By Lulu

The rain forecast wasn’t good and the band plays outside at the Tilted Kilt first Saturday of the month Bike Night. I wasn’t sure if anyone would be there for our Twisted Tea party, so I was pleasantly surprised when the outside deck was full of people. Nefty and the girls kept us entertained; Nefty with games that included Musical Chairs and toilet paper & plungers! The girls with their tiny little kilts and great smiles! The band 4 Play was amazing! Plenty of folks tasted Twisted Tea for the first time! War Horse Harley-Davidson gave a $500 gift card away and John Atwater was thrilled to be the winner! The Tilted Kilt bike nights are the first Saturday evening from spring through November and the final one will feature Bearded Brothers Band who are awesome! As part of Twisted Tea Bike Night, we raised a bit of food and $76 cash for the food pantry of Marion County. Thanks to Nefty, the staff and the great peeps of Ocala for joining in on the fun!

By Ron Cox

Two hundred fifty riders/passengers signed up at Black Widow Harley-Davidson in Port Charlotte on August 7th to ride in the Inaugural Black Widow Fallen First Responders Poker Run.

The 40-mile ride started and ended at Black Widow with card stops at Ace Hardware in Cape Haze, Leverocks Restaurant in Placida and the Englewood Events Center in Englewood. Angelina Connor won the Poker Run and a $200 Black Widow gift card with a full house 9’s over queens. Stephen Byrne “won” the $100 gift card with the worst hand of an 8 high nothing.

Breakfast, a swag bag and t-shirt was included with the registration fee. Charlotte County Sheriff’s Deputies put on a riding skill and K-9 demonstration and showed off some of their equipment.

Before the riders headed out there was a bike blessing. Upon their return there was an all afternoon after ride celebration.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell spoke about how first responders appreciate this kind of support for the work they perform.

Funds raised ($4,500) will benefit the Charlotte County Explorer Unit and Concerns Of Police Survivors(C.O.P.S.) an organization that provides emotional and financial support to families that have lost a loved one in the line of duty.

by Katie Donzanti & Sara Brady

Photo Tina Branan & Nickolas Wolf

Orlando-Harley Davidson’s “Hogs for Hope” ride more than doubled its fundraising goals last week when more than 500 motorcycle riders drove past the Pulse Nightclub to show support for the victims of the June 12 tragedy and raise money for the OneOrlando.org fund.

The ride raised $45,500 more than double its original $20,000 goal. Accompanied on Sunday July 24th by Orlando Police, more than 500 riders came together and rode through downtown Orlando, stopping briefly in front of the Pulse Nightclub, the site of the June 12 tragedy that left 49 people dead and more than 50 others wounded.

“I am enormously proud of Orlando Harley-Davidson and our motorcycling community for coming together to help the Pulse attack victims and their families,” said Anne Deli, owner of Orlando Harley-Davidson and who organized the ride. “As we rode past Pulse and the Honor Guard we had posted there, it was an incredibly emotional moment. The victims and their families have so many needs due to the injuries or trauma caused by the accident. The amount raised was more than double our expectation which shows the love and unity of so many to help and support their long term needs.”

The parade ride departed from Camping World Stadium (formerly the Citrus Bowl) and traveled to the Orlando Harley-Davidson Historic Factory Dealership at 3770 37th St. Orlando. The parade was led by 49 flag bearers representing each of the victims, and escorted by the Orlando Police Department and its newly introduced “Orlando United” SUV Patrol Car. Riders rolled through downtown Orlando passing the Pulse Night Club where an American Orlando H-D’s HOGS FOR HOPE Ride Greatly Surpasses Fundraising Goals for ONEORLANDO Fund by Katie Donzanti & Sara Brady photos Tina Branan & Nickolas Wolf Legion Honor Guard stood at attention to honor the victims and their families.

The post-ride event included remarks from honored guests, City of Orlando Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Commissioner Regina Hill, both who participated in the parade. Also riding in the parade was Orlando Police Department’s Deputy Chief Orlando Rolon and Lt. Jim Young, Orlando Police’s newly appointed LGBT Community Liaison. Local band, Three Forks Road, entertained guests with an afternoon of music while they enjoyed food, drinks, a silent auction of vendor donated product in an atmosphere that was uniquely Orlando Harley-Davidson. Rounding out the afternoon was a series of dance showcases by local performers who have performed at PULSE, previously.

In addition to event proceeds including ticket sales, food contributions and silent auction, Orlando Harley-Davidson contributed $500 from Touring Motorcycle sales during the week of 7/17-7/25, then expanded to all motorcycles for the event, to the OneOrlando Fund

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

I don’t normally respond to Letters to the Editor, that’s the editor’s job and she does a great job. However, since only .001% of readers will ever write a letter to the editor, the letter in the August 2016 issue from Rob “Bad Dude” Edwards needed my attention. His comments didn’t offend me, mainly because I tend to offend not be offended. I’ve been writing for newspapers and magazines since school. I’m well-educated I spent 12 years in school, 2 in the 1st, 3 in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd and 4 in the 5th. My best subject was math. I would have gone to college but I already knew how to flip hamburgers. I tried radio but I sounded like Foghorn Leghorn. TV didn’t work either since I look like Phineas T. Bluster from the Howdy Doody show. By the way, I sat in the peanut gallery as a kid.

