By Lulu

Cap invited me to a church in Holly Hill hosting a pancake breakfast for Willie after his accident. Cap was bragging about this church and was excited to have me attend. As a Catholic I am used to a bit more pomp and ritual at a church service. This church was casual, welcoming, as if you were coming to their home for breakfast. In fact, when you enter, the first thing you see in the hallway is a sign saying, “Jesus’ Garage”. The breakfast being held for Willie was awesome. The short service was moving. Bikers are about brotherhood and this church is all about “motorcycle riders reaching other motorcycle riders for Jesus Christ”. Their logo states “Redeemed Forever”. There is a real feeling of acceptance and forgiveness among the members. Big Jim Nolan, Bobby C and Frankie keep the church active with community outreach at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona H-D on 2nd Sunday 8:30a-noon on the day of their Swap Meet. The 3rd Sunday they hold a service at Iron Horse Saloon at 10:30a. The 4th Sunday RCBC has a Pancake Breakfast and service at 8a at their church. The first Thursday of the month they do a Bike Night at the church at 6pm with hot dogs and music from 6-9p, and the rest of the Thursdays during the month they have Bible study at 7pm.Their weekly service at the church is Saturday nights at 6:30p.The encourage you to come early and stay late! The physical location is 555 8th St., Holly Hill.

If you are looking for a church where leathers are more than welcomed you should join in on celebrating God with people just like you! And thank you RCBC for helping our brother Willie in his time of need.

By Raven Van Pelt

The American Legion Riders Chapter 9 and their host partners Flamingo Lake RV Resort and Dick’s Winds (ARC Group), in support of K9s For Warriors Foundation, Project Vet Relief, Mission 22, the Florida Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund, Wreaths Across America and Trees for America’s Troops, hosted the 8th Annual Boots on the Ground Poker Run and Concert, Saturday May 8th, 2021. The purpose and mission of these organizations are to assist and support our Veterans, their families and to memorialize those that have fallen in combat or service to this country. This year’s event had 805 bikes and 989 registered riders, and after expenses raised over $60,000 for the organizations we support. Over 2,500 military combat boots and fire fighters’ boots were displayed throughout the park displaying a flag, and picture of a fallen warrior with their name, rank, service age, hometown, and date of death. Registration started at 9am with the Side Project B Pipe and Drums band, Jason Evans Band at noon, City of Bridges at 3:30pm and Fratello at 7pm, There was a flyover by the Dreamland Squadron at 1100 hours followed by a Car Show sponsored by Callahan Cruisers of NE FL. Riders had their choice of 12 different routes stopping at 44 poker stops all throughout Nassau County and Jacksonville. There were over 30 vendors and other great activities for the whole family. Not only is this the largest motorcycle poker run in NE Florida is without a doubt the best motorcycle event I have attended. And for those who did not make it to this year’s Boots on the Ground, all I can say is it is an event you don’t want to miss next year. Thank you to all who made this such a great event.

By Deborah Speicher

After fifteen years of having one of the best women’s event, Gator Harley-Davidson really outdid themselves on June 26! The great Mardi Gras theme, all ladies ride, speakers, vendors, food, FREE back massages, raffle prizes, fashion show and games, provided attendees with a day of fun.

Our favorite leather smith, Marge Williams, was back to talk about how to care for your leather and properly roll up your chaps. One of Gator’s own techs, Luke Jefferson, gave us some great tips on keeping up the maintenance on our motorcycles, riding in the rain, tire pressure and much more.

Much thanks to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office who led our lady riders on a scenic, escorted tour of the area. All the more reason to “back the blue”!

Once again, the fashion show exhibited how H-D offers clothing that is stylish for all ages and sizes.
I must admit, when I heard that the main feature for the day was a hypnotist, I was suspect. But TWY James was incredible and extremely entertaining. I could have watched him for hours!

Kudos to Jan Wilde Wideman and the Gator Harley-Davidson staff, LCSO, and all the vendors and speakers. Look for more information for the next women’s event which will be March 2022. See you next year!

By Lulu

Sometimes what makes a cool joint has nothing to do with a view of the water or a unique building…it is the soul of the business! Mark the owner of Mark’s Sports Pub at 2045 S. Ridgewood Ave. in South Daytona has a caring, loving soul. When I first met Mark, he was putting on a run for a friend of many in the bar business, Bobby Graves, and I knew he really cared for the man. Mark also was one of the first to help organize the Bars R Essential when Covid kept the doors of bars closed for way too long. He is always happy to be part of runs or benefits for locals! The other important thing that sets Mark’s apart is great Rock N Roll music. He always brings in great live groups on Friday & Saturday nights. Now he has started a Sunday open jam with Gunshy, which will feature singers, songwriters, covers and originals. Now, here is the “really COOL” part of this. A portion of the sales from these Sundays will benefit local law enforcement agencies…music to Back the Blue!!! I just love this guy!!! The Sunday jam session is from 2-6pm.

