By Lulu

Known for their world-famous T-shirts, beef tips, great music acts and the Wall of Death, there is something for everyone at the Iron Horse Saloon. This year the music during Bike Week included Colt Ford, Diamond Rio, Corey Smith, Chris Cagle, Whey Jenning, Bobby Friss, Loose Lips, Church of Cash, Jess Zimmerman, Cowboy & Buckshot.

We are pleased to say that Colt Ford is recovering after surviving a major heart attack on April 3rd in Albert, Arizona after a performance at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row. I am sure God heard the prayers of the staff at Iron Horse and all his fans!

The Iron Horse headliners signed guitars during Bike Week and Biketoberfest and the proceeds of those auctions benefitted St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the Veterans Support Fund! This bar is very involved in the community and is always first to support those in need.

By Lulu

Big Engine was rocking the crowd at The Dog House in Port Orange. Bill Grotto and the Twisted Tea girls were on hand to give out koozies and bandanas for those drinking the famous Twisted Teas! Missing this year was Tank, after all it is the Dog House, but loud music makes him a bit nervous and he is a famous TV star, so he calls the shots! Thank you, Twisted Tea, for being such a big part of the rally seasons and for supporting Thunder Roads Florida magazine!!! Go to their ad in this issue and sign up for the next Twisted Tea bike giveaway with the QR code. The bike will be given away July 11th, 2024!! You could be the next lucky winner!!

By Lulu

This year instead of holding a benefit at the clubhouse on International Speedway Blvd, the Daytona 200 MC put on a dice run. Starting at the Clubhouse we had a chance to look at the amazing baskets up for raffle, purchase a dice sheet and throw your first 3 red, white & blue die. Next stop was OBs, and I had a really good score going, but things went downhill from there. Left my sheet at OBs and had to wait at the next stop, a Circle K on Rt 40, for my hand to arrive and the next 3 throws were awful. I missed the1405 Saloon stop because I waited too long at Circle K and spent too long at OBs with Gator Ken and a Bloody Mary! Final stop was Beaver Bar for free BBQ and the basket raffles. Finally, things went the way I wanted. I walked away with 2 golf baskets and a week in the mountains!! Of course, my wallet weighed quite a bit less, but the benefit saves 2 lives! The pup gets a warrior to love and care for them, and the warrior has their “best friend”! If you are looking for an organization to get involved in, the folks at Daytona 200 are the oldest MC on record, and are looking for new members. They celebrated their 80th anniversary in 2023! They are all nice peeps, and their clubhouse is really nice too.

By Lulu

During Bike Week 2024 The Broken Spoke Saloon hosted their first Miss Broken Spoke Contest and seven smoking hot girls not only took the stage, but they also posed on bikes for the crowd to have their photos taken by anyone who wanted to get up close and personal. The girls were not only great looking they were all genuinely nice. The winner was Paige with Elecia and Sandi as runners up. The winning hottie took home a cool $1000!! Twisted Tea was the sponsor of this year’s event and Bill, and the Twisted Tea girls were there too. Jay Allen emceed the contest, and he was tongue tied at least once watching the girls strut their stuff. I heard they will be doing this again next spring so saddle up and join the fun.

By Lulu

Each Bike Week we take a crew of amazing people for a ride out in the country, some are old friends and some we have never met before. This year bad weather was projected, and I almost called it off, yet it turned out to be absolutely a perfect day. We started at The Hideout in Holly Hill where Tara provided great food for our bellies fortifying us for the day. Off we rode to our first stop, 3 Bananas in Crescent City for cocktails and some couldn’t pass up on great food with a pretty view of the lake. Next, we made our way to The Hideaway Bar & Grill in Pomona Park. Lisa goes all out and makes the trip to her bar memorable! She had a sex swing in the giant oak, saddles for photo ops, balloons inside for more photos but this year the guys loved beating the crap out of a Jap bike!!! Next stop was the Gnarly Gar, a great waterfront dive bar that was the old Hermit’s Cove. The new owners have really cleaned this place up but maintained enough of the “dive bar” atmosphere to make this one of our favorite spots to ride to. Always call first as it is a trip, and they are not open 7 days a week. They have added Wednesdays to their open days, so now they are open Wednesday through Sunday. Final stop for the whole group was Renegade’s on the River, a huge RV resort/ restaurant/and beautiful tiki bar situated on the St. John’s River. We completed the ride in time for those who chose to ride back to The Other Place in Ormond Beach for their weekly Shovelhead Night. See the article in this issue for that coverage. Many more photos of the day can be found on Thunder Roads Florida. Join us during Biketoberfest for the fall ride!

By Lulu

Twice a year the crew at Howlin Wolf in Melrose put on an old school bike event that is worth the ride! Bike show, bike games, burn outs and sexy biker contest gives everyone something to entertain those who long for the way things once were. Twisted Fate provided rocking music all afternoon. Kevin from Gainesville Harley was a sponsor for the trophies and was onsite for this year’s contest. Ice cold beer and strong mixed drinks kept us all happy! And thank goodness this year I didn’t get a kidney stone and have to be taken to the ER!!! All had an enjoyable day! A full album of the day’s events can be seen on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook. Ride out for their fall event!!!

