By Lulu

For the last couple years, the first weekend of Bike Week, Erik Dunk organizes a swap meet at the Volusia Fairgrounds billed as “The Meet.” The venue is also the home of the infamous Burning Bike the last Friday of Bike Week. Lots of vendors, food trucks and a bike show were featured this year. For those who love old motorcycles and swap meets check it out in 2027!

It was brought to our attention that in the April issue I had an error in my Pony Tales. I stated that RCBC church is doing an auction for a motorcycle when really it is a raffle for a motorcycle with the bike being given away in July. It is a 1958 Panhead They are still selling tickets!! The raffle is benefitting their church building fund. I also need to congratulate Sherry and her team of volunteers for the amazing $125,000 they raised this year for St. Judes. I know how much time, energy and prayers went into this, particularly since Sherry is living with me while she builds her new house!!!

On a sad note, two friends are riding the skies now. Rainman, Alex MacCrae passed in a motorcycle accident on US 1 in Port Orange. He had four children and a grandchild. He rode that bike EVERYWHERE. He often joined us on the Mystery Rides out of The Boat Bar, if something was happening Rainman was there. He came to my Christmas Party this year at my house and when he arrived, he wanted to know where we were going? He thought it was a ride…if he knew it was just dinner and friends he would have gone somewhere better!!! I will miss him. He was hard of hearing, and it took me a bit to get used to being certain to talk to him in his good ear!!!

Then I heard a long-time friend Don Weber passed in March also. I think he would have been 81 on April 2. Haven’t seen him around a lot lately but spent many good times with him back in the day.

Hug your family and friends while you still can, buy a stranger a beer and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Lulu

For those who love vintage things, it was a beautiful weekend in February for shopping for parts or memorabilia and looking at beautifully restored antique motorcycles. Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium on LPGA Blvd was the site of the sprawling rows of vendors selling their wares, food trucks, and the vintage bike show. I spotted lots of old friends…not that my friends are all old! But their bikes actually are!! This event is always the first weekend of Bike Week. See you there next year!

By Lulu

The first Sunday of Bike Week, Koolaids Kustoms hosted a Built Not Bought Motorcycle Show at the Inn Between in Deland. It is a great setting for a bike show with the large oaks, outside and inside bars, and outdoor stage. Live music was featured, a fund raiser for autism, the reveal of the autism bike and a pin-up girl contest made the day complete. If you haven’t checked out Ethan’s cool joint, take a ride to Deland and have a drink. The bar is full liquor and a good spot to cool your pipes this summer.

By Lulu

Each rally season Tony and his staff at the Boat Bar in Port Orange, put on a party with music and food. This year Old Skool Banditz played outside for the crowd all afternoon. The food is always great! But what The Boat is known for and what packs them in all year long is $2.50 longnecks. If you haven’t found this gem you should, or you could join us for the Mystery Ride on May 24th 11am.

By Lulu

In Leesburg on Route 441 sits one of the MOST active dealerships in Florida. Jan is constantly involved in charitable causes for locals in need, firemen, veterans, and children. She works her rear end off! The Malik’s who were celebrating their 32nd year are in business of course to sell bikes, but they take the concept of “Harley Family” to the next level, giving back to their community of riders. This year the party was complete with a Full Throttle Bike Show, sound competition, live music for a packed house by Hayfire, the Firefighters Charity of Central Florida’s Chili Cook Off and a cornhole tournament. What a day! The Gator Spring Bike Rally ad is in this issue and is in conjunction with Leesburg Bike Fest. A bikini contest is part of the event on Saturday, April 25th, at 3pm. See you there!!!

By Lulu

Each January Pirate’s Pub celebrates their customers who have kept their doors open another year with a party! Free food, great music, and a day of old and new friends is what you will find at this event! Swamp Juice was the band this year and they really rocked the house. We rode with a large group out of The Hideout Lounge on Derbyshire Rd. in Holly Hill to participate in the festivities. A pretty ride through the country takes you to Pirate’s Pub so pick a day to visit them and don’t forget their Too Broke for Sturgis Party in August!!

