By Lulu

Janice, owner of Crossroads Tavern in Bunnell has set lofty goals for herself. Opening a bar at the crossroads of Bunnell with a full liquor license was the first. After years of running Smiles Nightclub and the Dog Pound she finally decided to bite the bullet and open her own. Her next goal was to use her business to be involved in community needs of all nature. She works tirelessly to help people within the community. Personal struggles with the illness of a grandchild fostered this desire to help others in need…along with a great big heart and high energy! Stop by and have a drink or two to ensure this young woman is successful in her endeavors. It is definitely a biker friendly establishment as she is often on rides too, when she can step away from Crossroads for a day of riding.

By Lulu

If we are blessed, we have happy healthy childhoods and children! Maybe the worst illness in a healthy kid’s life was a bad case of chicken pox when I was young, nowadays it might be strep throat in this generation. But for some families a doctor comes in the exam room and speaks a devasting sentence, “Your child has cancer.” The entire family’s life changes in an instant! Financially, emotionally, everything completely changes. Fear, exhaustion, anger, sadness…fear! That isn’t part of a normal healthy child’s day to day existence. But angels walking on Earth, headed by the late Danny Thomas and his family, formed St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Their efforts in children’s cancer research have increased the survival rate from 20% in 1962 to 80% today, an amazing feat in 50 years! The hospital is in Memphis, Tennessee with 8 clinics in Baton Rouge, Charlotte, Huntsville, Johnson City, Peoria, Shreveport, Springfield and Tulsa. Children from all 50 states and countries around the world have been treated by St. Jude. No family ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food. How is that possible? People like TEAM CONE!

Cone Distributing Inc., based out of Ocala with a satellite office in Tallahassee, works hard bringing libations to a huge part of Florida from Tallahassee to Ocala. They service 22 counties with beer, wine, spirits, energy drinks, water and soda. Douglas P. Cone Jr. began the company in 1985. Along with growing a healthy profitable business, Mr. Cone became involved in charitable community events. One of the largest endeavors in their charitable works is eleven years of giving to St. Jude! Charlie Ingrilli, Vice President of Sales, spearheaded the company’s involvement with St. Jude by using fun events to bring the community together to raise funds for the “kitty”. Cornhole, basketball, bingo, bowling, poker, golfing and celebrity bartending have made all the “players” reach into their wallets and purses for a great cause! In ten years of donating to St. Jude, Team Cone has donated over $260,000. With the help and generosity of Team Cone’s teammates, retail customers and others, Cone has already raised $32,368 of their 2019 goal of $75,000. Their ingenuity and energy in their goal for St. Jude gives all a chance to be part of the team of angels walking on Earth. So, get out your wallet and contribute, be part of the TEAM and get a feather or two for your wings!!

If you have participated with Team Cone in any of the fundraising over the past 11 years, I know Mr. Cone and St. Jude thank you, as do any of the families whose children no longer face a death sentence when that doctor walks in the room. So, suit up and play when the opportunity arises at any of the events Team Cone puts on each year…we can all use a few more feathers in our wings!

By Mike Gasper

This article was written by Mike Gasper one of the organizers of the ride to remember the five Marines and two civilians who were killed returning from Laconia 2019 in a tragic motorcycle accident. The ride began at Broken Spoke in Laconia and ended at the crash site. A thank you to the Broken Spoke and to Boot Hill Saloon for the use of their properties. I was told that the rains came down hard and heavy and people opened their homes and provided towels to dry the riders and passengers. Americans can be good to heal our souls in times of grief. We don’t hear that enough. The following is Mike’s thoughts on that day. In honored memory of Michael Ferrazi, Albert Mazza, Jr., Desma Oakes, Aaron Perry, Daniel Pereira, Jo-Ann Corr and Edward Corr

The moment I realized the intensity of this event was when I was on a very long straight away and as I looked in my mirror there was no end to the line of bikes. Five thousand or so people all with the same purpose to honor and remember these 7 souls whose final ride ended so tragically.

