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 Horny Dave

Arriving at World Golf Village on a perfect April morning was like stepping into a time machine. Over 260 antique motorcycles made up of American, British, European, Japanese, racing and more surrounded the lake in this picturesque setting. The entire evolution of bikes was on display not to mention 16 from Chris Adamec’s and 6 from Barber Motorsports Park & Museum’s personal collections. Vendors were abundant and scattered throughout and included Adamec Harley-Davidson, one of the oldest dealerships in America, custom builders, painting, parts, and of course local food trucks serving hunger busting meals. (Proceeds from the event benefit K9s For Warriors, a local nonprofit who has been pairing trained rescue dogs and veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury.

The Grand Marshall, Wayne Carini of Chasing Classic Cars, presided over the event and presented the awards with event chairman Bill Peterson. After taking last year off, this year proved to be the largest one to date. As a motorcycle enthusiast myself, I found Riding Into History to be not only a chance to experience living antique motorcycle history through the bikes but also through the stories of those who lived it. Opportunities to listen to others and their experiences and perspectives, combined with the bikes is what makes this event so special. Ride in to see all of the antique motorcycles, owners, and enthusiasts at next year’s Riding Into History, let’s make it the biggest one yet!

By Lulu

Since Leesburg Partnership has suspended their yearly bike rally due to the pandemic, Jan and the staff at Gator Harley took the beast by the horns and gave bikers a place in the fall and in the spring to ride their bikes, listen to great music, shop and spend some bucks with vendors that desperately needed a place to sell their wares and have a cold brew or two. This year Big Engine, Torn, Bar Fly, Sheri & the Rockafellas, and Hypersona filled the dealerships property with great music. It takes a lot of work to put on a major event and Jan is one of the best at diving right in and making great things happen. Thank you, Gator, for trying to make life normal again!

By Phoenix and Metric

When it comes to putting on events for our local Veterans few organizations work harder than the folks from the Battle of the Bands. The most recent event was the “Bringing it Home for our Heroes” event at the Lakeshore Mall in Sebring. The four-day event was filled with great food trucks, vendors, poker run, car, and bike show. Fifteen live bands from all over came to rock the house. Despite the bad weather on Saturday and rescheduling those events for Sunday the event was a great success. In addition to the Vet-Jam events, the Battle of the Bands host a Veterans Day dinner and a Christmas tree ceremony every December 7th to honor all branches of service to this country. Annie and her crew are already planning for their next “BIG” event. The Vet Jam “End of Summer Fest” will be September 4th and 5th at the Moose Lodge in Sebring. So, mark your calendars and we will see you there. When you get there tell Annie you heard about the event in Thunder Roads Florida!!!

So, I need you to do what bikers do best! And that is help a brother in need.
There is a poker run for an icon in the motorcycle world…Willie…owner of Tropical Tattoo. You may not know him. You may be a tattoo virgin. But Willie is one of my dearest friends and was out doing what bikers love best…riding with friends, heading down Main Street for a party at Boot Hill to celebrate Cochise Chops Magazines 100th issue, when a drunk lady plowed into him coming out of a one-way street going the wrong way! And then she fled. His friends pursued and stopped her, holding the hot mess for the police. Willie thankfully had a helmet on, but his chest took the brunt of it. He ended up with ribs that were shattered resulting in the need for chest tubes. A bad internal infection developed in his chest and required a transfer to Shand’s Hospital in Gainesville. ALL of THIS was a long, hard road to recovery and even at this writing our fingers are crossed and knees are bent praying for a full recovery!

By Lulu

Donnie and Amy owners at 3-D Saloon consider their bar a second home for their family of patrons. So, celebrating happens in the bar MANY times a year, but they celebrated their 8th anniversary with Bar Tab Bingo, an 8 Ball Tournament, free amazing BBQ chicken and great live music by Lazy J. & Company. We love these barkeeps! If you are riding near downtown Palatka, stop in and see them! This is a full liquor bar with good prices and ice-cold beer. They ride and love to see peeps come to visit on two wheels!

By Lulu

Copperhead Lodge Saloon is right down the highway from Gator Harley-Davidson in Leesburg on 441, so it was certainly the place to wet your whistle after Harley and vendor shopping during Gator Harley’s Spring Rally. Smoking hot bartenders were happy to keep the ice-cold beer and stiff cocktails coming with a smile on their pretty faces!! All of them were so sweet to pose for photos with peeps! On Friday and Saturday, they had great live music which got people on the dance floor. When you are traveling through or near Leesburg stop in and visit the friendly staff at Copperheads.

By Lulu

One of my favorite events of the year I had to miss this spring. Bobby Friss rocks O’Calahan’s in Silver Springs and packs the house. Our rep Jason on the West Coast attended the bash and provided the photos of the night. Nefty has great live music the first Saturday of each month and the food is always great at O’Calahan’s. So, get on your scoot and ride in for one of their monthly bike nights this summer or fall! Bearded Brothers are playing June 5th which is always a crowd favorite and Raging Woody is featured in July! See ya there.

By Lulu

Well, hell! I didn’t get to make this party but the food provided by the 63-year-old birthday boy looks like I missed the party of the year! This has been a yearly event at The Inn Between on Old New York Avenue in Deland. Ethan and Nicole had a full house to sling drinks and ice-cold beer to, while the band Valhalla rocked the crowd out back. I must thank Gator Ken for filling in for me as we had a prior commitment in Panama City Beach to attend and Jeani who usually shoots for us was a bit under the weather. Ken reported back the food was awesome and Nicole a knock-out!