Along with music, Mark’s is a full liquor bar with ice cold beer. On Tuesday evenings they have poker, Wednesdays karaoke, Thursdays Pokeroke (poker night with awesome karaoke) and on Sundays at 2pm more poker. The karaoke is brought to you by Drew the Karaoke Man who has a fantastic sound system that makes everyone sound good! They have some of the best bartenders in town and the bar has an awesome family of regulars, but Mark loves to see new faces on bikes ride in. Another super cool thing at Mark’s is the prices stay the same all year, no Bike Week gouging at this bar! Mark’s is open 7 days a week from 10am-2am so ride out and support a local businessman who gives back to our community! The bar is still a smoking bar for those of you who haven’t given up the habit. Mark and his beautiful wife Jill also have another bar in Port Orange, Mark & Jill’s Village Tavern at 5263 S. Nova Rd.

By Lulu

Anyone who knows me knows Thunder Beach is my favorite Florida rally, The first reason is I am a panhandle girl. Most of my life I lived in Pensacola so my first rally was Thunder Beach. Second, I love the beach and there aren’t prettier beaches anywhere, and third I absolutely love our hotel in Panama City Beach which is the awesome Holiday Inn Resort. Add to that the weather was perfect, the bikini contest girls for both age groups were hot, and the music all over town was rocking.

There is also a park full of vendors of every kind including our friends at Sanity Jewelry, Twisted Tea, and Custom Lighting EFX. Covid has altered many things and this event is one of them. The rally was more condensed as Frank Brown Park was the main venue for vendors, bike and sound shows, and the events music line up. I liked that better as it saved us from running to make deadlines at several different locales with traffic always a bit of a problem.

The other venues this year included Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach who gave a new Harley away the final Saturday evening. Hammerhead Fred’s hosted the Ms. & Miss Panama City Beach contests and featured Buckwild a rally favorite band. Sharky’s Beachfront Restaurant was packed and are known for great food and this year featured Clay Musgrave and Roadhouse ATL. The Sandpiper Beach Resort brought Mustang Sally in Wednesday through Saturday and Tobi rocked the house. The music this year at Frank Brown was under the beer tent and included Jasmine Cain, Big Engine, Tim Watson, Bigwig, and tribute bands Highway to Hell and Never Stop Believing a Journey tribute. The fall event is scheduled for October 20-24 and the spring 2022 event is April 27-May 1st. Put it on your schedule for a great weekend.

By Lulu

Since the pandemic we never know what to expect at the events we attend, some are poorly attended or even cancelled. Eustis Music Fest was a pleasant surprise! It has certainly grown and has spilled from the waterfront park into the city streets with 3 stages of live music, vendors, and bike and sound competitions hosted by Radical Randy. We love the waterfront park with the cool breeze coming in off the lake! A friend had suggested Tilley’s for lunch and the burger and Reuban sandwich was amazing! I have to say the small town of Eustis stepped up to the plate to put on a wonderful 3-day rally, and by the size of the crowd bikers were happy to stroll the streets and enjoy the chance to be out listening to music again!

By Lulu

Mark and Kerilyn Hinds are entrepreneurs of a cutting-edge kind. Not only is their jewelry line exceptionally crafted out of 316L surgical stainless steel; their unique knife collections are a combination of 2 high carbon steels, 15N20 and 1095. These Damascus knives are forged and folded up to 512 layers to make them incredibly strong. The knives are pieces of art! You might expect that from a jewelry line, but not knives. If you know a knife collector this should be your call for that birthday or Christmas gift. The handles of the knives can be made of either Buffalo Horn, Elk Antler, Camel Bone, or wood such as American Mahogany. Just beautiful!

Along with all types of jewelry for men and women including skull and biker rings, they also carry a line of wallet chains, Guardian Bells, pendants, and crosses. You must see their collection to see the unmatched detail in the work of their lines.

Mark and Kerilyn started Sanity in 2015. They just celebrated six successful years in business. They have a brick-and-mortar store in Grant, Florida at 5185 S. US Highway 1, overlooking the beautiful Indian River. The showroom is open Monday-Saturday 11am-8pm and
Sundays 11am-6pm. You can always give them a call at 321-271-5134.