The world came together that day. It was a reminder of times past when patriotism ran thick in our country. From the riders and their passengers, to the folks that lined the roads and waved their flags, to the families coming together to hand out water and feed the hungry, and to the children that sold lemonade to donate money to the families of the fallen. It was a great day to be an American.

The ride ended in a field next to the crash site where people gathered in the deepening mud to pay their respects. The greatest memory I have is the bugler in full uniform playing taps in the background as the sky cried down on us.

By Lulu

As most of us who live in Daytona Beach know, Main Street Station, under the unending energy of Phaedra Lee, is very involved in the community. Whether Phaedra Lee is speaking out on the needs of Main Street and Daytona in general, putting on one of the best bike nights with $1 domestic longnecks on Wednesday evenings or being involved in charity events of all nature, Main Street Station is involved! Three of Main Street Station’s favorite things to be involved in is Veteran’s, her bicycle drive at Christmas and feeding the hungry. The 5th Rock for Food was held this July to benefit Halifax Urban Ministries. A free concert by Sound Theory and The Society kept us all entertained. Bags of non-perishable food was collected. Keep abreast of the happenings at MainStreetLive.com. I know Phaedra Lee is hoping to really add to the number of bikes they collect for Christmas gifts for the needy kids around town so don’t forget to get on your big bikes with motors and bring in a bicycle for the little ones closer to Christmas!

By Kirk

We have had the pleasure of knowing Kirk Higgins from Moto-Tow, Inc. for the past few years. He is a hardworking entrepreneur, that saw a need in Florida for a motorcycle towing company and over ten years has added trucks to cover Daytona, the I4 corridor and the West Coast of Florida. We have seen his crews at many motorcycle events participating as backup and on the road towing trucks all over the state!!! Hard work, long hours and being honest have contributed to his success!!! We let Kirk write his story…hope you don’t need a tow but if you do call 800-TOW-A-BIKE!!

I lived in the suburbs of Chicago my whole life. I worked for a printing company and just didn’t want to work so hard for someone else. I’d go so far as to say I was a “clock watcher” and couldn’t wait to clock out. I used to own rental houses back in the 70’s and 80’s until interest rates got so high the market died. At 29, I decided to try something different and bought a laundromat. Now I ran the store in my spare time and worked a fulltime job. It kind of worked out so I turned around and bought a second one. Soon after buying the second one I got into vending machines for soda and candy, etc. Eventually I quit the day job. I also bought a snowplow and started plowing snow for some of my vending customers. Year after year I kept adding more trucks and more vending accounts. When I sold the laundromats, I bought out a small vending company. Now I was busy a lot. I lost my dad and a few years later my mom. In 1998 I had over 300 machines out on the street and 9 plow trucks then I decided to move to Florida.

I settled in Ft. Myers area and thought about retiring, but I was too restless. I bought a business that was going downhill and I breathed some light into it only to have it all slip away after 9/11. Lost everything. Started over and I’m now 50 years old. I moved to St. Petersburg while I was dating my current wife. She was my boss. I hadn’t worked for anyone since I was 30. I liked what I did but I needed something of my own. I had a 2001 Ultra Classic I rode to work and one day I needed a tow. The truck came out and it was a motorcycle emergency truck. I called my wife and told her I wanted to get into this, and the idea was born. In 2010 I bought a new truck and a new deck that goes into the truck and off I went. My job allowed me to break from it to get a stranded bike from time to time, so the 2 things worked well. Nobody was there to help me. Nobody was there to offer suggestions…I just worked it until I had a system.

In 2014 a friend of mine worked for a motorcycle towing company in Daytona. I found out they were closing the doors on that company. I reached out to the owner and bought him out just a few weeks before Biketoberfest. So now we were running bike calls in two parts of the state. I kept adding trucks here in St. Pete as we grew. I started knowing other motorcycle towing owners and one of them was in Orlando. I reached out to him in late 2016 and bought him out in January of 2017. Now we can cover bikes all across the I-4 corridor. Orlando has grown and an additional truck was needed over there too. We now have 7 motorcycle rescue trucks serving the motorcycle population from St Pete/Tampa, Orlando and Daytona.

