By Lulu

Under the sprawling old oaks in Ormond Beach is the Broken Spoke Saloon. So far only open during the rallies in the spring and fall, but it is one hell of a great party spot. The shade offered by the huge trees makes for a nice place to hide from the sweltering heat while listening to live bands and enjoying cold beverages. After dark, the trees are lit with little white lights turning the venue into an adult wonderland. The huge stage is great for show bands and the covered large pole barn is good for rain shelter during inclement weather. The beautiful grounds provide plenty of space for bike and car shows. Lots of good looking bar staff makes your drink purchasing a bit more pleasant! Uncle Kracker filled the place on the first weekend. Then all week-long Hairball and other bands kept music in the air. The last Saturday of Bike Week the Ribbon Riders attempted to break the world record of the most women riders. The official count was hosted by Skip’s Boots on International. Although the record wasn’t broken, over six hundred bikes filled the parking lot at Skips. The after party was at Broken Spoke where Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorney treated the ladies to lunch. I would really love to see this bar open all year long!

By Lulu

The owners of Insane Cycles and Muscle Cars in Ormond Beach, David and Kimberly, have completed a major move and renovation to their new location at 691 S. Yonge St. (US 1). The business is packed with show room quality bikes and cars. Everywhere you look there is something to catch your eye. From sweet sleek choppers to rusty renovations, there is something for everyone’s taste. They specialize in custom paint, airbrushing and pinstriping as well as sales of quality pre-owned bikes and cars. Insane loves muscle car restoration and are excellent at it. Really it is like a museum inside. They also do exotic seats if you are looking for something to set your bike apart from the rest! So, if you are thinking about purchasing or already own a restoration piece, check out the crew at Insane…if you can dream it, they can create it for you!
David and Kimberly are active in the local scene and we recently spotted them presenting a trophy at Broken Spoke’s Rat Rod Invasion show during Bike Week. And even the trophy was “Insane”.

By Lulu

There are all kind of things that cause a celebration, but few are more-worthy than a 75th birthday party!!! The owner of OB’s recently had hundreds join in for cake and cocktails to toast this grand mile marker! OB’s beautiful daughters and the rest of the friendly staff ran their tails off trying to keep up with the fun. Thunder Jack and Gin Mill Romeo kept the crowd tapping their feet all night long. If you haven’t made it out to their new bike night on Wednesdays from 6-10pm, you MUST! Every Bike Night they have an awesome $2-3 food special that Ken and the crew put out, live music, and great drink or beer prices. It has grown to one of the biggest bike nights in Volusia County, at 1750 N. Woodland Blvd. in Deland.

By Lulu

If you’ve been to Bike Week, you have certainly heard of the world-famous Coleslaw Wrestling at the Cabbage Patch Bar! But Cabbage Patch is more than just girls in oil and cabbage…they rock three stages with live music, put on the Sound Showdown, provide $10 camping, and have vendors galore. They also host two great bike shows, the Budweiser Battle of the Baggers, and Budweiser’s Ride in Bike Show. Emcee Radical Randy keeps things on track, and the trophies sponsored by Fran Haasch Law Group make people ride in from all over to enter. Don’t forget to visit Cabbage Patch Bar all year long. They love to be a poker run stop, so keep them on your list!

By Lulu

Tucked under the bridge on Highway 100 in Flagler Beach is a great waterfront bar – Hidden Treasure Raw Bar & Grill. There are actually two locations in Volusia, and one in Flagler County. Their Volusia County locations are on US1 in Port Orange and in Ponce Inlet. The Flagler location went all out during Bike Week with great entertainment taking the stage every day. The bands included the Razorbacks, The U.S. Stones, Orange Avenue, Big Engine, Bath Salt Zombies, Thunderjack, and Peach Life. On Sundays, Anthony Wild and the Suspects supports the Kids Rock the Nation Charity Jam, which provides musical instruments to local students. The night we rode out, the U.S. Stones put on an awesome show, and their firepits warmed the crowds! For a great Sunday adventure, ride out to Flagler Beach – 820 Moody Lane on the Intracoastal Waterway. The food and service are always great at all three locations, so check out Hidden Treasure and put them on your list if you are putting on a poker run for charity!