By Brittany Read

If you’re headed to Leesburg Bikefest 2026 and looking for a place to slow down and enjoy the ride, take the scenic cruise over to Lake Panasoffkee. Big Bass Grill offers a relaxed lakeside stop where riders can unwind with fresh seafood, cold drinks, and live music Saturday and Sunday from 1–5 PM overlooking the water. Just next door, Big Cypress Lakefront Pizzeria serves handcrafted pizzas made with homemade sauces and fresh ingredients.
For riders traveling in, the on-site Lake Panasoffkee RV & Campground offers full-hookup RV sites and comfortable cabin rentals, all just steps from the restaurants and lake views. Guests can book online at lakepanasoffkee.com and receive 5% off food during their stay. It’s an easy place to park the bike, enjoy a good meal, and take in the quiet side of Florida’s lake country.

Big Bass Grill 965 County Road 439 Lake Panasoffkee 352-793-8150 bigbassgrill.com
Big Cypress Lakefront Pizzeria 352-444-2338 907 County Road 439 B Lake Panasoffkee lakefrontpizzeria.com
On site accommodations can be booked at lakepanasoffkee.com.

By Lulu

In Edgewater for the past year, Jim Lynch of Bike Show Mafia fame has been building and servicing motorcycles at Godfather Custom Cycles on S. Ridgewood Avenue. Next door is his beer and wine bar Goodfellas. They just added their own coffee to the establishment. Jim also engages in community events including bike shows, charity events and a yearly toy run. Keeping this man on the run! Photos are a sample of recent shows, the toy drive, and his latest restoration of a bike for a friend. Check out his place on your travels through Edgewater!

By Lulu

Each year in November, the Rue & Ziffra law firm organizes an escorted ride to honor our first responders and military. JP Cycles is the starting point, and it ends at OBs in Deland. This year attorney David Sweat from the firm presented the Veteran’s Support Fund with a check of $1000 at OBs. The Support Fund helps the veterans at Emory Bennett Veterans’ Nursing Home in Daytona Beach. This year’s music was by Megan Gunn and the Pistoleros. The Heroes Ride is held yearly at JP Cycles in Ormond Beach. Join us next year to show respect for those who protect us.

I want to take a minute to reflect on the state of things in America. Since Charlie Kirk’s assassination young people have been seeking churches to attend. A 15% increase in church attendance in the U. S. has been happening since his death. Research actually shows young men to be more inclined to seek out church, marriage, and the desire to have children, than women. I have even seen an increase in Facebook posts of spiritual content. All of this I find to be a sign of an awakening of the soul of our nation. Long before this shift in spirituality, there have been men and women who have been living as shining examples of being Christ like. They are hoping that the way they live their lives would inspire us and help to save our souls. These are men and women who you simply must admire no matter their religion! Church services being held at Iron Horse Saloon, Tropical Tattoo, prisons, and even blessing of the bike services are held to keep God in our lives. Reverend Al Paquette that does prison ministry, Pastor Frankie & Bobby from Redemption Community Baptist Church in Daytona, and Cochise all try to spread the WORD and live a life that follows principles of their faith. These are just a few good men who I call friends. Every community in this country has men and women trying their best to get our attention. Easter is this month. Sunrise services are offered everywhere. Your church down the street would love to see your face on Easter Sunday. The church won’t collapse if you walk through the door! You might feel good about the state of our world by witnessing people rejoicing in fellowship and not rioting on Main Street. Reverend Al asked me to share the flyer for his Easter service which is open to all. And there is a bike auction to help RCBC with their building fund. The bike is a 1958 Panhead and the auction is on their site. In July, the bike will be awarded to the high bidder. God bless you all. Celebrate your existence by being a good human and join us on the Saddle Up for St. Jude Ride on April 4th at Iron Horse Saloon! And don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Kim Chalmers

Well, we survived 30 days in the Keys. It’s sad leaving, not only because we’ve had such a great time and think of things we will miss, like incredible sunsets and live music everywhere. But, it also marks the end of tank tops and flip flop season for us.

