands of criminals/just out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. Remember the fork didn't eat the cake. I can think of a lot of things we don't need but are not illegal. I'd start with liberal Senators and Congressmen. Congress couldn't organize a one car funeral. I read the letters D.C. in Washington, D.C. stands for Doesn't Cooperate. Quote of the month “alcohol is not the answer but it does make you forget the question”. I've realized that at my age I need glasses. Beer glasses, wine glasses, and whiskey glasses. I don't drink out of the bottle anymore. See you on the shiny side of tomorrow… Read the rest of this entry »

By John Trask

On the early morning of Friday November 23, 2012 members of Rolling Thunder® Florida Chapter 8 began an adventure that would have a profound effect on those members. The Escort Ride of the remains of Spc. Gene Crawford a Vietnam Veteran whose remains were discovered in a pauper’s field in a Miami Cemetery. The members of Rolling Thunder FL 8 were not prepared for the gratitude that the members of the family were about to bestow on them. As we participated in the Memorial Service on Friday evening in Miami, we did not realize what Saturday would bring. Early morning on Saturday November 24, Rolling Thunder® FL-8 left the Miami area with the remains of Gene Crawford onboard one of the motorcycles and began our return trip to Daytona Beach. “The Ride Home” soon became a very large tribute to Gene Crawford as Patriot Guard members joined us at SR50 Titusville. The small escort soon became a 30 motorcycle escort complete with many US Flags. We arrived at Daytona International Speedway at about 1pm where the remains were escorted through a Flag Line of many motorcycles, Rolling Thunder and Patriot Guard members. The remains were brought to an area where the family was seated and then placed on a stand. A Memorial Service was conducted at the Daytona International Speedway and then the remains were taken to Daytona Memorial Gardens for a formal Military Burial. The members of Rolling Thunder® Florida Chapter 8 were honored to have been part of this Escort Ride and we now have another meaning of MIA in your own country. Read the rest of this entry »

By Phoenix and Metric

When it comes to partying, no one does it better than the Captain and Crew at Treasure Coast Harley Davidson in Stuart. This is the second year that Phoenix and I celebrated with the folks from Treasure Coast HD and we had a blast. The highlight for me was the great music from the 70’s with the bands “Crossbones” and “Ramble On” and the tribute to the Great “Led Zepplin”. I was having “flashbacks” of a time from long, long ago. While the music was “Great” the women were even better. Ruby was on hand again this year to brighten up your spirits and boy does she know to how to do that. The entire Crew at Treasure Coast was on hand to satisfy all your motorcycling needs. If you have never been to one of the parties at Treasure Coast you need to make the trip to Stuart and tell them Phoenix and Metric from Thunder Roads Florida sent you. Read the rest of this entry »

By Kneecap

It's not often that Lulu allows me to write an article for Bull's Eye. This featured column was started by Thunder Roads Florida's original editor Chad “Bull” Connors. Since his death, Lulu has kept this great article alive. In order to be featured in this article, you need to be a real biker. For this month we've gone over and above, a biker, plus a guy who wrenches many bikes. Scott McNitt was born in Jamestown, New York. Scott moved to Flagler Beach in 1965. One of his most impressive accomplishments is being married to his wife Judy (Overbeck) for 33 years to which they have had two children, a daughter and a son and two grandsons. At the age of 8 he bought his first bike a Kawasaki mini trail. In the 70s he raced scrambles in Korona, Florida. He's always worked on his own bikes. After graduating from Flagler Palm Coast High in 1978 he headed north on his 650 Yamaha. After he met his wife, Judy, they headed back here on the same bike in the snow in November. They went all the way to Key West before they realized Flagler Beach was Scott's home. Scott worked as an auto tech for 25 years, but knew his true calling was a mechanic wrenching on motorcycles. In 1997 Scott had the opportunity to purchase Tri-City Cycles after Ed Sarfde died who had the shop since 1986. This gave him the chance to ride and work on thousands of different bikes, both metric and American. The drawback, no more vacations during  bike weeks. Denise Sarfde (Ed's widow) who has been in the shop for 23 years, stayed with Scott and runs the front office. It would be hard to find anybody who is  more honest and treats his customers like you would want to be treated than Scott. This is evident by the support he gets from the locals and tourists. Tri-City Cycles has supported this magazine for years. I'd like to see you support them. Go say hi to Scott and Denise at 308 S. 2nd St., Flagler Beach. Read the rest of this entry »

