By Lulu [autoviewer id="235" width="600" height="600" ] We are just like the snowbirds that migrate south for the winter. Each January we look forward to leaving our nest and heading down to Dania Beach for their milder temps and one of the best antique bike shows in the state. This is put on in Frost Park by the Sunshine Chapter A. M. C. A. and hundreds of bikes participate. Clare Frost is one of the organizers and her uncle donated the property this event takes place on to the city, hence the name…Frost Park. The event is free to the public while the bike entry fee benefits the Stray Aid & Rescue. Vendors, live music, bike games, an antique bicycle show, roller derby girls and a swap meet complete the event. We met lots of interesting people and even saw Jillian, a pin striper from St. Augustine, doing a bike with the crowd watching. For the second year in a row we had a special treat of Billy Joel sitting in with the band and the crowd loved it. For those who don’t know it, Billy Joel has a motorcycle museum named 20th Century Cycles in Oyster Bay, New York with over 80 bikes! When I first spotted him this year he was doing some serious shopping in the Swap Meet area. If you love nostalgic bikes or are looking for hard to find bike or bike piece ride down to Dania Beach next year for a really enjoyable afternoon. Read the rest of this entry »

By Deborah Speicher

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The unusually warm winter weather this year brought out the crowds for the annual Gibtown Bike Week hosted by The Showmen’s Club of Gibsonton. There was unique entertainment that you would not normally see at other motorcycle events. That is because The Showmen’s Club membership is comprised of people who work in the outdoor amusement industry (carnivals, etc.).

The grounds were packed with vendors, live music, food and a beer garden. Ride in for the day or stay for the night as FREE camping was also available. There was a bike show on Saturday, and hot rod and custom car show on Sunday.

Sunday I got to enjoy the music of Nashville recording artist Randy McNeeley. There was also wrestling – both men’s tag team and girls. I also watched Galaxy Girl perform death defying stunts such as hand stands on her 110’ sway pole; all without a net!

There was nonstop entertainment with several other bands plus Johnny Rockets Cyber Cycle which altogether made this free event a destination for those living in the Tampa Bay area and beyond!

By Lulu In 2013 we have decided to feature two or three bike nights each month of our ad clients that sell Twisted Tea (our Bike Night sponsor)! To make this extra special we are asking everyone to bring in nonperishable food items for the food bank and we give away $50 bucks to the winning raffle ticket. Our first event we ended up giving the Children’s Home Society 93 pounds of food and they were so thankful!!! We had a great time at Beaver Bar’s Thirsty Thursdays with yummy $1 tacos! If you haven’t visited Beaver Bar in Ormond Beach yet you certainly should. They have a wonderful menu, great bartenders, $2 beer and tons of rocking chairs! Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since I heard that Russia has banned Americans from adopting their orphans I've been puzzled. Why do we need to adopt children from other countries? Don't we have enough orphans in this country? I don't have any children of my own, but if I wanted a child I think I would have a large selection in this country to pick from. Whenever this government wants to pass a certain bill it will always say “it's for the children”. Malarkey! “As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily, endure almost any curtailment of liberty in almost any deprivation.”(Adolf Hitler). Another thing that gets my thong in a wad is slogans. Slogans must be working because Congress has less than 10% approval of voters, but voters put 90% back in office. DA! Most of the government slogans are derived to cover the true meaning. “Their fair share” means tax the rich. “Investments” means spending. “Reducing Gun Violence” means gun control. “Undocumented” means illegal, etc. etc. etc... “The receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and we must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan.” (Adolf Hitler). As you see, I've never have been and never will be “Politically Correct”. P.C. means having to say you're sorry, when you know you're not. This Bike Week, even with the bad economy, we should be expecting 500,000 bikers in Daytona. Bikers will stop eating for a month (I said eating not drinking) in order to save enough money to come to Bike Week. There will be a lot of new people that are unfamiliar with our roads and the driving practices of the cages. Here are a couple of hints to help you avoid eating asphalt. #1 Assume drivers can't see you; ride assuming that you and your motorcycle are totally invisible to motorists. #2 Maintain safe spacing; be an island. #3 Anticipate trouble; be ready to avoid a bad traffic situation. #4 Beware of oncoming left turners: motorist turning left in front of you at intersections. This is the leading cause of death to motorcycle riders. #5 Know your own personal limits. #6 Don't give into road rage. #7 Don't allow tailgating. #8 Don't be blinded by sun and glare. You might just find yourself being blinded by the light, and remember if the sun is at your back, oncoming traffic may not be able to see you. #9 You might want to consider wearing protective clothing and a skid lid or a brain bucket. #10 Pay attention to idiots talking on cell phones or texting. I saw a great sign on a church sign “Honk if you love Jesus, text while driving if you want to meet him”. The best way to be safe is to learn the basic ways to control your motorcycle and to learn how to recognize traffic situations that you need to be ready to handle. Pay attention to the alcohol content, not in your gas tank, but in your belly. “Crashing SUCKS”. However, it might be a good idea to have the proper insurance. Allstate is a good pick. God forbid something should happen, it's always good to have a good attorney like Rue, Ziffra & Caldwell. Be safe and enjoy the week, so you can come back for Biketoberfest. My ex-wives always thought I was hard of hearing but actually I was just hard of listening. The other day somebody called my Beagle a mutt. I explained that he was a full-blooded mongrel. See you on the shiny side of tomorrow… Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu The folks at Gator Harley had a rockin’ good time bringing in the Classic Album Band to bring back memories of times gone by with the Back in Black tribute. Food and beverage was provided by Hurricane Dockside Grill and was yummy as always. Attorney Brent C. Miller and Care Plus were sponsors of the event and a portion of the proceeds benefited Wounded Warrior Outdoors. Read the rest of this entry »