It’s 80 degrees and sunny as we head to Northwest Florida where it’s currently in the 50s.

Fantasy Fest 2025 theme was Bedtime Stories & Magical Monsters, but this year’s events were anything but a snooze fest.

Although, not technically part of Fantasy Fest, one of our Favorite Events is Tats for Tatas at Tattoos & Scars Saloon. This was their 4th year. It’s an awesome event that just gets better.

The heart of Fantasy Fest goes much deeper than the amazing costumes and body paint. The 10-day event raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity and is a huge boost for the local economy.

From the Zombie Bike Ride to the homemade bikini contest, street parades and pool parties, there was so much to do, day and night, we had to pace ourselves. Key West, especially Fantasy Fest, is a “Marathon,” not a sprint.

Highlights were 2 of our kids coming to visit with us. We spent an afternoon hanging out with living legend, Dave Wegman, and then there was a moment at Willie T’s when the musician played our national anthem and everyone in the bar stood up, took off their hats and Duval Street literally stood still. In 10+ years visiting the Keys, this was by far, my favorite moment.

People say Key West is known for their motto “One Human Family” and it’s definitely true. In Key West, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, how you got there, how much money you have (or don’t), the color of your skin, your political views, who you love or how you worship, everyone cares about each other.

Key West has the Best Vibes and the Happiest of Happy Hours, including drink and food specials, followed by the most Amazing Sunsets.

We were so excited to see so many of our friends and Thunder Roads Florida fans. You made our day!

There is a magnetism in Key West that draws us and each year, we tend to stay a little longer. Harpoon Harrys is my favorite for Breakfast and Bloody Mary. Martins has excellent food and happy hour specials along with great views of Duval Street. The Boat House also has fantastic food and Happy Hour Specials along with Spectacular Sunsets. Mo’s Creole and El Saboney’s are hidden gems that you don’t want to miss.

We put almost 200 miles on our bikes on this 2 by 4 island, but I rarely passed the Green Parrot without stopping for a Root Beer Barrel Shot and sound check at 5:30pm.

This was our first year being able to watch the Offshore Racing World Championship which was phenomenal.

The worst moment was watching a moped get hit and then run over by a SUV. The crowd rushed in and lifted the SUV off of the 2 riders, who appeared to have had mostly minor injuries. It was a stark reminder of why those on 2 wheels always must be more diligent.

From now on, at intersections, I’ll give myself a little extra space for a quick exit and be more alert than ever before.

We spent our last afternoon at the Heroes Bar, walking out at the exact moment when the First Responder Race Boat pulled up. It’s a cool bar, check out the top Floor and Balcony. If you stop by, tell them Kim from Thunder Roads FL sent you.

Fantasy Fest 2026
Theme: Iconic Musicals – Dates Oct 16-25, 2026

We’ve already made our reservations for next year. Hope to see you there.

P.S. Don’t forget your Reef Safe Sunscreen and Ride Safe.