By Miserable George

The Man Upstairs must be watching out for his furry creations, because HE blessed us with a day of perfect weather for the 15th Annual Critter Run, out of the Central Brevard Humane Society Shelter, on Cox Rd...in the farm country! A steady stream of riders signed in for the beautiful ride in scenic Brevard County, and the surrounding area. The run ended at 4pm at the Dog & Bone Café on Stone St. in quaint Cocoa Village, where BIG DADDY and the band were belting out some powerful stuff!! There were cash prizes for best and worst, as well as, a mystery hand. A 50/50 and door prizes rounded out the prizes for the day, and I think everyone was satisfied! Best of all, a wagon load of pet supplies was collected, as well as, another load of supplies donated by the DOG & BONE! This run benefitted all homeless pets in our Brevard County area. Wanna help?? Call Theresa at (321)302-4828. Meanwhile, ride safe! Read the rest of this entry »

By Miserable George

OK, first, this is the largest all ABATE Toy Run in the state, between 6,000 and 8,000 bikes!! After a biscuits & gravy stop at the Warlocks of Brevard, we were off to Merritt Sq. Mall the assembly point for the run. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Macy’s had removed their "NO PARKING" rule concerning the front area of the store’s parking lot, because it was jam packed with bikes! Good move Macy’s...thank you. We were also able to get access to the roof of their building and got some fabulous shots of the whole gathering...again, thank you Macy’s!! We saw all manner of toys and other Christmas gifts strapped to the bikes, awaiting ABATE Prez Mike Pope’s command to get the huge mass of steel and chrome moving to its destination-Wickham Park- some 25 miles away, where the Shriners and several other local charity organizations were waiting to receive all the bike-borne goodies to be distributed to needy kids all over Brevard County! At Wickham Park (pavilion area), free hot dogs and beverages were given to the riders. A host of vendors were selling just about anything you could think of. Inside the pavilion ACE DJ, Doc Holiday was spinning the tunes and, outside on the semi-stage THE MAN...Big Daddy was wailing as only HE can!! Also, GUS the kissing camel was doing his thing with the ladies! Now, the weather had been perfect...up to 3PM that is. That’s when the Warlocks of Brevard presented the Shriners with a check for well over $10,000, proceeds from their recent Biker Bash, AND that’s when the skies opened up!! Mike Pope of ABATE got an award from the Shriners in recognition of ABATE’s service to the Shriners, very nice indeed. The rain provided a kind of yucky ending to an otherwise perfect day! Ya know what...? I don’t think anyone minded at all. Hey, a BIG thanks to all who helped make this huge run the success that it was! Hope everyone had a nice Christmas...

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By Lulu

Well I could use this space up ranting about the gun issue, Lance Armstrong or the silly football player that either was duped or made up a girlfriend…but I am sick of hearing all that so I am sure most readers feel the same. Instead I have to say thank you to the loyal followers and to some new peeps that showed up last night to our first Twisted Bike Night at the Beaver Bar in Ormond Beach. Twisted Tea has teamed up with us and we are featuring a couple of our ad clients’ establishments each month. I decided to give away a $50 gift card to gather food for the local food pantries. To get in the raffle we gave a ticket for each food item brought in. We had a great night, raised a bunch of vittles, and brought some new folks into the new Beaver Bar for their Thursday night bike night which included $1 Tacos that were yummy! But really why I am writing this is the goodness of bikers NEVER ceases to amaze me! I thought since it was our first one of these events we would be lucky to get a few bags of grub, but they filled the back of my SUV. Next month’s events will be at One Horse Saloon in Holly Hill on Thursday the 28th and on Sunday the 24th at Mardi Gras Sports Bar in St. Augustine. Try to ride into one or both and bring friends we had a really great night. As we go into our 6th year of having Thunder Roads in Florida, I reflect on the great people we have ridden with over the years. I have met Billy Lane, Bruce Rossmeyer, Billy Joel, Dan Haggerty, Gretchen Wilson, Mustang Sally, Charlie Daniels, Arlen Ness, Dave Perewitz, John Parnham, Michele Smith, Eddie Trotta, the guys from OCC, Roger Bourget, Dave Mason…I could go on; and not that they aren’t all really interesting people who have made it big in music or in the motorcycle industry…they still pale in comparison to some of the everyday people who I have met and now call friends. Shane & Amy that have helped in the Daytona area since day one, Kneecap who until he got his Beagle was ornery but is always there for me, Micki and Rich in St. Augustine that held my hand through some dark days, Ron Cox in Ft. Myers a wonderful friend, Deborah Speicher in St. Pete who loves to ride as much as any man I know, Lil Jon in Lake City who kept me from throwing the towel in many times and Miserable George from Cocoa that gives me compliments at just the right time! These are the people who have been with us through most of these pages. Our Web Designer Lenny has been just a blessing! We have grown and now have Metric & Phoenix in Sebring, Raven in Jacksonville and Tommy Brandon in S. Brevard. It takes a lot of miles on your bike to be at as many events as we try to cover and I thank each and every one of them for all they do. And I must also thank the ad clients that make it all possible!!! Please try to frequent the establishments in this magazine and let them know you saw them here. Ride out to one of Twisted events soon and introduce yourself, become a Thunder Rider on our website and above all don’t forget your sunscreen! Read the rest of this entry »