By Lulu

The home of Stetson University, downtown Deland is a very quaint artsy area, full of rich history and beautiful architecture. All through the historic downtown area, great murals enrich the artistic feel of the town. Every March, Deland has a one-day bike rally that is packed with bikes lining the city’s streets. Ride out next year for this cool day, lots of great restaurants and bars are there. This year we were able to snap a photo of TJ with influencer Letitia Cline who also is an avid motorcyclist. We had an amazing meal at Deland Eatery and knocked back a few at Issues Lounge and Package Store. More photos from the day are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook. Next year the rally will be on March 1st so put it on your calendar as a NOT TO MISS!

By Lulu

Sorry Charlie’s Corner was the old Mike’s Corner and before that Eagle’s Nest. But Charlie has certainly put THE PARTY in the old bar! Whether it is live music with the likes of Whey Jennings or Loose Lips from Nashville, participating in charity events like Saddle Up for St. Judes, the Redneck Parade at Christmas, or the Miss Sorry Charlie’s during Bike Week, there is always something fun drawing huge crowds to the bar. Having a huge outside area to sit and listen to great tunes, some of the GREATEST bartenders anywhere including Charlie’s “Teacup” Amie or the amazing food (you must try the pork tenderloin sandwich) Charlie has put this piece of property in Samsula on the map as a destination for bike enthusiasts. They are located at 3705 Hwy 44. Bike night is on Thursdays beginning at 6p with live music and $3 longnecks, $4 premiums and 2 for 1 drafts, so check Sorry Charlie’s out if you haven’t been there yet! In May they have a Kentucky Derby Party scheduled for 5pm on the 4th so come dressed in your finest Derby attire. And put this one on your calendar… Charlie’s 50th Birthday Party June 7th!!! Somebody needs a spanking! Join in on the fun at Sorry Charlie’s!

By Lulu

Everyone who knows me, will tell you I always say Chopper Time at Tropical Tattoo on S. Yonge St. in Ormond Beach is by far the BEST event of Bike Week! Not only is it a bike show with unique motorcycle creations, interesting photography as far as attendees at the event, and bikes, great music in the back by Jacksonville Slim & Express Train, lots of old friends and famous/infamous peeps…it also raises much needed funds for the Veteran’s Support Fund and the money stays here to help our local vets and the Emory L. Bennett Nursing Home! All the proceeds from the alcohol sales and bartenders’ tips help these heroes! Mike from the Veteran’s Support Fund said this was their 2nd biggest donation ever! Chopper Time has also helped other charities along the way including the VFW and Arne Foundation for animals. Nothing impresses me more than bad ass bikers being kind. Willie and his crew of amazing volunteers have been throwing this event for 24 years during Bike Week. It is always the Thursday of Bike Week and Biketoberfest. While onsite for the show, his tattoo artists are busy creating ink for those who are looking for something new to be added to their canvas. I have been covering his event for 18 years now, and this by far was the largest ever!! What started as a bunch of bike builders meeting at Willie’s to hit some strip clubs years ago has ended up being one of the oldest, most amazing bike shows anywhere! A special thank you to the sponsors Rue & Ziffra law firm, Twisted Tea, Hogridin.com, Realty Pros, Hardcore Cycles Inc, Spectro Performance Oils, Blings Cycles, S & S Performance, Hot Leathers, Grandview Live, Joker Cycles Works, Only Choppers, Iron Horse Saloon, Broken Spoke, OB’s, Cochise Chops, Church of Chops, Renegade Magazine, and to Heather & Chris from Cycle Source for their hard work putting this on. And let’s not forget Roadside Marty for keeping the show running. Pictures of all the winners can be seen on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook.
Chopper Time Spring 2024 Winners!
Hardcore-Eric Stein
Shovel-Mike Vasey
Custom-Jason Hallman
Perewitz Paint-Xavier Muriel
Paint-Jack Deagazio
Chopper-Chris Callen
Metric-Mike Grover
Roadside’s Choice-Travis Bowser
Knuckle-Ritchie
Evo-Daniel Heman
Flathead-William Gallo
Bling’s Choice-Joe Rayl
Crowd Favorite-J Ryan
Twin Cam-Bobby C
Cycle Source Choice-Johnny 99
Rev Al Award-Eric Mills
Panhead-Anthony Reboudo
Tropical Tattoo Choice-Andrew Leibman
Antique-Andrea Labarbara
Rat-Co Kane
Willie’s Choice-Bill Dodge
Bobber-Chuck Williams
Sportster-Mandy Foster
TBR Choice-Cooper Sidle
British Bike-Drew Skocelas

By Lulu

On a Mystery Ride Royce suggested we stop at a bar unknown to us in downtown Deland, Issues Lounge & Package. It is a cool joint with full liquor, and we gladly made it a stop. Once there, we met the owners Fritz and Holly who told us during Deland Bike Rally the bar puts on a 3-day gig and closes the streets to vehicles, erects a stage in the street for bands, brings in vendors and puts up an outside bar. So, we put it on our calendar, and you should too for next year. On Friday, Issues had a kick-off party, Saturday live music added to the festivities, and Sunday was billed as Bikes, Brews & Blues, but due to inclement weather being forecast, they cancelled the bike show. The weather for the most part held off and lots of peeps were listening to a cool blues band Issues had outside. Don’t wait until 2025 to find this gem! It is located at 114 E. Indiana Avenue!

