By Lulu

Scheduling didn’t allow me to attend Twisted Evolution Motorcycle Shoppe’s Customer Appreciation Party in November. I thank our West Coast rep Jason for taking the photos for me. He spends quite a bit of time motorcycle wrenching in his garage so I am certain he enjoyed getting to know Fred and Neil. This shop just loves to wrench on bikes and strive to make your riding a safe pleasure. Once again, they served up great BBQ by Sticky Fingers and all left with a full belly. The shop is closed Saturdays and Sundays. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9a-6p. Stop in and visit if you are in the Bushnell area. They are located at 212 N. Main St. The phone number for Twisted Evolution is 352-617-5224. The whole crew are great people who love their customers!

By Lulu

Any motorcycle rally, in any town, in any state centers around the Harley dealership. The Harley superstore in Ormond Beach is the driving force behind Bike Week and Biketoberfest! This year we all feared with the remnants and surge of Covid that the rally could be weak, but bikers proved the naysayers wrong. People on two and three wheelers of all ages and from all corners of the country were sick of being told to stay home. The Daytona dealership was packed with vendors, live music daily and bike shows. There was even a Powerhouse Arm Wrestling Competition. Lots of riders took advantage of the H-D factory demo truck to check out the new Sportster and Pan American. Every time I was in the showroom the line at the registers looked like Disney. Can’t wait to see what the Rossmeyers will bring in for Bike Week 2022 which is just around the bend!

By T. J.

One of the most worthy causes you can find anywhere is right here in Central Florida. The Bruce Rossmeyer Ride for Children benefits Camp Boggy Creek to help support children with serious illnesses and their families. It is an absolutely, beautiful place that does amazing work for these campers. The ride is a police escorted, no boots down ride with music, dancing, food, live and silent auction, and camaraderie at the destination. This year we couldn’t ride to the camp because of Covid concerns, but The Pavilion at Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona served as more than an adequate host venue. It is always a good time and a ride I look forward to. We are getting to know more and more of the regular attendees each year as well as retired NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace and other local dignitaries. The event is the weekend before Biketoberfest so if you haven’t made one yet, mark your calendar for next year. Join us for an awesome time!

By Lulu

With all the chaos of Biketoberfest going on, The Iron Horse Saloon set Sunday aside to celebrate Veterans and Gold Star Families with a special event. First was a ceremony with vets and Gold Star Mothers and a Gold Star Father being called on stage. I was honored to be on the bus with these families and the sacrifice of losing their loved one lasts a lifetime, effecting everyone who knew their son or daughter. Next Lee Greenwood took the stage to sing a few and closed with his crowd favorite God Bless the USA which every person sang along with! Many famous, rich performers in their 70’s would sit back, golf, and lay by the pool, but Lee has made a commitment to build houses for injured vets, already building three since starting the endeavor in 2021. He has a liquor brand named Soldier Valley that he chose a veteran owned distillery to produce and then a portion of the sale of each bottle of vodka, whiskey or bourbon goes towards these homes. Thank you to Lee Greenwood, Soldier Valley, Iron Horse Saloon, and all of us who purchased a bottle! By the way the bourbon is one of the smoothest I have ever had…and I am a bourbon girl.

By Lulu

Wednesday of Biketoberfest The Dog House started the party with Big Engine and a Twisted Tea party with giveaways, a game of diapering strangers with toilet paper and $2 Twisted Tea! The entire Biketoberfest Rhonda outdid herself with a great band line up and even midget wrestling. It is always a party at The Dog House so follow their ads in Thunder Roads Florida to see what the Dogs are up to.

By T. J.

The First Turn was rocking during Biketoberfest with a newly expanded outdoor area and full-size concert stage. They kept rolling into post Biketoberfest with a Jason Aldean Tribute show that was a slammed packed success. The whole deck outside the VIP area was standing room only and “Aldean” was right on point with the show. I’m not a country music fan at all, but this guy was good. I ran into a bunch of friends and had a good time. Check out Bike Night with Blues Jam on Tuesdays at 6 and Ladies Night on Thursdays from 7-10 for some mid-week activity and ladies drink free. Also, there is a big New Year’s Eve Bash featuring Hayfire, with VIP meals and champagne toast. Make your reservations early because it’s sure to be a sellout.