By Lulu

Denise and the crew at the Original First Turn in Port Orange are used to big crowds and work their buns off trying to keep bellies full and tonsils wet!! But the crowds at Bike Week and even now on their first Tuesday of the month Big Bike Night can be a bit overwhelming even to veteran bar staff. But the wonderful outside seating, great food and awesome musical talent can overfill the parking lot. All year long they have great music, once a month they do a large cornhole tourney, and feature a country night on the second Friday usually with Hayfire, a crowd favorite. But the NEW First Tuesday Bike Night at First Turn is really taking off like wildfire. They serve up some free grub on all Tuesday bike nights, live music and have $1.50 domestics & $2 Twisted Tea. The first Tuesday though they throw in raffles, vendors and New Smyrna Harley-Davidson is on site as one of their sponsors. A great time is in store for you if you can ride to Port Orange for their Tuesday nights!

By Lulu

Normally I spend the last day of Bike Week and Biketoberfest on the back porch of the Dog Pound Saloon in Bunnell. My friends and I love to unwind at the world-famous Survivor Party for free food, great cocktails, and camaraderie! But as luck would have it, we stopped by earlier in the week and ran into by dear friend Mike and his parents. It was wonderful to see Mike and Glenn. Thank goodness we did, because by the time the last Sunday rolled around I came down with a terrible cold and couldn’t make it back up to Bunnell! The Dog Pound is VERY motorcycle friendly. My friend Glenn and I need to make a play date to get on the bikes and ride. Sadly, he is busy with his two bars (he also owns Smiles in Palm Coast) and I am an hour south of Bunnell and always busy with the magazine. Life sure can get in the way of FUN! Stop in and tell the friendly staff I said hello, and if I missed you at the Survivor Party sorry I will be certain to see you in the fall.

By Lulu

Whether it is Bike Week or not, Tony and Dar at The Boat Bar in Port Orange on US 1 have a party going on! This beer and wine establishment treat their regulars and any newbie to The Boat as a welcome guest coming to their house for a party! All the staff love their bikers!! Almost monthly, Tony and Dar find a reason to entertain. Often that includes good music and free food! This month on the Sunday before Bike Week, License to Steal played out back to a packed crowd, and the BBQ was awesome! The second-best part of the bar (other than the friendly staff) is the beer price! At only $2 a domestic longneck all year long, you just can’t beat this bar as a place to throw down a cold one. They do a Bike Night every Friday evening, so now that the weather is warming up, find a stool at The Boat to cool your pipes.

By Lulu

In Palatka, 3-D Saloon is a bar that specializes in bringing great original bands to music lovers. The night we visited, Framing the Red had the place on fire!! The $10 cover was well worth it, because drink prices were cheap and the music was awesome! The crowd was friendly, and we ran into peeps from as far as Orange Park and Crescent City – all there to hear good music. 3-D is also known for occasionally bringing in metal bands (not normally my cup of tea) but if the metal bands are of the same caliber as Framing the Red, I can see why Amy gets a crowd!! On Sundays they celebrate motorcycling with $2 domestics and free pool!! Ride out and introduce yourself to Amy and Donnie!!

By Ron Cox

Almost 80 vintage motorcycles registered at Sunsports Cycle in Ft. Myers for the First Vintage Motorcycle Show on Saturday, February 10th. Entries were limited to 2 stroke bikes only. There were numerous categories, such as engine size and country of origin. Jimmy Sabino won the Best of Show prize with his 1958 Imme, a German motorcycle. Also on site were bike parts and a swap meet, food vendors and live music.

Plans are already in the works for the Second Annual Vintage Motorcycle Show, tentatively set for February 9, 2019 at a venue to be determined. Shows are also being planned for other locations around the state. For information contact Event Manager Flathead Jack at 239-851-7492 or 2strokebikeshow@gmail.com

By Lulu

As always, Iron Horse filled the cat walks, bleachers and tables. Whether you ride in for their newest T-shirt, a big helping of Craiger’s Beef Tips, or to listen to David Allan Coe sing your favorites, one thing is for sure, it is Bike Week, so you are going to hit the Iron Horse…probably more than once. This year their music line up included Bad Company’s Brian Howe, Cold Hard Cash, Mustang Sally, Jared Blake, and Confederate Railroad. And what you gotta love is they bring these groups to you free each night. On Sundays at the Iron Horse all year long they have live music and their Bloody Mary’s are awesome. So, don’t wait for Bike Week to pony up to the bar, ride in anytime of year…they are always open!