By Amy Poole L.A.M.A., Latin American Motorcycle Association, St. Augustine, is partnering up with the VFW Post 2391 to introduce a Bike Day on the 3rd Sunday of every month providing an afternoon of fun for families and friends. Their focus is to have this Bike Day help raise club funds not only to keep their club up and running, but to help support local charities in our community as well…giving back to others. A great way to construct a fundraiser is to include riding and good food, that brings most of us out for a fun filled day!! Bike Day starts around noon with music, activities for the kids, vendors that were set up for some shopping and the huge spread of food for lunch. The food was lip smackin’ good and endless!! Hefty plates were dished out from salad to a burger or hot dog, to a full dinner of pulled pork, chili, rice, etc. All the food is cooked by the members and most of the food is provided by sponsors. Purchasing a few tickets for food, raffles, drinks and 50/50 is a must when you first arrive to have a chance to win some prizes too. If you enjoy biker games, the slow ride was at a crawl, but enjoyed by all and the loud pipe contest was an earful!! This was an enjoyable day for everyone, a nice ride and we will be attending again!! Mark your calendar for the 3rd Sunday of every month…it’s a must!! If you would like more info visit their website: latinriders.com. Thank you Lorenzo, Jimmy and the members for the hospitality you showed us, and to our friends and all who participated. Read the rest of this entry »

By Amy Poole This is the first time I am writing a Bull’s Eye and I was super excited and nervous at the same time, but featuring Jerry Moldrik in this month’s column made it…easy. Jerry invited Shane and me to his home in Ormond Beach where he has been residing for the past 12 years. His home sits on 5 plush woodsy acres and he has the cutest goats!! His hobbies are riding, solo or with his kids, and boating. Jerry has lived and traveled almost everywhere, and I mean ALL over, but right here is where his peace and serenity holds him. Jerry has been a rider for the past 60 years starting out on a Cushman scooter at 12 years old. At 16 he purchased his first Harley an old flathead for $100 bucks. His uncle had a custom motorcycle shop and Jerry’s trade at the time was sewing fringe on the seats and bags of the bikes. Being brought up and around motorcycles Jerry became intrigued and has been riding ever since. His beauty at this present time is his 2009 Deluxe. Most of us have goals and some never get finished, but Jerry had a life time goal that he completed last July…taking a round trip journey. Jerry alone, and on his newly purchased 2001 Harley Dresser motorcycle, rode 34 days and 14,000 miles to the Arctic Circle in Alaska. The harsh roads and weather made it a little bumpy along the way and the scarcity of gas stations was an even greater challenge, but the stunning scenery, beautiful wild life and shiny glaciers made the excursion well worth it. He even almost had a run in with a BIG elk just after seeing another bike collide with a bear. On a previous trip Jerry’s bike got stuck in 3 feet of mud in an isolated area…he said visions of bear attacks still haunt him!! Yikes…Jerry is a brave soul! His next big ride will be taking the auto train to Norton, Virginia and then take a leisurely trip back through the Blue Ridge Mountains and return to Florida. On a sooner note he will be going on a safari in Africa…but by plane! He is a lucky man to be such a world traveler. For many years Jerry and his family used to go to the biggest Catfish Festival held in Crescent City. Each year they would look at this historic 125 year old building during the festival right on beautiful Lake Crescent. Since then they are right smack in the middle of it all…having purchased and renovated this lake side property thirteen years ago. They made it a huge success and a very well known name for themselves...3 Bananas Restaurant and Bar. Jerry’s daughter, Pam, and son, Mike, run the business with their Dad which is how we come to the name of the restaurant. It’s quite simple…they were sitting in the restaurant trying to come up with a name and I’m sure that can be baffling…when Jerry said he was looking around and his eyes came across the bananas hanging…and that was it…the 3 of them became the 3 Bananas. Jerry’s nickname is the “old rotten banana” which if you know him he is far from that!! 3 Bananas sits right on Crescent Lake with an inside dining area and a spacious screened in deck with an awesome view. It’s a scenic ride through the country to cruise on over to on your scoot or you can drift on in with your boat, tie up, hop out and relax at the tiki bar out on the water. With our weather getting warmer…you can’t go wrong…it’s pure paradise! Visit 3 Bananas to have a bite to eat in the backyard, a cold one or a frozen one, and say hi to the 3 Bananas!!! Read the rest of this entry »