By Lulu

Tony and Dar look for a reason to throw a Boat Party and Biketoberfest Kick Off is one we won’t miss. The crowd filled the entire parking lot. Live music out back by License to Steal entertained us all afternoon. The BBQ was delicious and the staff kept our pipes wet! Look for their events in the magazine each month and join us for one of their monthly Mystery Rides. A great group of local bikers consider this bar their neighborhood bar and feel like they are family here.

By Lulu

I have known Karl for about six years and as long as I have known him, he has ALWAYS been about music and sound…crystal clear sound. Karl has tinkered in the bar business but his true love is building sound systems. He celebrated another year in business with a party at his store in Orange City. The shop is at 2491 N. Volusia. Karl carries all state-of-the-art lines and specializes in Harley sound systems. Any show that his bikes compete in ride off with top prizes. The party featured a bike show and sound competition. The parking lot was packed and the Murder Hornets were rocking inside the showroom. If you are looking to upgrade the sound system on your bike, boat, ,car or truck check out Volks Audio. Their number is 386-804-2797!

Photos by Chopper Dave
Article By Lulu

Well, a big event that we were not able to attend this year was the Willie Palooza benefit hosted by The Iron Horse. We came down with Covid, so I have to give a shout out to Chopper Dave for the photos. Lots of Willie’s friends worked hard to put an all-day music fest together with the gate all benefitting Willie. Bands including Jacksonville Slim, Reed Foley, Miss Intent and Cowboy Kid Rock Tribute played their hearts out. A raffle and 50/50 also added to the kitty. Mostly we all just wanted Willie to get back on his feet and he seems to be on that road to recovery, although there will be at least one more surgery to fix his pulverized ribcage. Thanks to Melissa, Bob & Sally at the Iron Horse, Lisa Henson, Sherry, and Scott DeMonico and all the others who have pitched in to make this a great event.

This has been an emotionally devastating year for T. J. and me. It started with the loss of his mother Vi in the spring, Willie’s bike wreck, followed by Cap Wilson’s death from a heart attack while riding his bike home, the loss of Big Steve Fritz that same week from a health crisis while riding out of state with friends. All these losses were simply tragic. But one that totally blindsided both of us was the loss of Catherine Connearney, the wife of one of T. J.’s childhood buddies, Brendan. I had just met this extraordinary woman in Sturgis, spent our first day sharing some of the most spectacular sights you can see on earth. Exploring The Badlands I snapped this photo of Brendan and Cat the first stop. I knew they were both lifelong AA & NA members who religiously attended meetings to remain clean and sober. That didn’t stop her from being full of life and just plain fun!! They left a day earlier heading all the way back to Punta Gorda, their new-found southern home. Once home they flew to Massachusetts to visit family and friends. I mentioned last month T. J. and I both came down with Covid. We were easily sick a full 10 days and took much longer to get our strength back. Beautiful Catherine and Brendan also got Covid. Less than 4 weeks later…she was gone. Never came off the ventilator. The reason I am writing of this is two-fold. First if you aren’t vaccinated that is your choice, but this disease just took a woman I had looked forward to spending many great trips with. I was robbed of the joy for living she exuded. Her husband and family and friends are crushed. The second reason I felt the need to share this woman’s story is the tributes that people wrote on her timeline upon hearing she was with the angels. It was something that nears sainthood. She touched so many addicts: mothers, daughters, sons, and fathers that were in the very deepest hole of addiction. Her passion and success for living the good life showed them they could be saved. They could find the strength. Many wrote they must carry on for her. Just cannot fathom why God chose this angel so many still needed on Earth. Live a life like Catherine helping others any way you can, kiss someone you love like it may be the very last time and say a prayer for Brendan.