Writing this sound like it was so easy, but it is a lot of work. A lot of sleepless night and headaches, but we never give up. We never leave anyone on the side of the road. We are going to be starting our tenth year soon and it is still exciting every day.

By Lulu

Due to a couple last minute ads I only have a quarter page to fill with my thoughts. I want to focus on two things that are important happening due to the Rossmeyer family coming up soon. First the 2nd Annual Trike Fest September 20-22. This is an event that I would really like to see grow. The ability to continue to ride with the wind in your face is a decision many older or injured bikers must make, and they buy a trike. It is in fact a rapidly growing segment of motorcycle sales. The other demographics sinking money into the purchase of a bike is women who feel more comfortable on a three-wheel machine…and the bonus of being able to carry more stuff! So, whether you ride a trike, thinking of buying one or just want to come and hang out with friends and support their event at Destination Daytona…join us we will be there!

Second major happening will be the 5th and 6th of October and it is the 25th Bruce Rossmeyer Ride for Children!!! Please support this awesome event. The event helps fund Camp Boggy Creek and it is really the most amazing place that allows kids to go to camp with children with similar health problems. They have a chance to experience something healthy kids take for granted all under the medical supervision of experts in their field.

Put these events in your day planner, say a prayer of thanks if you have good health and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

During Bike Week 2019 Ricky Bongo hosted a Sportster Bike Show at First Turn Steakhouse and Lounge in Port Orange. Bobby Alexander took Best of Show with his 1996 Sportster “Lane Splitter”. Bobby and his wife Jacquelyn ae motorcycle enthusiasts of the old school style. I often saw them at Willie’s during Bike Week or Biketoberfest. Bobby is originally from Greeneville, Tennessee and resides in Ormond by the Sea now. He is a conductor with CSX Railroad. Jacquelyn is a stylist at The Veranda on Beach Street. The Alexanders have four bikes in their stable and Jacquelyn rode in on a “Johnny Cash Special” big Twin chopper. The builder of Bobby’s bike was Colin Klaybor from Jacksonville. Bobby bought the bike in 2017 from Chris McCallister who lives in Melbourne. The paint is 1967 Vespa seafoam green which I must say I haven’t seen on a bike before.

Other than collecting bikes, riding and tattoos the couple enjoys the beach, bands and their pets a 21-year-old poodle and a rescued cat. The charity they enjoy being part of is the Halifax Humane Society.

A special thank you to Staveley Coastal Customs on A1A for the use of their shop for the backdrop for the photo shoot. Taffy and Owen are great people and the shop specializes in British bikes, but they work on anything with two wheels.

By Tony & Trex

It’s Sunday and a great day for a ride, lunch a drink and some music. Twisted Minds Inc. is playing on the big stage, head chef Dan is preparing great food and you can hear the bikes come rumbling in. No, it’s not Key West, but the second-best thing. It is Jenna’s Breezeway. Jenna was born in Canton, Illinois and after high school she moved to Orlando where she got work at Church Street Station. Back in the day it was a hot spot and where she honed her skills for 14 years as a bartender and in the restaurant industry. From there off to the Keys for about 16 years as the owner of a commercial fishing boat. From there back to Cocoa Beach where she met Brian Shank in 2009. Brian is the owner of Greenleaf Landscape in Orlando and by 2015 they married, and Jenna decided it was time for a new bar.

