By Lulu

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Phaedra Lee and the crew at Main Street Station do a few things extremely well. They have made quite a name for themselves as being a “must do” bike night with $1 beer. They are also known as one of the best spots for hearing great bands. And over the last couple years they have put on the most attended bikini contest anywhere in town! This year was no exception. Even with the smaller attendance of Biketoberfest the place was packed liked sardines. Nicole Gatrell walked away with the title but all the girls took home some cash. Be certain to join in during Bike Week and if your girlfriend is smokin’ hot tell her to sign up…you never know she may just win!

By Lulu

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History is what Biketoberfest is now. This yearly event has been going on for 20 years. AND part of the history is …the Cabbage Patch Bar. Sadly, the week after Biketoberfest, owner Ronnie Luznar died in an automobile accident. I took a quick picture of Ronnie with TJ and bounced off to catch some shots of Joe Santana never dreaming it would be my final shot of him. The Cabbage Patch is a family tradition. His aunt passed the bar on to Ronnie and Ronnie’s boys Roger and Ronnie will continue the family business.

As usual this year the bike shows, music inside and out, vendors, scantily clothed bartenders and the coleslaw show gave us plenty to look at. The wrestling got delayed due to a rainstorm so I must thank Jackman Photos for the photos of the wrestling and the winner as we had to make it to the next venue on a time frame.

Our sympathies to the Luznar family and to the friends of Cabbage Patch Bar, as we know Ronnie will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

By Lulu

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No one knew what to expect for Biketoberfest post Hurricane Matthew, but the one event I knew would go on without a hitch was Willie’s Chopper Time. This is a well-honed machine. Twice a year Willie and the crew register bikes, cram the lot full of bikes, then get them judged and awards given. Roadside Marty yells at them through the microphone trying to herd the cats! The bands this year were Jasmine Cain and Rick and the Trouble Makers rocking the back yard. Of course, like everywhere the crowds were down, but it made those in attendance able to get around a bit better. I could get in and take pictures a lot easier. Willie would like to thank all the entries, all who attended and his sponsors for making this one of the best events of Bike Week and Biketoberfest each year. The sponsors were: The Horse, Back Street Choppers Magazine, Twisted Tea, Biker’s Choice, Self Made Customs, Rue & Ziffra, PA, Bare Bones Leather, Chop Docs, Cycle Source Magazine, Led Sled, Biker’s Pocket Guide, Bling’s Cycles, Boomer’s Bike Shop, Lucky Loser, DK Customs, Lowbrow Customs, Anvil Customs, Black Water Guns, TC Bros Choppers, Biltwell, Custom Chrome, Hijinx Apparel, Raven Hollow Leather, Factory Metal Works, Billet Proof, BD’s Customs, Mo’s Customs & Suspension Technologies.

To view more photos of winners go to our Facebook page at Thunder Roads Florida!

By Lulu

If you have been reading Thunder Roads Florida for long you will know that the Bike Week and Biketoberfest Survivor Party I will be attending is in Bunnell at my friend’s bar, The Dog Pound Saloon. As the saying goes, I will be there “licking my wounds”. The number of events and places we try to attend during the four-day event is exhausting and on the tail of Hurricane Matthew this one was worse than normal, but there is no place I would rather be than in the back yard of the Dog Pound if the weather is nice or sitting on the porch if the rain Gods are busy. Free BBQ, live music and friendly folks on two wheels is what you will find there. This year the band was Southern Chaos and they got folks up dancing. I am always exhausted by the last day of the event, but a few cocktails in and I finally get a chance to relax and unwind. Join us the last Sunday of Bike Week for an afternoon of howling or ride in anytime for a cold beer or two!

By Lulu

Amazingly Rick and Denise Hilliard got lucky and Hurricane Matthew spared the deck and trees at First Turn in Port Orange. Their house didn’t fare as well, but they pulled their boots up and went to work throwing a party for those who didn’t call off their trip to Daytona Biketoberfest. There isn’t a better spot to sit under the stars and twinkling white lights and have a great meal while listening to GOOD music. One of my new favorite bands out of Ocala played and sang their hearts out for their first trip to a major bike rally. If you haven’t heard 4 Play they are extremely entertaining and play a great variety of tunes. Don’t forget their Tuesday night bike nights for some free vittles and live music!

By Deborah Speicher

Once again, “The Show That Changed the Powersports Industry” a/k/a The American International Motorcycle Expo (“AIMExpo”) was back for the fourth and final year at the Orange County Convention Center. It was held the same four days as Biketoberfest (October 13-16), with the first two days open only to media and industry people.

There were 451 exhibitors which featured most of the major motorcycle manufacturers as well as many upstarts, along with apparel, accessories and just about anything related to the powersports industry. Exhibitors represented 49 states and 44 countries. And, as in the past, there weren’t just demo rides – there were on and off road demo rides!

The AMA also had a presence once again. On Thursday night, they held their Hall of Fame Induction at the Convention Center. Gloria Tramontin Struck and other legendary motorcyclists were inducted that evening. The AMA Master of Ceremonies for the evening was actor and motorcycle enthusiast, Perry King. Perry also did a presentation for the AIMExpo with the media and spoke about his motorcycles (he owns 30) and some of his trips (he rode from Mexico to Canada this past summer with other AMA riding buddies).

The AIMExpo piggybacked their event at the same time thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts would be in the area and, despite Hurricane Matthew, I believe it worked as attendance numbers were at an all-time high. This is not the last of the AIMExpo but it will be leaving Orlando and held in Columbus, Ohio next September 21-24, 2017. It was a great four year run for Floridians!

