By Lulu

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This has been a year of many firsts for me and even though I am a Buckeye from Cincinnati it was my first time to travel up for Ohio Bike Week in Sandusky. A great old city on Sandusky Bay part of Lake Erie it has that New Orleans charm.

The bike event included downtown streets closed for bike traffic only, bike show, and two stages with live music all day, vendors and the pier with a really great bar and some of my favorite rally girls!!! Put this on your list of events to travel to you will be glad you did.

By Metric and Phoenix

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Thanks once again to the Eagle Riders Cypress Hut 4509 out of Okeechobee for hosting another great Okeechobee Bikefest. Okeechobee is best known for some of the greatest fishing in Florida but once a year the quiet fishing hole gives way to the roar of thousands of motorcyclists descending on the lake. The Rim Ditch Passport is a favorite ride around the beautiful lake with stops at some of the best damn biker establishments anywhere.

Music filled the air the entire weekend thanks to great bands like USA, Hard Country, Tammy Bast, Phil and Scott Eddings and my personal favorite the Jake Hair Band, a group of young locals that really know how to rock the house. On top of the great music was tons of great food and biker apparel from vendors across the state. Thanks to Indian Motorcycles out of Pompano Beach for bringing out that beautiful Indian Chief.

The bike was so beautiful I damn near bought it, but then I would have to change my road name to “Chief Metric”. Another big event at this year’s bike fest was a fundraiser to help a beautiful young lady walk again. For more information and how Casey is doing check her out on Facebook. If you missed out on this year’s event make it a point to mark your calendars and I’ll see you here next year. See you down the road. Ride Safe!!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

America is going to hell! Can you imagine me saying this? I consider myself so patriotic that I pee red, white and blue beer. This really freaks my doctor out especially when he found some blood in my alcohol stream. There’s a great example of what’s happening to our country in a column I read by Wayne Root. Imagine buying a beautiful home, in a wonderful, safe neighborhood with great schools. Then, through a combination of incompetence, ignorance, arrogance, and purposeful intent, that home becomes a garbage ridden, graffiti covered crack house. In short order, the entire neighborhood goes to hell. The good people escape. Drug dealers and welfare addicts move in. The streets become dangerous. The schools become cesspools of crime, drugs, gangs and teen pregnancy. Then the landlords, who allowed this to happen, have the nerve to complain about how the neighborhood has gone downhill.

Does Detroit come to mind? The same socialist policies that destroyed the economies of Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and even France have turned Detroit into a Third World hellhole in the middle of America. Didn’t Obama say we should be more like France? Taxing, over regulating, increasing the debt, non- stop spending and an ever-growing government. Let’s take a look at our landlords.

1. President Barack Hussein Obama – charming, charismatic, narcissistic, intellectual sociopath, with disregard for our Constitution, and winner of the “Lie of the year” award

2. Vice President Joe Biden – suffers from foot in mouth disease and once said, “I never had an interest in being a Mayor ’cause that’s a real job. You have to produce. That’s why I was able to be a Senator for 36 years”.

3. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – whose oatmeal must’ve drooled out of his mouth into his eyes when he said, “The one thing we are going to do…is to ensure that women’s lives are not determined by the virtues of five white men”. The problem is only four of the Justices that sided with Hobby Lobby are white. Clarence Thomas is black.

4. House Speaker John Boehner- the “Grim Weeper” or “Town Crier” would rather drink wine, smoke cigarettes, and trash the Tea Party, then he would govern. The only balls he has is his eyeballs.

5. Attorney General Eric Holder – who has called Americans “cowards,” has enough serial abuses of justice to make any tinhorn banana republic dictator blush. He has been indicted for contempt of Congress on both felony and civil charges, has repeatedly lied under oath, and routinely turned a blind eye to laws that he is duly-bound to enforce.

Just because you don’t take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.

A U.S. Govt. survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population”.

I’ve got a lot more to say about this on my website: nobodiesopinion.com.

See you on the shiny side up tomorrow

By Miserable George

Ya know…most of us take life for granted…we go about our daily activities, not thinking anything of it. Now, we have Caleb Horvath, a three year old, who must fight for HIS life every day…he suffers from Rhabdomyosarcoma…I can’t even pronounce it…a rare form of cancer, for which he will be treated for the next 54 weeks…very painful!

Harry and Debbie, and the gang at H&D Roadhouse, in Merritt Island, set up a benefit poker run on June 8, 2014. Weather was perfect; Harry expected about 100 bikes…there were 250!! Over 70 signed in at American Legion Post 359 alone…thanks guys!!! Well over $6300 was raised from sign-ins, auctions, a 50/50, sales of various SUPER CALEB items, and, at this writing, donations were still rolling in!

Several good, live bands provided some lively entertainment, and, of course, as always…there were lovely ladies struttin’ all over the place! Like Harry said, “It doesn’t get much better than this!” The place was packed to actual over-flowing…all day and into the night! If you couldn’t make the run, a fund has been established at KSC Fed. Credit Union for Caleb…#3243514. The family thanks everyone for their generosity and well wishes. GOD Bless you Caleb, and all the bikers who went to bat for you on the run.
Ride safe…

By “Kneecap”

Roadside Tavern Bar and Grill on Nova Road in Port Orange has a history of running tremendous events. The June Crawfish Boil & Music Jam has to go down as one of the best they have ever thrown. The Roadside is perfectly designed for a large party. Up front there is a large air-conditioned lounge and a fully equipped kitchen with great food.