The tapestry of our lives is woven with people who come in and enrich our existence. Some threads are thick and hold us together in trying times from long, deep relationships. Others are thin threads, people who pop in for a fun day or week and you may never see them again, but just knowing them gave you experiences you might have missed by not knowing them. Recently three people left my tapestry, and it is profound they are gone. Two of these guys, I probably snapped the last photo taken of them! Daren Bennett, a long-time friend of Steve Coe, was always smiling when I would see him at Coe’s, The World Golf Village at Riding into History messing with old bikes or when I spotted him at Sunshine Chapter’s Swap Meet Bike Week and took this shot. He passed away a few days later unexpectedly. His smile is what I will remember. Meredith Jones was a friend of Bill Grotto that I had gotten to know over several years at Bill’s house or cigar shows. He rode up for Bike Week from Ft. Lauderdale and was checking into his hotel at the same time I was delivering magazines on the beach Thursday before Bike Week and I heard a guy telling the front desk in a deep voice, “I don’t want to be a dick, but someone is already in my room! The bed is a mess, TV is on.” I recognized his voice and said, “But Meredith you are a dick!” He gave me a big hug and told me I better show up for the Twisted Tea Party at Dog House the next night, so I did! I snapped this photo; he died 2 days later and all in the photo and myself are stunned. It was hard to make it through Bike Week when we heard he wrecked close to home alone on his bike. Rob Busier, a long-time resident of Daytona, one of TJ’s very best friends for 40 years, and a guy who was always on my side in my relationship with TJ. Rob would come over and help with house projects. And although he wasn’t healthy enough to ride or really go out much anymore, we still weren’t prepared for his leaving. My point in all this is simply, treasure those threads no matter how thick! All of these guys I wish I had spent MORE time with. Loved you all! Will miss you! Tell your friends you love them, be in the moment with those you are with…and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Lulu

Big Engine was rocking the crowd at The Dog House in Port Orange. Bill Grotto and the Twisted Tea girls were on hand to give out koozies and bandanas for those drinking the famous Twisted Teas! Missing this year was Tank, after all it is the Dog House, but loud music makes him a bit nervous and he is a famous TV star, so he calls the shots! Thank you, Twisted Tea, for being such a big part of the rally seasons and for supporting Thunder Roads Florida magazine!!! Go to their ad and sign up for the next Twisted Tea bike giveaway with the QR code.

By Lulu

Shovelhead Night happens every Wednesday at The Other Place in Ormond Beach. Gina who owns the bar welcomes bikers at both her bars. Chris’ Lounge in Holly Hill is her “other place”! But the Shovelhead guys have made The Other Place their weekly home on Wednesdays. But during Bike Week, the word is out, that if you love the old pans and shovels it is the place to be on Wednesday evenings. $2 beer and $5 Smash Burgers add to the reasons to ride to Gina’s bar! The lot was packed full. Special front row parking is for Shovels with a separate area reserved for Pans, so we had to find a place out back for the Ultra! Congratulations to Jerry, Dave, and their posse for making this a great place to meet up and to Gina for loving her bikers!!!

By Lulu

For 26 years Suncoast Charities for Children has thrown a great motorcycle & music festival in Sarasota. In the history of the festival, Lucy says they never have had to cancel two headliners! This year ironically the rain gods shut the concert down early, and it happened during Stormbringer’s performance on stage. The skies opened and safety concerns forced the cancellation of Grand Funk Railroad with Sunday being a total washout. BUT that didn’t stop the charity fundraising from being a success, thanks to those who braved the weather, a $25,000 donation match from the James M. Doss Charitable Foundation, and other festival events, still managed to raise $150,000. In 2023 they raised $350,000 so it was a disappointment for the charity staff and volunteers who put their hearts and souls into this event. Total net revenue raised over the past 26 years, under the leadership of Lucy Nicandri, has been a whopping $27.5 Million. One project from the funds raised this year will be a brand-new playground for at risk children with special needs at Children First in Venice, FL. The festival features 3 days of live music at the fairgrounds, vendors, bike shows, a sound off, VIP tent and charity auction, wrestling and much more. We did get a great night of Molly Hatchet on Friday with the largest crowd I have seen on a Friday. Let’s make Thunder by the Bay in 2025 their biggest event ever!!! The dates are February 14-16th! Their website is suncoastcharitiesforchildren.org