By Lulu

Rudy is not new to the bike bar scene. He had a great bike night every Wednesday night in Deland at Rudy’s Crossroad for years, but when the motel was sold out from under him the week before Bike Week he found himself without a bar. Finally, he found a new spot on US 1 in Holly Hill, used to be Mac’s and more recently One Horse Saloon. He has food, wings, and ice cold beer. Rudy is doing a Wednesday night Bike Night too. He welcomes poker runs and features live music on the weekends. Please be certain to stop in and visit him at his new place, between getting the boot from his last location at the worst time ever and then the hurricane making Biketoberfest weak at best, I know he would appreciate seeing your smiling face!!

By Lulu

A GREAT locals’ bar in Eustis is Pug’s Pub. Owner Patty Fox is just a doll and is loved by her patrons, partially because she gets behind charities with their main benefactor being St. Jude’s. But when Patty and her crew heard Twisted Tea and Thunder Roads wanted to have a party with the Lake County food bank getting the money…they were all in! We raised $140 in cash for the food bank and when I offered to give half of it to their charity, they refused saying hungry families were important too. The magazine gives away $50 cash to raffle off to the food and money donors, and wouldn’t you know it the winner, Doris from the Pissin’ Frogs, donated that to St. Jude’s so both charities were “in the money” thanks to the generosity of the great peeps at Pug’s Pub and Twisted Tea. Twisted Tea is one of Thunder Roads biggest supporters of our efforts to help those less fortunate and we make sure everyone samples the “Tea” while we do our best to improve the lives of families in need.

By Lulu

Mistreater is a well-known favorite Biketoberfest band and they filled and rocked the house at our new ad client Bay 3 Bar. This unique garage bar is a true biker friendly establishment. The entire parking lot was full to the brim with motorcycles. And as most bikers are some of the most patriotic folks I know, it was a pleasant surprise when they kicked their party off with the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem! Put this on your fall list of bars to check out during November. It features ice cold beer ($2.25 for domestics) and wine in a very casual, friendly environment.

By Lulu

The Rossmeyer family managed to get up and running full steam for Biketoberfest despite Hurricane Matthew. Even though the crowds in town were down due to the storm and 16 of the major hotels closed due to damage, the parking lot at Destination Daytona was full and bike sales were brisk. Concerts, vendors and the new addition of Giant Recreation World made sure there was plenty to see and do. Our new client Rampless Trailer was set up right by the dealership and were proudly displaying their trailer that lowers flat making loading bikes super simple for girls, disabled riders and for all who want to store their bike right on the trailer in the garage. And if you need a new seat Ultimate Seat will set you up; they have a permanent showroom on premise at Destination Daytona. Always something going on at the Daytona and New Smyrna dealerships so check out their websites.

By Lulu

Fame is a blessing and a curse they say. Well, Boot Hill Saloon is probably one of the most famous biker bars in the world. They sell more T-shirts than just about anyone. The curse part of the fame, is the crowds sometimes get so big that it is hard to get in, in fact, the year I put their bikini contest on a few years back a few of my contestants couldn’t get on property due to the fire marshal! But even with Hurricane Matthew the party at Boot Hill Saloon still was on! Bikini contest, hot bartenders and great music entertained the masses. Don’t forget to party at the Boot when visiting the Daytona Beach area, they cater to bikers all year long and always have great music going on. They will be hosting the Rock of Daytona Birthday Party New Year’s Eve so toast the New Year on Main Street with us.

By Ron Cox

More than 70 riders/passengers registered at Six Bends Harley-Davidson in Ft. Myers on November 5th to ride in the Inaugural Fallen Heroes Poker Run.

One of the unique aspects of the run was that all the card stops were at police agency headquarters. Riding as a group with a police escort from the Lee County Sheriff’s Department, the riders stopped at the Florida Highway Patrol, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Ft. Myers Police and the Cape Coral Police Department. Each police agency received a framed Certificate of Appreciation, recognizing the efforts of these first responders. Proceeds from the run $2,000
will be held in escrow and divided among the agencies
as needed.

Cape Coral PD patrol cars and motor units continued the escort, safely leading the riders to Mike Greenwell’s Dugout Sports Bar and Grill for the post run festivities. The Pitbull Blues Band out of Ft. Lauderdale provided almost non-stop entertainment.

Loads of door prizes were given away. Ashley Van Buren won $170 in the 50/50 drawing and donated $70 back to the cause. Edwin “Sixx” Hyne was the biggest winner, an Ace through five straight won him a two night stay in Key West for two and round trip transportation on the Key West Express. The prize has a value of $850.

Lost Riders President Mike Mazzoli estimated that this run will become an annual event.

By Lulu

Bike Week is known for certain things at different venues, but everyone who comes to town or who lives here makes their twice-yearly trip to Iron Horse Saloon for the famous, fabulous Crager’s Beef Tips. When it comes time to fill those growling beer bellies almost everyone I know heads to the “Horse”. While there, you can always count on good music in the back lot. This year Mustang Sally, Brian Howe & Jared Blake were the headliners. And for Bike Week history the bikers still seek out David Allan Coe! Add ice cold beer from pretty tub girls and your Biketoberfest is complete!

By Raven Van Pelt

Saturday the 12 of November, Adamec of Baymeadows, held their 8th Annual Ride for Dreams. The First Coast’s only locally based nonprofit organization dedicated to the dreams of children. From age 2 to 18, who are battling life threatening illnesses and have been referred by their doctor. More than 3.500 children and their families have seen their dreams come true.  Dreams range from a trip to Disney, meeting their favorite celebrity, to a cruise and more. Dreams Come True is committed to its goal of never denying an eligible child a dream.

100% of donation, unless stated by donor, are directed to the fulfillment of dreams. Form your own dream team, and help reach their fundraising goal or volunteer your time during a special event.  You can also donate and help make sure no child is denied a dream due to a lack of funds.