By Lulu

In November, Bert’s Barracuda and OCC Roadhouse host a 3-day rally on their premises. The place was slam packed! The weekend featured live music, a bike show, vendors, a 7-bike burnout by the crew at Bert’s, a bikini contest by Reign, WWN Pro Wrestling and the Sunday Sunshine Skyway Ride with Paul Sr., providing more than enough to entertain the masses. We love to visit with some of our clients that set up there each year, George from Chrome Premium Cigar and Brian from Florida Bike Life, making it kind of a party with friends for us. Paul Sr.’s ride had to be the largest group of riders to date! This year they not only gave away a 2025 Heritage to a lucky winner, they also gave Carillo Alexandrov, an American rescued by Grey Bull Rescue from war ravaged Ukraine, a surprise Harley Davidson motorcycle! Bryan Stern, the founder of Grey Bull Rescue, was at the event and please Google their organization. The video and story of the great, brave team of rescuers that also do disaster relief is really amazing. The music is always great at OCC Roadhouse and Museum. Two stages allowed for basically continuous music. This year’s line-up included Homegrown Zac Brown Tribute, Bearded Brother’s Band (one of my favorites), Pete Hunt Band, Creed Fisher, Sobriety X, Silver Band, Shovelhead, Blackberry Smoke, and Twisted Revolution. Next year’s date for 2026 is November 19-22, hope to see you there!! But also, don’t miss OCC’s Invitational Bike Show May 16-17, featuring a free ride-in bike show Saturday, live bands, vendors, the Sunshine Skyway Ride with Paul Sr. Sunday and the invitational bike show awards. Be there or be square!

By Lulu

So for those avid Thunder Roads Florida Readers who will chastise me for pulling the Joker’s Wild page from this month’s issue, we had to go up 18 pages to get all the events on the Calendars and all the Bike Week related ads in (which helps us pay for the rest of the year!) and I felt it was extremely important to get the coverage of the clean up of Pinewood Cemetery into the Bike Week issue. Pinewood Cemetery is directly across from Boot Hill Saloon on Main Street and is a landmark of Daytona Beach. It had fallen into complete disrepair between storms, overgrowth of weeds and vegetation and vandalism. Eddie “Heavy” Kastrul owner of Midwest Motorcycles decided something had to be done about it. He organized a grassroots effort that was amazing. I saw twin little girls with their mother in little dresses and gloves picking up debris. When I thanked the mother for teaching them civic pride. She said their tattoo business was right next door, and the girls thought it was a very scary place with the vagrants, overgrowth and just being a cemetery. When they woke up that morning and saw all the people it was like “bringing sunshine” to a scary place. There were Outlaws and Warlocks in large numbers working on this event together! This was a GREAT event! Citizens of all walks of life and all ages showed up to volunteer to rake, push wheelbarrows, gather bags of debris, fix broken headstones, scrub headstones, trim fence lines, trim palm trees. For Daytona Beach this should be a treasured piece of history, and a place tourists could visit. John Smith purchased this land in 1873, and the first grave was for his 19-year-old daughter buried there in 1887. A 300-year-old tree known as Grand Dad is worth the walk through this hallowed place to see. Thank you Heavy and Christine and to all the volunteers and sponsors, there is more work to do but what a difference already! Be on the lookout for a future poker run to fund some improvements and another clean-up day!

By Lulu

Chris Anderson and the organizers of Thunder Beach in Panama City have taken it back to its roots! The event still has lots of things happening with vendors at several large locations including Frank Brown Park, a 100-acre venue, featuring live music and a huge number of vendors. Hammerhead Fred’s still hosts the bikini contest with great live music by Buck Wild. Full Throttle put on a bike show and there was also a sound contest at Crossroads which also has vendors and a bar onsite. There are so many cool bars to bounce around to from all the way west at Salty Goat, and as far east at Ms. Newby’s, with Sharky’s and Wicked Wheel in between, just to name a few! Also, you need to hit H-D of Panama City Beach and Indian Motorcycles to check out these dealerships while you are in town. What sets this rally apart from others is the beautiful sugar white sand beach and blue green Gulf of America! You must make time to sit by the gulf and enjoy a drink or two!!! There are also great spots to ride out in the country to get away from the beach traffic! We love The Hideout in Red Bay (see the article in this issue). A special thank you to the sponsors that help put this on each year: Twisted Tea, Miller Lite, Camping World, Law Tigers, Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach and Progressive Insurance. Put your bikini on and show up for the spring rally April 29-May 3! More photos of the fall event are available at Thunder Roads Florida.com.