If you haven’t ridden out to The Inn Between it is a great destination ride and a place to cool your pipes! They do have live blues on Saturdays usually 3-7pm. Their number to check for live music is 386-489-9271,

By Lulu

If you haven’t made a recent trip to lakefront Tavares you must. They have renovated the entire lakefront business district with brick paved streets. For T.J., a really “Cool Joint” requires being “cigar friendly” which Hemingway’s at 126 W. Ruby St. certainly is. Owner, Andy Thompson, bought Hemingway’s Wine, Beer & Cigar Bar 6 months ago and his friendly personality, hard work and business sense is paying off as the business has been rapidly growing. Andy was born in Marion, Indiana but moved as a child to Deland, Florida. He worked with his family in their recycling business, then ended up as a senior manager in food service in Atlanta, Georgia. I am sure that has helped in knowing how to make and keep NEW customers! This is his first bar and when I asked what made him take the leap into having his own business he answered, “Personal dream…right price…right time!” A father of two sons he gave up motorcycling earlier in his life, although he built his own bike in his youth. Now owning Hemingway’s, I doubt he has much time for ANY pastimes or recreation, as he is always onsite when I stop in.

The bar is open 7 days a week, Mon-Thurs 2pm-12am, Fri & Sat 2pm-2am and Sun noon-10pm. What makes this a Cool Joint for cigar lovers like T.J. is a walk-in humidor with 50+ varieties and prices that range from $4 to $29 dollars. So many bars don’t allow cigar smoking so whether you want to sit outside on the patio with a view of the lake and passersby or sit right up at the bar with one of their ice-cold beers you won’t be annoying anyone! They have craft drafts including Guinness. long necks reasonably prices at $3 and wine by the glass or bottle. Happy hour is Mon-Fri 4-7pm $1 off drafts or wine of your choosing. The bar also has pool and darts. Saturdays they have GOOD karaoke starting at 8pm, Tuesdays is High Stax poker at 6pm. They do have live music on Fridays and you can follow them on Facebook to see when it is scheduled or call 352-508-9771. Check out their website at Tavareswinebar.com too!

By Ron Cox

Riders from all over met at Stu’s Motorcycles to ride in the 15th Annual International Female Ride Day. IFRD is a worldwide synchronized ride day for women motorcycle riders on the first Saturday in May every year. Concurrently with the ride, Stu’s was celebrating its third anniversary. Stu’s is the only Indian dealership in the six counties that comprise Southwest Florida.

As it is with many motorcycle events, there was a charitable aspect to this one. All proceeds will be given to ACT, Abuse Counseling & Treatment, Inc., an agency that provides safe and confidential services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking in Lee, Hendry, and Glades counties since 1978.

Besides the ride, Stu’s offered a whole row of vendors that catered to women’s products, free lunch, a bike show, raffles, biker games and the ever-popular bikini bike wash.

By Phoenix and Metric

The US Military Veterans MC “Highlanders” Chapter 11 made a BIG splash at the Wild Hawg with their 21st annual charter party. The “Highlanders” host one of the best and longest running annuals in the county. For many years, the US Military Veterans MC held their annual at the VFW in Avon Park and each year it got bigger and better. This year they wanted to try something different. They teamed up with “Chef Joel” and his staff at the Wild Hawg in Sebring. If you have ever hosted a huge annual party, you know how much work goes into it. The staff from the Wild Hawg stepped up to the challenge to keep the food and drinks flowing. They had their hands full but met the challenge. Snazzy Suds Bikini Wash was on hand to knock the road dust off the bikes that came from all points. Juicy Jen worked her tail off to get the shine back on those beautiful rides. The band “Ran$om” provided some the best Country, rip-roaring Rock & Roll, and Blues music to keep the party going. Coming from someone who has been to most all their annual parties, this ranks up there with the best of best. I cannot wait to see what they come up next year.

By Lulu

Whether it is the monthly Mystery Ride out of The Boat Bar in Port Orange on US 1 or the Bike Week Kick Off Party, people who love motorcycles love The Boat. Tony and Dar put on a great spread, bring in good music for the Kick-Off Party and the place fills up! 2021 was one of the largest crowds ever!! Each month Tony is host to the Mystery Riders who meet at The Boat with kick stands up at 11am for a day of unknown destinations, returning to his bar for a meal and a 50/50 prize to the winning raffle ticket. Join us on Sunday, May 23rd.

By Lulu

The 80th Bike Week was off the charts, even with Covid, in Ormond Beach at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona H-D. Four bike shows, Rhett Rotten’s Wall of Death, vendors galore, a free Jackyl concert, demo rides, add hot bartenders and Governor Ron DeSantis to the mix and you have a crazy 10-day event. I was lucky enough to attend the Flying Piston Benefit Builder’s Breakfast. This charity event had biking celebrities all over the place. Billy and Warren Lane, Jodie and Dave Perewitz were all spotted chatting and kind enough to pose for my camera. The photo of our governor I am sorry to say had to be provided by Anthony Sica from the dealership, as I missed the opportunity to meet him. He was on property enjoying Bike Week with the masses, even taking time to have a Budweiser and experience the Wall of Death. Thanks to Geico, Budweiser, Clarion Inn, and Rubenstein Law for their sponsorship of Bike Week!