In the back is another large bar, plenty of seating, areas for games, room to dance, and a stage so large it should be called the band shell. I had a poker run to attend in the morning so I didn’t get there until about 2pm. When I arrived the place was packed and the people already dancing to the great music of Hayfire. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a large crowd in such a partying mood. They were dancing, playing games, singing along with the band and having a brew or two. Frank Scott from the WHOG radio station was there to MC the festivities.

There were free concerts all day. Hayfire was followed by Moccasin Creek, Michael Makepeace, ending with Jezebel’s Tattoo. However, the best part was that the proceeds benefited The Veteran’s Support Fund.

By “Kneecap”

It’s not unusual for bikers to step up to the plate when it comes to charities. On most any weekend you can find a poker run sponsoring a charity. On June 21, I had the honor of going on the “6th Annual Katelynn Stinnett National Memorial Ride for Child Abuse Prevention & Awareness”. Katelynn was a beautiful little two-year-old girl who died on December 3, 2008 after she was savagely beaten, raped and murdered by her 18 year old babysitter, Brian Crabtree. Bikers nationwide took a stand against child abuse and rode in the memory of those whose voices have been silenced. I love their motto “When she hears our pipes roar – She will spread her wings and soar”.

It was a short 50 mile ride, but had a long meaning. We started out at the Shovelhead Lounge in Longwood went to the Airport Hanger Bar in Sanford, the Foxhead Lounge in Osteen, the Cabbage Patch in Samsula, and ended at Rudy’s Crossroads in Deland, where we enjoyed live music and great chow. The proceeds were divided between the Children’s Home Society and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Daytona.

God bless our children and pray that runs like this won’t be necessary in the future.

By “Kneecap”

I always thought that without my brilliant wit and charm all those poor bartenders would be so dreadfully bored, then I met MaryAnn Muir. There’s nothing that would bore this bartender because she always has a smile and a cheerful word for anybody at the bar. She was born in Bronx, NY and raised in Woodbridge and Point Pleasant, NJ. I guess we could call her one of the Jersey shore girls, but Snooki would be jealous. She likes to brag that she is 64 years old, single and likes to party hearty. To our good fortune, MaryAnn came to Daytona in 1986. She has two kids and four grandchildren. Her daughter JoJo works as a bartender at the Foxhead Lounge in Osteen. Like her mother I guess talent for bartending runs in the family. When I did this interview she had just returned from New Orleans where she was celebrating one of her grandchild’s 21st birthday.

In 1997 she decided to ride her own bike, so she bought a 1982 Shovelhead. She now rides a 2006 Heritage Deluxe which can be seen in Cabbage Patches centerfold ad of the June issue of Thunder Roads Florida Magazine. She’s known for not doing anything halfway so she became a Boozette in the Boozefighters MC #68 “a nonprofit organization that raises money to help vets, children and the poor”.and a road captain for the Lonesome Losers.

She been a bartender for the past eight years at the Cabbage Patch Bar jn Samsula. She also worked at Pub 44 for three years.

The only flaw that I found in her is that proves the old adage “You can take the girl out of the North but you can’t take the North out of the girl”. She’s a big New York Giants and New York Yankees fan.

Stop by and help her root for her teams. They need all the help they can get.

By Lulu

Florida’s own Big Engine has a new album ready for release on August 19, 2014 through Pavement/MRI/SonyRED. After having three very successful self released CDs, Big Engine is now going to have ‘Shot Like A Rocket’, a 14 song album available throughout the United States and Europe through one of the biggest distribution companies, MRI/SonyRED.

“We are really excited to be with Pavement Entertainment”, says lead singer/guitarist Tony Mikus. “They like what we do and haven’t tried to change anything about us. We are looking forward to seeing what they can make happen with the new album. Having Major Label distribution with MRI/SonyRED is something we have been hoping would happen for a long time.”

A ‘Florida Coast To Coast Release Party Weekend’ happens August 22nd and 23rd at The Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach and then August 24th at High Octane Saloon in Homosassa, Fl. Tony adds, “Thanks to The Boot Hill Saloon, High Octane Saloon, and Twisted Tea, it’s a three day long release party!”

If you are one of the few not familiar with Big Engine, take a look at their Facebook or website, www.bigengine.com. This band is all over the United States!

By Lulu

Just arrived in Sturgis, prior to the big rally rolling into town. If you get a chance to attend the 75th next year I suggest you come into town a week early or stay a week past the event. The sleepy little town of 6,000 is so unique in a Mayberry type way when all of the rowdy bikers are not here. The local diners are filled with real cowboys and folks who have lived here their entire life. The views are amazing and the roadways not clogged with traffic. The real time to take it all in is before the mega motorcycle party. I was able to locate the brick I had laid in memory of Bull Connors, the original owner of Thunder Roads Florida and of course that was a sad memory.

I am here helping the Easyrider Saloon do their staffing and preparations for Sturgis #74. My stay in Sturgis is one month!!! After the initial 2 weeks of prepping for the rally I will be tending bar here with the Rally girls and it should be one hell of a party. If you are coming up from Florida come by and say hi!

The only thing I am wishing is that I had a bike up here. We came up on short notice and flew into Rapid City. The last time I was here I had my own little Sportster and had such a wonderful time. This trip is work, work, and more work! Not that there hasn’t been at least one night of toilet hugging!! You have to do a little bit of partying while here right?

Start saving for Sturgis 75th, ride a road less traveled and don’t forget your sunscreen.