It started out small in 2015 at 20 Brevard Avenue North in Cocoa Beach, two storefront units with a kitchen and a backyard. By 2016 it went from a beer and wine bar to full liquor and four more units. The backyard has turned into a beach with a stage for live bands on the weekends, picnic tables and umbrellas. It looks like the Keys came to Cocoa Beach. When Brian gutted the inside and built a beautiful new bar with a section for pool tables, shuffleboard and darts the place took on a whole new look. On Saturday afternoons they have blind draw horseshoes, and don’t forget the Sunday NFL football package. When Jenna and Brian aren’t at work they enjoy getting out on their bike. This place is also kid and pet friendly. Great food, a great staff, a relaxing place any day of the week…and that makes it a Thunder Roads Florida Cool Joint!

By Lulu

First responders choose to dedicate their lives to us! We can hope and pray every day that we won’t need them, but any moment of the day we might. They train to do things that most of us would flee from. Whether it is a police officer answering a domestic violence call, a fireman running into a burning building, a paramedic using jaws of life to extract a victim from an accident, these heroes see and do things the rest of don’t in the daily course of our lives. They wake up knowing their endorphins will be tested each day. Most will claim they aren’t heroes even after they carry out someone who was trapped in a house on fire. “It’s just my job” I have heard my nephew say who is a fireman in Louisville. “I am safer on the SWAT team than a beat cop” another nephew claims. NOPE they are heroes waking up each morning and tackling another day of whatever the news of the day brings them.

Rue & Ziffra, PA have started a movement to honor these men and women that put their lives on the line for us. With so much disrespect shown on TV to officers and all first responders I am very proud of this bike run they initiated. This year it started at the Flagler County Government Building in Bunnell and was a 31-mile police escorted ride to OB’s in Deland where lunch was served. A special thank you to Moto-Tow, Inc for being there in case someone ran into a bike problem. HOG Radio was on site promoting the event and I believe the two-county ride is planned for next May.

I hope our readers won’t need a HERO or a lawyer, but we are lucky there are people in the world who care more about helping others than their own personal safety. I also love that Rue & Ziffra, PA have long been supporters of Thunder Roads Florida Magazine and the biking community. As their tag line professes: “In Your Community On Your Side”, they are involved in all types of community charities and events in the Volusia and Flagler county area and this one should be one we ALL support in the future!

A thank you to the sponsors, OB’s, Tropical Tattoo, JP Cycles, Paws of War, Tijuana Flats, Flagler County, and the Blue Knights.

By Lulu

In the era of hate that we live in today it is really refreshing to see tears of happiness. So it was when we dropped into the poker run for Leighanna hosted by Rhonda and Boot Hill Saloon. Leighanna is a beautiful young girl and she was at the Boot Hill for the fundraiser. She has suffered with epilepsy and has as many as fifty seizures a day, but you would never know it by the wide smile on her face as she took the mic to thank everyone. Her medical bills have been difficult for the family as we can all imagine, so Rhonda took the time to call attention to the need to help. With the help of the Mischief Makers and all who rode, the event not only helped with some much-needed cash it also helped by letting the family know that people care!!! Liz Cunningham presented the family with a beautiful framed family photo she shot under the bridge at one of the stops Hidden Treasure in Flagler Beach.

A bonus for me was I got to finally see a great band, McFarland, that rocked the place all afternoon. This band has a chick on the drums beating the skins while wearing spike heels. Sexy beast on the drums had to make the biker boys happy!
So, to Boot Hill, Rhonda and to each who reached into their pocket for Leighanna…thank you for putting a smile on Leighanna’s face and tears in Rhonda’s eyes!

By Lulu

The first Americana Bike Show which required some customization to enter was a huge success with over 70 bikes entered from all parts of Florida. The winner rode away with $1,000 in cold hard cash and I think it would have been quite difficult to judge. But the judges picked a sharp looking black 2015 Road Glide bagger with some of the most beautiful etched chrome I have ever seen. The bike was put together by the owner, Eddie Cardenas from Deltona and J. T. from Defiant Motorsports in Deland with aftermarket parts. The tires were from Dirtbaggers in Long Beach, California, but the main ingredient that set this bike apart from the rest of the pack was the chrome engraving done by his friend Miguel Chavez in Downey, California. The handlebars and crash bars were custom made by Factory 47 at 1 ½ in. diameter instead of the normal 1 ¼ in, to allow for extra space for the etching. I am sure Eddie went home one happy camper and some went home a bit disappointed. Eddie started a car and motorcycle club in 2014 Traditions based in Deltona. It is always tough when there is only one big winner, but 2020 will be another year and we hope everyone will get their bikes ready for next year’s show!

