By Lulu

Jan and the folks at Gator H-D know how to throw a party! Twice a year they have pulled off a 3-day event that includes vendors, tattoos, bike and sound shows and GREAT music! This year was epic! Hitting pre-Covid attendance and BIKE SALES!! We love this dealership for many reasons, but their commitment to community and charity exceeds expectations.

By Lulu

It’s back! Some rallies have continued to suffer post Covid, but Leesburg 2025 was back to full throttle! Bands were awesome and one of our favorites stepped in to fill the Sunday slot when the Marshall Tucker Band had to cancel due to the sickness and eventual death of a member of the band. Other headliners including Dirty Honey and Lit all filled the large park with music lovers! Hundreds of vendors filled the streets, and Full Throttle put on a great bike show. Bike games also entertained the masses. One of my favorite parts of the Leesburg Rally is riding the roads, whether out to Eaton’s Beach for dinner, Big Bass Grill for lunch at Lake Panasoffkee or bouncing down for drinks at the Chill Pub, a cigar at Legacy Cigar in Mount Dora or Tavares, or Hurricane’s for a nightcap it gives us a chance to visit with friends who love to ride. When it’s time to escape the heat, we head downtown to The Warehouse, Frank’s Place or Great Chicago Fire Brewery! Thank you, Leesburg, for putting on a great weekend rally for all who enjoy your efforts! Also thank you to the sponsors, City of Leesburg, Budweiser, and Progressive!

Seems like heaven has gained two more angels. Dave submitted Gene’s photo and wrote this sweet sentiment about his friend.

Gene Pontbriant, seventy-five years old of Daytona Beach, passed away peacefully in his home after a short illness. An avid Gene was a friend to all, always lending a helping hand and a smile. Rest in peace Gentleman Gene.

We also lost a long-time friend of many at The Boat Bar, Mike Cook. This was submitted by Tony, owner of The Boat Bar.

Michael Gene Cook, 11-4-1955 passed 6-1-2025 from cancer. He was born in West Virginia, raised in New Jersey, and moved to New Smyrna Beach, Fl. in 1986 where he married and started his family.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Gene, and Irene (Roach) Cook. He truly loved living in Florida, enjoying riding his Harley and making many dear friends.  He loved his family and always had a special bond with his lovely Mom and sister Donna.  He is survived by his son Cody Cook and Autumn Plebanek daughter in law, grandson Ryker Cook, sister Donna Roach and extended family in Michigan.  A memorial celebrating his life will be held, 7-12-2025 at the Boat Bar.

Tell your friends and family you love them, ride a new roadway and don’t forget your sunscreen.

By Lulu

Each Bike Week we take a ride to outlying spots in the country for a beautiful day with old and new friends. This year we met AS ALWAYS at The Hideout Lounge at Derbyshire and LPGA to saddle up and ride. Our first stop was for lunch at 3 Bananas on the lake in Crescent City! Pat and Anna are always great hosts and serve amazing food! We then cruised over to The Hideaway Bar & Grill in Pomona Park for photo ops provided by creative Lisa. She always has balloons for the occasions, saddles, sex swings and fun stuff to entertain us. After a few cold ones, we rode out to Renegade’s on the River in Georgetown for the beautiful view of St. John’s River. Our next stop was Gnarly Gar in Satsuma which is everyone’s favorite dive bar on the river! Next was a short putt to the new Oasis in San Mateo to visit our friends and new owners Mike (Larry) and Tia. They have really improved this property since taking over recently, so if you get the chance, ride out and say hi! The final stop was for the weekly Wednesday Shovelhead night at The Other Place in Holly Hill for their great smashburgers! Join us for our Biketoberfest ride! It is Wednesday of Biketoberfest week! See you there, KSU @11.

By Lulu

The Harley dealerships at Gainesville and Tallahassee are throwing events that benefit local charities. In May, each location had their Hog Roast. Gainesville raised funds for the Rotary club. As a past president of the Rotary Club in Pace, Florida I hated that we missed this event, but they were kind enough to send some photos of the day’s festivities. Branford Hwy played for the large crowd. Luke Scanlan was onsite pinstriping and Tonya was doing face painting and airbrush tattoos. Sno-Mies snow cone truck was there, and a frozen t-shirt game, raffles and giveaways made for a great afternoon. Sweet Meat Butcher Shop smoked the HOG, and it was a sight to see. I am certain by the photo it was “sweet” eating.

Tallahassee Harley chose the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association to benefit from their HOG roast. To quote them “It was one for the books. We had an amazing day filled with great food, awesome bikes, and even better company-all in support of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. With your help, we were able to raise funds for a truly meaningful cause and have a blast doing it. Your support means a lot to us and the community we serve. We’ve shared some of our favorite moments in a photo album on our Facebook page-be sure to check it out and tag yourself and your friends.

Check out more upcoming Customer Appreciation Events on August 23rd from 11am-3pm at both dealerships!!

By Lulu

During Leesburg Bike Fest Dirty South Saloon puts on one heck of a show! Whether it is pudding wrestling, mechanical bull riding, great bands, a bikini contest or a unique take on a wet-T contest, there is a lot of “dirty” FUN going on! For the wet T contest lucky peeps in the crowd were given high power squirt guns to wet the lasses! And if that wasn’t enough fun for a 3-day party, on Thursday they had a wing eating contest with delicious looking wings provided by Cousin Vinnie’s Wings in Leesburg. Also known for great live music and first Wednesday of the month bike nights, it is definitely a fun spot to party right across from Gator H-D!