The Sanity Crew travels the motorcycle rally circuit. We see them at Thunder by the Bay, Thunder Beach, Daytona Bike Week, and Biketoberfest in Florida. They will be in Sturgis at The Legendary Knuckle Saloon on the corner of Lazelle and First Street, 931 First St. If you aren’t heading to Sturgis, you can find them online at SanityJewelry.com.

Mark and Kerilyn love the world this new business has them living in. They love to ride and they love to meet new friends in the places they travel. Stop in at a rally, visit their store in Grant or find them on the web. They are the great American dream and the real deal!

By Lulu

There are all types of things we celebrate as humans. Births, baptisms, birthdays, new jobs, graduation, weddings, even the purchasing of a new bike…but celebrating the life of someone who has left us here on Earth while he flies in heaven is bittersweet. Cap Wilson lost his life on his motorcycle June 2nd. Since his passing, angels in human form have been swarming around us! Some knew Cap and Suzy well; some barely knew him at all. All of us that rode south with Cap from St. Augustine never expected the news that Cap left us that night, that the hard hug he gave me before mounting up would be his last, that my words “be careful” would be my last said to my friend.

The next morning, I found out I had missed Suzy’s call as my phone was still in the bike. I feel sad about that, and angry with myself for not being able to take her call. Pam, Joe, Janice, Mark, T.J., and I were just stunned at hearing Cap was gone. Almost instantly the calls started coming wanting to help Suzy. Waylon from Long’s Log Cabin called, David & Shireen Fletcher called next, Royce and Laurie were out at Suzy’s already and I was relieved to hear that. Then the calls became too much to even remember. First off, Cap oversaw the run coming up 6/20 for Willie so there were calls and scrambling trying to keep that from falling apart…CAP would not have allowed it! Second, arrangements had to be made for Cap and no one wanted Suzy to have to deal with that…thank you David and Shireen, the absolute best of angels on Earth.

Kristi from OB’s offered her help in anyway; and ended up being the host of the Celebration of Life donating all the dinner sales and MUCH more. All ANGELS. So, the decision was made to celebrate Cap the only way he would have wanted… at OB’s Bike Night in Deland. And the gathering of ANGELS on BIKES began. Hundreds of people rode into OBs to honor Cap, to hold Suzy, to raise some funds and to just be able to go home knowing they added feathers to their wings. Glenn from Crashrocket opened the service with an emotionally charged acoustic rendition of Cap’s favorite song Simple Man.

Willie Jones from Tropical Tattoo surprised us with his first visit out since his hospitalizations, still a bit weak, he felt a need to be with us all. A short sermon from the Redemption Community Biker Church brought us all to tears and let us know we are all God’s children. I just have to say thank you to so many for so much. Can’t possibly name them all, but mostly thank you to Cap for bringing this group together and sharing miles on the highway, sharing his love on Earth with us all and for watching over us from the highways of heaven. And to everyone who made Suzy’s life a little easier by showing so much love!

By Lulu

August 2020 right smack during Covid, Jeff and Jennifer opened Pelican Landing on 123 San Marco in St. Augustine. This bar in the past has had a good following of bikers and being a motorcycle enthusiast Jeff has started a bike night in the historic area of St. Augustine with live music and drink specials. The bike night already fills the parking lot and with outside music on the covered deck it is a perfect spot to watch the bikes roll in which is what bikers love. In historic St. Augustine parking is a problem, Pelican Landing has the largest private parking lot in town, also separate bike only parking too. Jeff is from Stone Mountain, Georgia and moved here 2 years ago with his adorable wife Jennifer who is originally from California. They moved here and opened Pelican Pub which they still own at 2085 S. A1A in St. Augustine. According to them, they have been “in and out” of the bar business “forever”. Jeff started riding dirt bikes as a kid and his first Harley was a Pan Head at 16, then an Iron Head and every generation of Harley’s since. Now he mostly rides his 2021 CVO or his 2014 Ultra Classic, although he has some old school stuff in his stable of bikes too. Jeff and Jennifer are involved in charity work through the Shriners and Masons which Jeff is a member of. They also are thrilled to host poker runs at either bar to help local causes. Pelican Landing is a full liquor bar with ice cold beer. A bar on the outside deck and a huge bar inside complete the property. They have a full kitchen and I tried their Mahi Tacos and can say their recipe is awesome. On Mondays they have a hot dog vendor and the kitchen is closed. Tuesdays they have just started Trivia from 7-9pm and the first one had a good crowd, so if you think you have a bit of knowledge come out and test it against others! Wednesday is Bike Night sponsored by Adamec H-D with live music from 6-9pm. They also feature live music Tuesday-Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoon.