By Lulu

Early June at OB’s in Deland the first Americana Bike Show brought in over a thousand people to their huge venue. Well over 70 bikes entered to win the coveted Best in Show prize of $1000 cash and full-page feature in our magazine. I wouldn’t have wanted to be a judge with so many types of bikes, all of which were potential winners in their categories, it was nearly impossible to narrow it down. There were incredible paint jobs and customization with bikes coming from as far as Ft. Myers. Derek Ames had a beautifully painted Eddie Trotta bike I thought could have easily walked away with first place. But in the end, the Best of Show went to a 2015 Road Glide with an incredible amount of etching on every piece of chrome out of Deltona owned by Eddie Cardenas who also took Best Chrome…it was beautiful. The People’s Choice award presented by Thunder Roads Florida went to a trike fashioned to be a fire breathing dragon owned by Jerry Moskowiz.

Along with great music all day and the bike show, OB’s also put on a bikini contest which gave all plenty of photo ops for the day! Allison Richmond of Deland walked away with first prize winnings! Hot day in June, hot bikes, hot chics and did I mention one hot cock? They had chicken shit bingo which is a rooster in a cage with people rooting on their numbered square hoping the cock would do #2 on their square to be a big winner!!! I guess that is as rural American as you can get…although I did hear, in some communities, they do it with cows on a shuffleboard. The rest of the winners are listed below. Hopefully the spelling is accurate as it was hard to make out some of the handwriting on the entry forms.

Lighting: Michael Wyatt Harley Road Glide Special 2017
Chrome: Eddie Cardenas Road Glide 2015
Bagger/Dresser: Richard Cockabur Indian Chief Bagger 2018
Paint: Richard Cockabur Indian Chief Bagger 2018
Rat Bike: Dante Hailing Diesel bike 2015
Sport/Street: David McCreight Victory Vegas 2008
Chopper: Stig Nyrud Kotic Kustom 2006
Japanese: Roger Ryle Yamaha VMax 1990
Evolution: Hiram McCarty Mid 80’s Twin Evo
3-Wheel Trike: William Schippers Indian Trike Custom 2016
Pan/Shovel/Knucklehead: Frank Girod Fl Panhead 1960
People’s Choice: Jerry Moskowitz Dragon Trikes Bond 2018
Best in Show: Eddie Cardenas Road Glide 2015

A special thanks to Rue & Ziffra, P. A. for their continued support of motorcycling, Bill Grotto and Twisted Tea for being so involved in the biking world, SR Perrott for sending out the giveaways and the Miller Lite girls, WHOG Radio for filling this place up and Deland Motorsports. A special thank you also to One Sexy Biker Chick for sponsoring the bikini contest! Radio ads work!! Get your bikes ready for next year’s event and let’s make this party the place to be in late spring every year!

By Lulu

This wasn’t my first ride from Daytona to D.C. for the Ride for Freedom and I hope to God it won’t be my last. I have been lucky enough to visit with the Vet’s three times and of all the motorcycle events across the U.S. that I have experienced, I tell anyone who will listen…it is the best! I had heard that this was to be the last due to the increased financial burden of the event, so I wanted to make sure T. J. had a chance to experience it. We rode with Reggie Lord who took me on my first ride up with Rolling Thunder Chapter 8 from Port Orange and his friend Gary Dellaneve. The trip up was uneventful although quite hot. The event itself was worth every sweltering mile spent on the highway. We attended the Gold Star Mother’s Walk of the Wall the first night. As the mothers who have lost a child walk the wall dressed in white, a torch they carry illuminates the names chiseled into the granite. A very touching and inspirational way to sear into our memory that each name is someone’s child.