By Lulu

For years we have heard about the “late night party” at Windy Acres Campground! This year TJ stopped in to catch a bit of the nightlife. Body painting, hula hoop contest and girls dancing on a stripper pole made for an old school biker party. Gypsy Sparrow was the band entertaining the crowd of campers and party attendees. Full liquor is available, and this is an “adult only” weekend. Pasture camping and most bring golf carts to navigate the huge property. Just driving by in the past, I have witnessed the giant slip and slide, where rumor has it, some lose articles of clothing at times! This campground is located at 1350 Miller Road in Fruitland Park and their number is 352-643-1638. Seems like they book early and have a huge demand for their VERY reasonable camping rates!

By Lulu

Bike Week 2025 is history and the Boot Hill Saloon on Main Street put on another great rally party. With a huge stage outside for bands, a Twisted Tea Bikini contest and live music inside, there was plenty to entertain. No matter the weather, the party is at The Boot! Boot Hill Outpost on US 1 in Ormond Beach was also entertaining the masses with Rhonda slinging drinks, live music, and vendors. Throughout the year Boot Hill on Main Street has Wednesday bike nights with live music, and don’t forget to get your room for the fireworks on July 4th, for a great night of music! See more photos of the Twisted Tea Bikini Contest on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook!

By Lulu

Charlie and Amie at Sorry Charlie’s in Samsula are always looking for a way to entertain the masses, this year they didn’t disappoint. Mechanical bull riding that turned topless, a beautiful aerial acrobat, an amazing fire show, and of course great live music did not disappoint. If you are lucky to catch Charlie burning up the rubber on the General Lee out front that in itself is fun to see! They have bike night on Thursdays with live music and check out their ad in Thunder Roads Florida for other happenings in the month!

By Lulu

If you ride to Daytona for Bike Week whether from far or near you are going to make your way to Teddy Morse’s Daytona Harley-Davidson’s complex and Saints’ & Sinners’ Pub. It doesn’t matter if your soul is a little naughty or angelic, you will have a fun time here. Throughout the 10-day rally the staff worked hard to keep beverages, great food and music flowing. Throngs of motorcyclists visited, some more than once! Saints’ & Sinners’ features live music Wednesday through Sunday, with two bands on Saturday. See their ad in this issue for the June schedule!

I am so excited to be buying my first house! I owned three houses in the past with my ex-husband, but never picked out a house, financed a house and moved into a house all by myself! Don’t get too excited, TJ and I are still seeing each other! Since housing prices have finally come down a bit, I felt it was time to buy. The mortgage rates aren’t great, but my CDs are making enough to use their money instead of mine and the lender allows for one free refinance should the rates drop in the fall. So, I made an offer. Pat, the 85-year-old widow from Ohio, accepted it to get rid of the winter home she and her husband bought to become snowbirds 20 years ago. I actually love golf, so I bought in our country club. The house has a small pond in the back complete with a real deer who came out for a drink from the pond in the middle of the day. The house had to have a new roof to get insured by my friend Lisa at H&H Insurance, she pulled some strings to get it insured until the roof could be put on and Pat decreased the price $25,000 because of the roof cost. With that and a new hot water heater my place is good for another 20 years! The best part is it is completely furnished. Everything she has in the place stays…rakes, tools, fishing poles, art, linens, dishes! I am the luckiest girl in the city of Daytona Beach right now. Closing isn’t until June 5th, so I am impatiently counting down the days. This Pony Tales obviously has nothing to do with motorcycling, but the house is all I can think about right now and I decided to share my excitement with you. Be safe on the highways, buy a stranger a drink and don’t forget your sunscreen!

By Lulu

Sometimes you bikers amaze me! An event hosted by Sledz East in Deland was one of those days. A young boy, Michael Millett, was tragically killed by loose dogs in his neighborhood in front of his mother. In pursuit of justice for Michael, they went to Tallahassee to change laws to hold dog owners accountable for vicious attacks. A ride was held in his memory and over 400 motorcycles showed up. Most had no idea who Michael or his parents were; but let me tell you it warmed the hearts of the organizers of the ride and comforted his parents and family to know people shared in their grief!! Stops included Ike’s Saloon, Beaver Bar, Brass Rail, and the final stop was The Inn Between in Deland. Naughty, Naughty took the stage and rocked the afternoon away. Michael’s family, friends and even schoolmates were on hand at the last stop. A special thank you to the organizers, the parents for being with us that day, the bars who supported this, Ethan from the Inn Between for going the extra mile, the band, and finally to each and every one of you who CARED!!!!

By Lulu

This year, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach had two rocking events sponsored by Twisted Tea. Boot Hill Saloon and Broken Spoke Saloon hosted the Twisted Tea Bikini contests with gorgeous girls taking the stage to strut their assets hoping to take home the $1000 prize money. I would hate to have to judge this, but the men and women who got that opportunity seemed thrilled to do it. First Place at Boot Hill Saloon went to lovely Sarah and at Broken Spoke Saloon Paige took the honors for the second time!!! Thank you, Bill Grotto and Twisted Tea, for giving those who attended great memories and caffeine in the Twisted Tea to get us through Bike Week! More photos of the days event are on Thunder Roads Florida Facebook.

By Lulu

A new addition to the party at 1405 Bike Week 2025…a blow-up pool to wet the L-asses in the wet T contest. At this event they auction off the right to get the girl wet. Plenty of water was flowing. The large crowd enjoyed the fun! 1405 is a full liquor bar with daily specials. Karaoke on Fridays and live music is featured Saturday and Sunday. Stop in and visit Tom and Lisa. More photos of the day’s event can be found at Thunder Roads Florida Facebook.