By Lulu

On the west coast of Florida, a favorite motorcycle hangout has always been Biff Burger in St. Pete. Great food and drinks keep those on two and three wheels pulling into the parking lot all year long…for 21 years now! We were on site to celebrate their 21st anniversary with hundreds of patrons all day and into the night. Greg Billings Band rocked the place, while bike games including the slow race, loud pipes and riding the plank entertained the crowd. They served one of the very best Pig Roasts I have ever tasted – and it was free!!! Here’s to many more years of outstanding service!! Make sure you check out their Wednesday and Saturday bike nights!

By Lulu

Well despite a glitch that required a last-minute change of date and that change putting it on the day of the big race Heavy managed to fill the Beaver Bar to capacity once again. The weather was beautiful. His event always ends up with a Bike Week type atmosphere and crowd! Vendors, the Bike Show, great music by Crashrocket and food made for a phenomenal day.

Midwest was celebrating 23 years!! I know they would like to thank the sponsors that make this party happen! So, thank you goes out to MOTO STOP, Strokerz, Barney’s Leather, Classic Carts, Tropical Tattoo, Quick Draw Motorcycles, Red Ember Cycles, Euro Cycles of Daytona, Chad Chambers Customs, Taco Kustoms, Bridgit’s Custom Works, Fever Cycle TV, The Rock of Daytona, Rollin Heavy and Who’s Hot. And an extra big thank you to the Beaver Bar for being a great place to throw a party. Here’s to 23 more years they must be doing something right.

By Lulu

Racing and motorcycles are the history of Daytona Beach. The only thing other things that Daytona is famous for other than racing and Bike Week is driving on the beaches and spring break. The Boat Bar in Port Orange and George Pendergast took a day in February to celebrate some of the racing history with a party that included free food and music. Cool antique cars and some of the racing legends filled the lot. It was great to meet some of The Northeast Racer Legends and celebrate the memory of George Pendergast. If you haven’t been down to The Boat on US 1 you should check it out. The domestic beers are only $2, and imports are only $3 all day/everyday!

Something happened tonight that made painful memories rush in and consume me once again. Funny how you can push those feelings somewhere inside where they can’t reach you. Then out of nowhere those thoughts can overtake your entire being. Tears flow, sobbing starts, that internal ache returns. All as if it never went away. It won’t last long this time. Not like the endless days and nights of it in the beginning. In a way tonight was a gift for me.

I had a casual conversation with someone that had experienced the tragic loss of a loved one by suicide recently. They were still in that raw gut wrenching agony of grief that comes with the loss of a loved one. Anytime we lose someone it hurts deep inside. But only those who survive the loss of a loved one by suicide can understand that this grief is different. Guilt and the senselessness of it is quite powerful.

In the initial phase of grieving you try to make it an hour without crying just so you can do things like pay your bills. Then maybe you go a day or two, finally a month may pass without crying and eventually you won’t remember the last time you cried for them. And after 11 years it almost seems unreal that it really happened. Now the reason this chance meeting which caused me to cry all the way home was a gift is because as time passes and you try to put that tragic day and the agony it brings somewhere deep inside you so that it can’t hurt you anymore, you almost lose that portion of your life and I question was it real. Tonight, I felt every moment of it, not just for me…I was sad for this kind man too. I knew exactly what he was going through.

Suicide is an epidemic in this country right now. Teens, vets, male and female are taking their lives every minute of the day. Suicide by veterans right now is 19 a day!!! Over the past 15 years the suicide rate has increased 24%. It is the 10th leading cause of death in the US for all ages. Approximately 105 Americans die every day.

I am writing this for one reason, if you are dealing with feelings of despair or know someone that seems lost in sadness. There is help and hope. Reach out for it. Call a suicide hotline, go to a doctor and if it is bad go straight to the ER. Do not think for one minute that by ending your life anything is better. You simply pass the torch of your pain to those you leave behind and with your last breath those you love will be changed forever.
Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Buy a stranger a drink, ride on a suicide awareness benefit and don’t forget your sunscreen!