I was worried this event may not have the interest after so many years, that the Vietnam Vet’s were getting too old to make the trip and maybe that was why it no longer was a necessity to have the ride anymore. My voice may not matter to those making the call to end this event, but I will tell you what I witnessed. Parents with their children on the ride. Vietnam Vets on the sidewalks in wheelchairs still attending although not on motorcycles. I saw young twenty and thirty-year-old men and women proudly wearing Rolling Thunder vests. The Run is led by Rolling Thunder Inc. National, NJ, followed by the Gold Star Mothers either on their own bikes or riding with Chapter members. What moved me the most was a seventy-year-old mother dressed in white who after leading the hundreds of thousands of bikes rushed to the sidewalk to watch the bikers who rode to honor those lost and still missing. It was 100 degrees hot! She was not young. I tried to tell her there was a tent with refreshments for her, but she said “No, I must watch this. My husband and I lost our son last year in the current conflict. My 70-year old husband, took a motorcycle class and bought a bike to be here in memory of our son.” And she stood there taking a video until she couldn’t stand any longer, then she sat on the curb and watched each bike…hours of bikes ride in 3 and 4 abreast. No one can tell me this isn’t important! No one can tell me the cost is too high.

They have never charged a dime to run on this ride as it is a Memorial Ride. I have heard rumors that Trump has offered to help keep this event alive. God bless him. Walt Sides 1st Sgt retired and founder of Rolling Thunder Washington, DC Inc. is also one of the original four that started the Run in 1988. Sides who also hosts Thunder Alley, the official vendor site for the event hinted that this may not be the last Run. The first Run was the idea of Ran Manzo a Corporal in the Marines, and brought together with the help of Sides, John Holland an Army Sergeant Major, and Ted Sempley Sergeant. They wanted to call attention to the POW/MIAs and started this event with that purpose. The first run in 1988 had 2500 riders. Over the years the event had grown to over 900,000 riders and spectators. The ride from the Pentagon to the Vietnam Wall is only six miles and with as many as four bikes riding abreast it takes about four and a half hours to complete. Bob Schmitt, one of the early organizers predicted “it will sound like Rolling Thunder coming across that bridge” little did he know the sound of the storm would be more than four hours long! Rolling Thunder was also the name of an intense American bombing campaign in 1965 in North Vietnam that resulted in many American pilots being taken as POWs. So, the history of this event…the healing this parade creates, the honor given to those who have served has been a huge gift that the original organizers, the volunteers and the people who have ridden or witnessed on the sidelines know well. I asked one of the Gold Star moms, “Isn’t it painful to be here”? Her answer was quick and crisp. “No, it helps with my pain I have felt since I answered that door and heard the news of my son’s death.”

So, may I say thank you to the sponsors, particularly Humana for sponsoring Thunder Alley, Bayer, GUM and Dr. Scholl for being there to give samples for the riders, to Walt, Ray, Ted and John and all who have helped them with their dream, and to each motorcycle that participated over the years to make that Thunder roll through the streets of D. C. to remind us of the great cost of freedom. And may the Thunder continue so that those who have not had the chance to witness this great tribute have a chance to make the ride.

By Lulu

Wow time flies! Four years ago, Joe, Jimbo and Bob opened the doors to the hottest gentleman’s club anywhere. Grandview Live is located just behind Razzles. I tell my friends who say, “I don’t go to strip clubs”, this isn’t your father’s strip club. It is one of the most sophisticated nightclubs in our three-county area. The lighting, bars, furniture and talent of the girls makes your evening special and entertaining. There are as many women as men having cocktails and enjoying the show. No nudity on stage is permitted. They are athletes doing things that professional gymnasts would find challenging. If you haven’t been to Grandview Live, check out their 3rd Annual Pole Dancing Competition which is every Wednesday around 9pm through October 16th. If have been taking classes for fitness or fun…be brave come enter, each week is a new chance to qualify for the finals.