By Ron Cox

Upwards of 850 motorcycles and 1,000 riders and passengers assembled at University Center to ride in the annual Great Teddy Bear Run on November 18th. The run benefits K.I.D.S. by the Sea. (Kids In Distressful Situations) Under the direction of Sharon Sieradzki (Program Coordinator for Sarasota HOG), the ride netted 1,700 furry creatures of all descriptions and more than $6,000 was forwarded to the agency. Promptly at 11:30am the contingent set out from University Center, escorted by units from the Sarasota and Manatee County Sheriff's Departments and police from the City of Sarasota for the post-run soiree at Twin Lakes Park. Awaiting the riders was a fine meal of burgers, pulled pork, tube steaks, chilled salads and beverages of all sorts. Of course, there were vendors of all kinds offering biker apparel, sunglasses, temporary tattoos (why temporary?) knives, lingerie, legal advice and my personal favorite the ice cream vendor. After the meal there were biker games, rider skills competition and so forth all the while being "serenaded" by Arden Rules Band. K.I.D.S. By The Sea provides ongoing support to families affected by childhood cancer and related diseases. For more information call 1-941-918-8400. Read the rest of this entry »

By Amy Poole

The 7th Annual Family Renew Run once again had an exceptional turn out for many families that are in need of a “hand up…not a hand out”. Helping families with children to achieve and make a permanent home of their own is a tough mission, but thankfully there are devoted people who do just that. This year there were 200 riders that participated which were more than last year…plus the monies raised were just over $4,000.00 also an increase from last year!! Our day began at the OB Elks with a breakfast buffet and goodies, then off to White Eagle, Captain’s BBQ, Iron Horse, Circus 11, Main St. Station and Dirty Harry’s for free BBQ. There are 32 families with children at the three locations of Family Renew. Each family received laundry baskets filled with groceries, laundry supplies, gifts for the kids and a Wal Mart gift card, which was all delivered before the holiday so they could have a special occasion. This couldn’t be done without the AT&T Telecom Pioneers, CWA Local 3102 volunteers, all the businesses, and all the others that take part…thank you!! Let’s make this a BIGGER success next year!!!! If you would like to lend a hand go to: www.familyrenew.org Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu

Just in time for Christmas Gator Harley-Davidson turned the dealership into Milan with a fashion show that included staff and friends taking their turns “walking the cat walk”. But before the show there was a feast to be reckoned with. It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten at an event anywhere! They also had bags of door prizes and many went home as happy campers with their bounty. Santa rode in on a Harley that looked more like a space ship landing with all the lights, sorry to say my photo of that just didn’t turn out. The most unexpected treat of all was “Girls of Gator Harley Gone Wild”…that’s all I can think of to describe it, they jiggled and jostled on stage to the tunes the DJ played! If you haven’t made it to one of these events don’t miss their yearly fashion show which included free gift wrapping for the gifts I picked up for under my tree! Read the rest of this entry »