By Ron Cox In an effort to increase participation and funds, the local Chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Harley-Davidson of Ft. Myers and Naples combined a Muscle Run with a Muscle Walk on January 19th. The event gave participants the choice of walking or riding a motorcycle. About 65 motorcycles and 100 riders/passengers met at H-D Ft. Myers or H-D Naples to register and draw their first letter. A new and interesting wrinkle to the old poker run concept introduced a Scrabble Run. Instead of drawing a playing card riders drew a tile with a letter and point value on it. At the end of the run riders made up words with the tiles they drew at stops that included Hammond Stadium and The Sandy Parrot. The Boulevard Tavern served as the last stop where an enlarged Scrabble Board was standing waiting for the letters to be attached. SWFL HOG members made up more than half of the total riders and that was evidenced by the major prize winners. Bill Geary won the Scrabble Run and the $100 gift card donated by H-DFM with WOMANIZE as his word equaling 60 points. George Corrado won the $90 50/50 prize but the real winner was the Muscular Dystrophy Association which collected $2,800 for the day from the run. The walk added to the total take for the day. This was the 10th Annual Jim Perno event, named for the late Assistant Sales Manager at H-DFM who was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way home from work in 2003. It was the Perno family's wish to keep his name alive and continue his deep commitment to MDA by teaming up with H-D Ft.Myers in sponsoring this Scrabble Run. Read the rest of this entry »

By Lulu This marks the beginning of seven years of Thunder Roads Florida. For anyone not familiar with us, it is a free monthly publication covering east of Panama City to the Keys. The Florida Panhandle is covered by the Alabama edition. It is a network magazine being published by 20 different editors covering 21 states. In my last Pony Tales I mentioned the crew of folks that help this happen in Florida, but I neglected to mention the person who makes our state’s magazine look so extraordinary. Barbara Garner is my art director in charge of layout and design and has been since the very first issue. I honestly had never owned a computer or camera (other than a point and click) when I first started seven years ago. Barb had to teach me everything without ever meeting face to face. Believe me when I say we have spent all night together even though we are 3 states apart. Barbara has had to put long hours in on our states edition because we have so many more events to cover each month. I get feedback from ad clients and readers in regards to the quality of our magazine and the photos. So thank you Barbara for all the “extras” in talent and in hours…and above all for putting up with me. Please guys and gals take a day this spring to venture out to a new destination, stop in at one of our ad clients businesses and let them know you found them through Thunder Roads Florida. We can’t print these each month without their ads! Take a new highway, buy a stranger a cold one and don’t forget your sunscreen! Read the rest of this entry »

By Ron Cox The Southwest Chapter of ABATE of Florida Inc. hosted its 32nd Annual Christmas Run on Sunday, December 23rd. About 270 riders/passengers assembled at Harley-Davidson of Ft. Myers to take the 38 mile ride to the Douglas T. Jacobson State Veterans Home in Port Charlotte. The Home was named in honor of a Medal of Honor recipient who received the award as a result of action on Iwo Jima in 1945, the citation was signed by President Harry S. Truman. The Home is home to 250 male and 5 female Veterans. Registration was only $5 and the riders were asked to bring things like gift cards, toiletries, snack foods and other sundry items. Kick stands went up at 1pm and the entourage was escorted by Deputies from Lee and Charlotte counties. Funds raised will be shared 50/50 between the Southwest Chapter and the Home. Many of the residents were outside as the entourage arrived and smiles were a mile wide as the riders, many of them Veterans themselves, shook hands and wished them a Merry Christmas. We'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story. Read the rest of this entry »

By Raven Van Pelt Twisted Tea and Bike Nights go hand in hand and our second Bike Night sponsored by Twisted Tea was on January 24th at Reni’s Redneck Yacht Club in Yulee. Big Engine played from 7-11, and the Twisted Tea ladies passed out plenty of giveaways. People were asked to bring a can of food, to be donated to the local food bank, which entered them into a drawing for a raffle to win $50.00, many didn’t know about the food drive so we let them donate $1 for a chance and we collected $120 which will go to the food pantry at the Baptist Church in Nassau County. If you live in the Jacksonville area our next Twisted Bike Night will be held at Smitty’s Internet Bar, March 21st, on Kori Rd. The Twisted Tea girls will be there with door prizes, games, music and plenty of fun. And don’t forget…bring a can of food to be entered into the drawing for $50 bucks and help the local food banks, one raffle ticket for each food item. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »