By Lulu

Each spring in Ferran Park they throw a free music festival with kid’s activities, vendors, and lots of bands. This is a beautiful park with lots of big trees for shade on Lake Eustis. This year they featured bull riding and had a cops v/s firemen competition. The cutest thing there was a little motorcycle track made of bales of pine straw. The kids LOVED it, and it definitely was breeding a younger generation of bikers. The music included Subliminal Doubt, Greye, Paradigm, and Hardwired. Food trucks for empty bellies were available and craft vendors lined the park. While there a couple asked me to snap a shot of him proposing. I took the photo without telling her to run! Good spot to ride during Leesburg Festival if the dates coincide next year which it has in the past.

By Lulu

For those of you who love old bikes in mint condition you simply must check out Riding Into History 2024!! This is an event each spring with a beautiful lakefront setting at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine. Not only is it a place to view beautiful bikes and check out vendors, but it also benefits K9 for Warriors!! This was the 23rd Riding Into History. The Grand Marshalls were Brian Stark AMA Hall of Famer and Vicki Smith Motogiro Hall of Farmer. The Honorary Grand Marshal was Mary McGee. We got caught in terrible 195 traffic, so we arrived in time for trophy presentations and all photos are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook page. Rid

By Lulu

Bill Grotto gave me a heads up that Hurricane Dockside was kicking off Leesburg Bike Fest with Twisted Tea girls, including my good friend Amanda so we came over to Leesburg a day earlier than normal. Lots of Tea was flowing and met some really great people some of which were “Villagers.” Bill was shooting a new commercial up north, so he missed out on Leesburg this year. Everyone was asking about him!!! Tank and Bill are superstars! And super hardworking!! If you haven’t tried Twisted Tea you really should the caffeine from the tea makes it a bit of an energy drink for me, and not being carbonated you don’t get that bloated feeling of some drinks! Party on and see you next rally!

By Lulu

Anyone who knows Sherry Fletcher knows three things about her, she is good hearted, determined, and hard working. So, when she took on a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, I had no doubt it would raise thousands of dollars. This time Scott DeMonico and Sherry’s team of volunteers surprised even me! Raising over $40,000!! Starting during Bike Week Sherry, with the assistance of Gator Ken and Jeani auctioned off guitars signed by Sawyer Brown, Eddie Montgomery, Joe Nichols and even a miniature guitar signed by them all. Eddie even signed a cowboy hat. The first auction brought Sherry to tears as the Eddie Montgomery guitar went straight to over $3000, and so did the other two guitars. Sherry had hoped for $500 for each. The Sawyer Brown auction got rained out, but Gator Ken was up under the eaves during a heavy rain and a doctor who came just to bid, bought it outright for over three grand. Amazing!

Then the sponsors: Twisted Tea, United Rentals, Sam’s Pizza, Custom Lighting EFX, Southern Country Customs (Rusty Wallace who even auctioned off a day on the golf course with him and TJ), Barton & Barton Landscaping, Pump House BBQ, Realty Pros, Gorilla Pro, Rue & Ziffra, OB’s, Renegade’s on the River, Boot Hill Saloon, A-OK Guns, Jeep Beach, Custom Dynamics, Hot Action Sportswear, John Walker Taxidermy, and Saints & Sinners, all gave generously and made this an amazing event. Lots of baskets donated by individuals and businesses also helped raise funds for the kiddies. The over five hundred riders and passengers who took their day and bucks to saddle up, made this one big ride for 2023! A special thank you to Jeff & Nina from Dirty Bingo for their help and Jeff for running the mic! But I must mention the crew of volunteers who registered everyone, got auction items, sold T-shirts, helped with the raffles, and the Iron Horse staff for a job well done.

There was also a happy story that occurred. The man who won the auction of the Eddie Montgomery cowboy hat and guitar, stole it compared to the price of just the guitars during Bike Week, but when I told him what a deal he got, he told me his son had been a St. Jude patient and had recently passed away. I was thrilled that he came to give back to St. Jude Hospital. He also bought a Lego set from the silent auction table and said he bought it for his son’s child. Have to admit I walked away crying…

If you have been to a major motorcycle rally in America, you have seen SANITY. You have watched them grow from a 10X20′ tent in 2015 to a 20X100′ tent in 2023, how is that possible and why did it happen?

The answer is simple, Mark & Kerilyn. You see them all over the country as Mr. & Mrs. Sanity, but most of you know them as friends and the faces of SANITY.

SANITY started in 2015 as a small store in Grant, Florida with an idea, don’t be like “all the rest”. Mark & Kerilyn had been going to rallies for years previous to 2015 as visitors and riders, not as vendors. And as they walked around, they would say to themselves, it all looks the same, obviously some better than others, but the product was the same. They would say “What if someone decided to be unique, create their own designs and make jewelry American Bikers would want?” WOW, could you imagine how successful that would be? Well, that’s what happened.

Their first rally was across the street from the Iron Horse in Ormond Beach in a 10×20’ tent. Today, 8 years later, they have the largest biker jewelry tent set up at Destination Daytona, a 20×80’ tent with the largest selection of biker jewelry ever assembled under one tent. That’s not just a sales pitch they use, that’s a fact!! NO ONE has ever set up a jewelry tent like that before and may never again.

Today they have a huge online business, they still have that shop open after 8 years, and now set up at Sturgis, Laconia, Galveston, Ocean City, Leesburg, Panama City, Daytona Beach and so many other rallies a year.

How did that all happen, how did they last 8 years and grow so much??

People! They hired great people! They treat all their customers like family and simply put “SANITY IS GREAT PEOPLE.” America loves these guys and gals, and they deserve it!

Courtney, Chops, Kim, and Sherry handle business in Grant at the warehouse and store, shipping as many as 150 orders a day…open 360 days a year.

Shannon, Travis, Stephanie, Darrell, Rachel, Cornell, Amanda, Cowboy, and Brenda have done over 200 rallies combined as SANITY’S ROAD CREW!!! They are simply the best of the best.

So, what’s next…Mark says “By the time the other guys start to copy something we do, we have moved onto 20 new items. There is always something new in development, hell there is always 30 or 40 things new in development!”

It’s cool to talk to Mark & Kerilyn, they are super complimentary of all vendors, they talk about smaller jewelry vendors with respect, “We know how hard they work, we watch them do it every day. They have our Respect! Not everyone wants to or is crazy enough to try and pull off a 20×100’ tent in Sturgis this year, but we are…” he says with a cool smile on his face like he has a secret up his sleeve! If you haven’t been to their tent, get off the couch and get to a rally, it’s a sight to see.

SANITY JEWELRY is now a Registered US Trademark and are very, very proud of that. Kerilyn says, “It’s one of the things I am most proud of in my life, a US Trademark is a huge deal and a sign of handwork and recognition.”

Kerilyn goes on to say, “The life we live is what is on most people’s bucket list. We ride in 20 states a year, meet 1000’s of the best bikers in the country, eat the best and worst food in America…but we work our ass off, no one should ever mistake what the answer to success is, work your ass off, and when you can’t work anymore, work harder.”

That’s the story on how SANITY became the largest biker jewelry company in America…8 years later and going strong.

By Lulu

A highlight at any bike event is always a good bikini contest and the folks at Fastlane Campground, home of The Burning Bike, put on a good one. The place was packed. Add to that the igniting of the monstrous wooden bike…quite a spectacle. This year City Limits in Deland was the host of the after party and the property was filled to capacity. We barely found parking in the huge lot. It was a great night all around with Gun Shy rocking the stage. If you haven’t been to City Limits, the food is really tasty. Ride out any time for ice cold beer, a cocktail and great food specials.

By Lulu

Rhonda and the crew at The Dog House were rockin’ the libations while Big Engine rocked the crowd! Twisted Tea sponsors the kickoff party each Bike Week and it is ALWAYS packed. Bill Grotto was on hand with the Twisted Tea girls to throw out giveaways and let those living under a rock taste Twisted Tea. If you haven’t given it a try, you should. The sweet uncarbonated drink has the caffeine of tea, so it doesn’t make you sleepy like beer and doesn’t make you feel bloated! We played the strongest biker game and only men competed against men and only women against women. I guess I am not WOKE yet! As always it was a great time, and we are happy to be a part of it!

By Lulu

A first visit to Daytona Bike Week can make it difficult to know where to go to get the most bang for your buck if you are trying to get noticed! But the folks at Gorilla Pro did just that in a BIG way. First off their gorilla sized truck created by Richard Rawlings was impossible to miss. They also did two meet & greets with Richard. Their impressive set up was at the entrance to Iron Horse Saloon, right in the thick of things at Broken Spoke, and even set up for Chopper Time at Tropical Tattoo. This year they sponsored a burn out contest at Iron Horse giving a tire and $250 cash! They also brought something new to Bike Week!! The Strongest Biker contest with $500 cash for the strongest man and strongest woman!!! It was an epic show. The women and men had to lift and carry four different motorcycle motors from one side of a field to the other as fast as they could. Amazingly everyone was able to do just that, but the fastest time was how the winner was chosen. Next, they had to toss 2 motorcycle tires, bound by Gorilla Tape, as far as they could. And finally deadlift as much weight as possible. The guy that won was a local and is presently the “strongest man” in the U.S.A. If we are lucky enough to have the fun and adventurous team from Gorilla Pro come down for Biketoberfest…CHECK out their booth and products. The products are packaged to fit perfectly in your toolbox and color coded for easy identification. Start working on those biceps just in case they put on the Strongest Biker contest again!