Pelican Pub on A1A has 25 cent drafts on Monday, $1.50 bottles on Wednesday and darts on Thursday.

Take a ride to St. Augustine and hopefully get a chance to meet Jeff and Jennifer, they are genuinely interesting and friendly…and owners that really ride. They even showed up to ride with the Mystery Riders out of The Boat Bar in Port Orange to the Americana Bike Show at OB’s in pouring rain!

WOW, what a month of tears. Between our friend Cap’s death and the outpouring of love and support for Suzy Q, then Willie’s Ride, that Cap was organizing before his death and the amazing support the motorcycling community, local businesses and great people showed for my friend Willie Jones…I am exhausted from tears of sorrow, tears of joy and shear emotional stress. But healing has begun for us all because we hold each other up and help each other out. Love is the salve that saves us in grief and tribulations.

Willie’s Run was incredible, particularly since we had picked Father’s Day which many had to spend with their “Birthing People”…LOL. The following morning a cardinal was looking right at me when I walked out on the pool deck. It looked at me, seemed to nod and then flew off. I haven’t seen a cardinal in the yard before. I don’t really believe in this kind of stuff, but I got a feeling Cap was saying “thanks”.

So, for Cap I must say “thank you” to the businesses, bars, bartenders, volunteers, and each one of you who took several days out of the month of June to help us all heal from the financial strains of unexpected tragedies, from the emotional toll of injuries and death, from the uncertainties of what these events of life will bring. Right now, Suzy knows things she didn’t know a month ago…she knows she is loved by so many; she knows Cap was admired by men and women that his warmth had touched over the years.

She also knows life can change in an instant, and I hope she has found a strength to find her way through this loss with all our love to aid her. Willie knows things he didn’t know almost 2 months ago: pain hurts, being really sick sucks, his wife is way more amazing than he could have possibly known before, that life is very, very precious and that you don’t recover so quickly when you get old. He knows how much we all appreciate what he has done for so many in the past, particularly the veterans. He also has learned that it is okay to cry; he laughs that he may have been given women’s blood when he needed transfusions, as he has been quite emotional through his fight for recovery. I think he is beginning to feel like he will be okay. He seems a bit stronger, that humor and sparkle in his eye is back. And the tears have dried up. In closing today, I have seen again what remarkable people this world of riding motorcycles has allowed me to know. And for that I thank you all…

Ride like your life is in danger, tell someone you love them and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Phoenix and Metric

Memorial Day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some people it means the first day of summer with outdoor BBQ’s, beaches, and an extended weekend. However, for many Patriotic Americans and Veterans it means a whole lot more. Especially, if you have lost a family member, loved one or a battle buddy in service to the nation. In light of the pathetic attitude of many “so called” Americans and the growing socialist movement to erase our history, it is more important now than ever for ALL Americans to come together and pause to remember the sacrifice of our Veterans. So many have given their lives so that we can enjoy our freedoms. In order for you to enjoy your day at the beach there was another generation of Americans who had to sacrifice their lives on the beaches of Normandy, in the deserts of Iraq, in the jungles of Vietnam or countless other places around the globe. Memorial Day is NOT a “Happy” occasion. It is a day of “Remembrance.” Like Arlington and most other cemeteries, Lakeview Memorial Gardens in Highlands County takes time to remember all the Veterans that are entombed there. Along with help from Bob’s Vet’s, Veterans-in-Arms VMC, VFW 4300 Color Guard, the Highlands County Sherriff Office Honor Guard, Sebring HS AFJROTC, and the great staff at Lakeview Memorial Gardens this year’s event was one of the best in recent years. “Gone But Not Forgotten.”

By Ron Cox

Today I rode in the Inaugural Harleys for the House Charity Poker Chip Run to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC) of SWFL. The run started and ended at Rockstar H-D in Ft. Myers and was organized by Dominique & Michael Tregunno.

Riders from all over registered at Rockstar H-D and then headed out to card stops at Ronald McDonald House, Anthony’s on the Boulevard and Biker Bay, collecting poker chips at all stops. Upon returning the riders were treated to a free BBQ lunch and beverages. The ride raised $600 for RMHC.

A band was playing throughout the afternoon as riders viewed the vendor’s wares and purchased raffle and 50/50 tickets. Lovely ladies were on hand for the bike wash. Dave Calvert won the best hand.

As you may know Ronald McDonald Houses serve as a “home-away-from-home” for families of children receiving care at nearby hospitals and medical facilities by providing inexpensive lodging for families who travel long distances while their children undergo treatment.

All in all, it was a wonderful day for a very worthwhile cause.