By Lulu

For the past four years the Rossmeyer’s Harley dealership in Daytona has hosted a Trike Fest. Each year the event has grown. It included a Meet & Greet on Friday night with music by Dina & James, a ride on Saturday, live music featuring Adam James Society in the afternoon, and a breakfast at Beaver Bar on Sunday. There is plenty of free time to spend some time shopping in their state-of-the-art dealership and to bounce around Daytona to local haunts. This year a special feature was renewal of wedding vows by the pastor of Redemption Community Biker Church and cupcakes for the brides & grooms. Saturday night included a fun filled evening of Dirty Bingo by Jeff & Nina. One of the largest groups of riders were out of Jacksonville mostly on Slingshots, Coast to Coast. If you ride a 3-wheel vehicle, make sure you put this September event on your 2022 calendar!

Tony & T-Rex

Ok me and T-Rex are back, been a great three-month vacation. But the boss say’s get on your *farm tractor* and head out to Okeechobee to cover Big Brothers and Big Sisters’ charity event. It is a beautiful Saturday, on September 11th and we fire the bike up and take a 100-mile ride down to C. Scott Driver Park where the pavilion is lined with bikes already.
First up is the ROTC Color Guard from Okeechobee High School and our National Anthem is played by a young woman on a trumpet. After the anthem, Saddle Tramp kicked the tunes up, the beer tub was flowing, the food was on and the raffles were being sold. The event was great with a crowd in the 350 range, plus a 6-category bike show with first in each class receiving a Rough River Metal Work’s whiskey barrel trophy.

But that’s not all they have, CEO Stacey Watson-Mesley is raffling off a custom 2007 Night Train from now until Memorial Day 2022. There are 650 tickets at $100 a ticket plus 3 cash prizes and all the proceeds go to the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River, & Okeechobee Counties. It was a great turn out for a great cause. And for the ride home you guessed it rain, but all for a good cause…

Ride Safe and Stay Dry

By Phoenix and Metric

Each year the folks at the Wreaths Across America organization take on the monumental task of placing a beautiful wreath on every veteran’s grave in over 1,600 locations across America, over seas and at sea. In 2018, the mission went to the Normandy-American cemetery in France placing over 9,000 in that one location. Over 1.8 million wreaths were placed across the United States, with over 250,000 wreaths placed at Arlington National Cemetery alone. To accomplish such a task, it takes an army of volunteer organizations. National Wreaths Across America Day ceremonies occur each December to Remember, Honor and Teach Americans the cost of freedom.

The US Military Veterans MC “Highlanders” Chapter 11 in Highlands County is one of those organizations that go above and beyond to ensure that every veteran has a wreath. Recently, they hosted a poker run that ran from the south side of Polk County to the south side of Highlands County, with some great stops along the way. The poker run was just one of the first events in the efforts to raise money for the Wreaths Across America program, so if you get a chance to participate in one of their events it is well worth your time and the money raised go to a worthy cause.
If you or your organization would like to sponsor a wreath or get involved search the web at: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org for details.

I added some photos of my friend Glenn Iannillo laying wreaths in Arlington. He said it was one of the most moving events of his life. Lulu

By Lulu

Every year as I prepare to ride to Bunnell for Joe Vece’s 9/11 ride I worry that bikes won’t show up. I have never been disappointed by the turnout, not even in terrible weather. The patriotism is obvious by the roar of motorcycles streaming under the giant flag hoisted high over our heads. The ceremony is complete with songs, prayers, bag pipes, the ringing of the fire bell and speeches. All a great tribute to those who died 20 years ago in the ghastly attack on America, and those who continue to die and suffer from the aftermath. This year the weather God was good to us. Only a few drops of rain to remind us of the tears shed on 9/11. A special thank you to Joe Vece and the Knights of Inferno, The Punishers MC in Flagler, Politis & Matovina, Monster Motorcycles, Flagler County, and Tropical Enterprise for their hard work and sponsorship. The ride ended with a free BBQ served by the crew at Ike’s Saloon in Bunnell and great live music.