By Lulu

I have never seen such crowds every single day at any bar anywhere! Broken Spoke has become one of the most visited bars for Bike Week! Whether it is the huge oaks, the sparkly Disney like lights at night, the pretty bartenders and buff Sloan slinging drinks, Rusty Wallace and Southern Country Custom with their bikes that look like pieces of art, the amazing week of bike shows which includes the Bad Apple Bash, Warren Lane’s True Grit Show, Cycle Source’s Custom Bike Show, Perewitz Paint Show and Dennis Kirk’s Garage Build or HAIRBALL, something is making this a mecca for bikers.

By Lulu

I love the Irish, Firefighters, Food and Music. All of which was jammed into a 2-day festival in Leesburg at Gator H-D. The Lake County firefighters are VERY involved in charity and work tirelessly at Gator H-D manning the bars. Their fundraising efforts help local firefighters with PTSD and cancer. This event included a craft beer tasting, cornhole competition, Irish food, and vendors, with live music by Hypersona on Friday. Saturday was complete with live music and a chili and BBQ competition. Sponsors included Fran Haasch, Mammoth Oak Brewing Co., Bully Brewing, Great Chicago Fire Brewery & Tap Room, Love Power Equipment, Cecil Clark Chevrolet, Gator H-D, Firefighter Charity of Central Florida, and Florida BBQ Association. Earlier I mentioned I love Firefighters. Well, my nephew is one in Louisville, Kentucky and he has 2 young daughters who love to visit the firehouse, so when I saw the lady firefighters selling firefighter dolls, I had to have one. She donates some of the sale to firefighter causes. Job well done Firefighters! Not that your career choice isn’t heroic enough, you spend your off time helping those who are in need.

By Lulu

Jeff and Nina Hayes that host Dirty Bingo all over Volusia and Flagler County use their notoriety for grand things. Not only do they give huge sums to charities that arise, they also took it upon themselves to organize a ride to honor “the best the US had”, Vietnam Vets. The ride began at the Iron Horse Saloon, with stops at Hideout Lounge, Emory L. Bennet Veteran’s Home (where some of the vets came out to inspect the bikes), next stop was Hard Deck at Volusia Top Gun, then Cabbage Patch. The final stop and party with raffle baskets was The Dog House in Port Orange. The event raised $6500 for the veterans’ needs. Instead of a sign-up fee the entry fee was postage stamps and envelopes for the residents at Emory L. Bennet. Thanks, Jeff, Nina and Dick for your efforts!!!

By Lulu

Out in Melrose at the Howlin Wolf on State Road 100 is a great biker bar that puts on some old school events. This year they added biker games which included slow ride, keg roll, ride the plank and wiener bite all of which they had lots of participants for. Add that to the great day of music by Branford Hwy, the bike show, and burnout contest you couldn’t make it any more old school than that…oh add in scantily dressed dancers and sexy biker girls working out the pole! Gainesville H-D is a sponsor for this and the trophies and awards all went home with happy winners. Funny though as old school as this was a dude won the wienie bite and a chick won the burnout. LOL you just never know what you will find at Howlin Wolf. The owners of this bar, Mark & Jamie, are vets so make sure you stop in and have a cold or stiff one while exploring Florida.

By Lulu

Officially the first Bike Week for the new owner of Daytona Harley-Davidson was an enormous success. Vendors had huge crowds shopping every day. Two of our ad clients were set up at Teddy Morse’s H-D, Suspension Technologies and Sanity Jewelry and they both were hopping! Bands at Saints & Sinners entertained the masses, and even War Hippies and Jackyl had free concerts on the main stage. Bike shows under the pavilion gave browsers plenty to look at. Full Throttle kicked the week off, Hardcore Cycles and Bike Show Mafia all put on great events. The Flying Piston Builders Breakfast is a benefit each year. We spent time visiting our friend Jim Lynch of Bike Show Mafia and Revelation 1 Concepts who put on a big show with featured guest Dave Perewitz. Our Texas friends from Ladies in Leather who put on the largest ladies parade each fall were set up at his event to promote the parade and rally for women. Their event will be September 7-9 in Beaumont, Texas. If all that wasn’t enough for the motorcycle enthusiasts, they completed the week with a bikini contest put on by Bikini Coast International. A stage full of beautiful girls. Thanks to Lawrence Klein for providing the shot of our friend Sandi Pastor. Patti Miracle is doing one heck of a job running Saints & Sinners so check out their Facebook to see what she has happening each day!