Comment that got my attention was “he has no business trying to write a political/ social column in a magazine that we read for entertainment and news of the latest motorcycle happenings in the area.” Rob, I hate to tell you but bikers are interested in more than “beautiful cycles and biker babes”. They’re not just people who want to have a nickname and ride around on motorcycles. They are concerned citizens, that know what politicians do can influence their income, health care, immigration, firearm rights, privacy protection, traffic laws, etc. They are not “delicate snowflakes” who need safe spaces, code words, trigger warnings, or micro-aggressions. Keeping an open mind is essential to the success of the American system of government. Democracy is fragile and demagogues are always lurking. Good citizens start with placing a premium on open minds, informed voting and demanding that politicians offer practical solutions, not scapegoats or pie-in-the-sky promises. They don’t treat their politics like their sports teams. They think, they just don’t root.

Let’s look at Rob’s remedies: “put a muzzle on old “Kneecap” and take away his editorial privileges”. Sounds like Rob is in favor of censorship. A force that represses ideas, free speech, impulses, and feelings. Anyone for Russia, North Korea, China, Iran, or pick your favorite communist country. Another remedy was to put him in charge of obituaries and or recipes. My editor has already put me in charge of an obituary, my own which I have skillfully written. I’m also a very good cook so if you want recipes Rob I’ll send them to you. At least he didn’t insult me by calling me normal. Rob, you need to pay attention to happenings like the Patriot Guard, Rolling Thunder, and 9/11 Ceremonies, to see how patriotic and political bikers are. “OOHRAH”. Rob, keep reading and learning from my column and we will both be happy.

I see we have a woman running for president. If she is elected her first act upon entering office should be to put the toilet seat down.

Remember, Obamacare only works if you don’t.

I just read a statistic that said criminals commit less crime after being shot.

Maybe ISIS will stop beheading people if we explain to them they should be focusing on climate change.

What makes America great, is that you can be a gutless, useless, freeloading parasite who pisses on America and everything it stands for, and still get a check from the government every month and that’s true even if you are not the president.

Check out my website “nobobiesopinion.com”

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow…

By Jim Moran

A Charity Benefit for Soldier Songs and Voices was held at Mango Jo’s in Ruskin on July 23rd. Soldier Songs and Voices is a national nonprofit organization that began in Austin, Texas with a mission to help veterans heal from the trauma of battle through music. Soldier Songs and Voices provides musical instruction, instruments and songwriting workshops to help veterans express their feelings and experiences of war. Founder of the Sarasota/Manatee chapter Ray Hodges and singer songwriter Debbie Hood did a fantastic job with the event and Cathy, owner of Mango Jo’s was a perfect host. The event raised over $1,200 for the cause which will be used to purchase guitars for veterans and to create CD’s of veterans’ music to sell at future fundraisers. Among the performers were Ray Hodges, Debbie Hood, Dean Johanesen, Bill Vinhage and Gerry Bell among others. Special thanks to all of the American Legion Riders, Riverview, and Nam Knights who came out to support the cause and to Dragon for smokin’ the chicken and sausage.

For more information on Soldier Songs and Voices, visit www.soldierssongsandvoices.org/ssv or call Ray Hodges at 941-448-0952

by Lori “Shutta Bitch” Mobouck ~ Fire & Iron

MC-Station 10 Secretary and Region 1 Secretary

It seems like most mornings we wake up to some kind of tragedy these days. Recently, I was honored to join a group of bikers riding for the Pulse victims and their families. I woke not knowing how the day would go, knowing that day changed so many lives. I was asked to write an article, but to tell you the truth, didn’t realize how hard it was going to be because I wanted to honor all that were directly affected on that day. The day was emotional but with everyone there, we all stood together for the same reason.

The turnout was amazing. The ride visited different places, police stations, fire departments (some of which were on scene that morning) and various others establishments that had contributed with donations.

As I approached Pulse, there were a few people already at the memorial site. It was so quiet but you could hear what they were thinking. I could only imagine the shock and horror each person must have felt not knowing why this was happening and which way they should run to feel safe again. Overwhelming emotions changing the survivors’ lives and the victim’s families lives forever.

As the world watched in shock as the story unfolded, we prayed for them with hope in our hearts. Hope for this world not be filled with so much violence.

Wishing you all “wicked” safe and fun travels!!!

By Lulu

Sadness isn’t something young people expect to deal with. But when Eli Holley and his passenger died from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident, sadness hit their young friends and family hard. A run was organized in his memory and the Boot Hill Saloon was packed. I saw lots of young riders who probably hadn’t been on a run for someone they knew and loved before…in a perfect world you would hope they wouldn’t have to again, but as we older riders know…tragedy strikes without warning and losses are something we simply endure. But rides like this one for Eli are healing, the smiles of his friends telling stories about Eli are the beginning and if there is a heaven above I know Eli would be smiling along with his friends for remembering him…

By Lulu

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This year Sherry Fletcher joined the staff of Grandview Live because the management saw an asset for their desire to be involved with charitable events and to be involved with good works for the community. The new Grandview Live hosted their first bike show for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and what an awesome day they pulled off. Even though the temp was high they opened the bar for the silent auction and that gave us all a place to cool our engines and have something to drink to cool off. I personally would like to thank the sponsors that made this happen SR Perrott, Miller Lite, Twisted Tea, Holt Appraisal Firm, Budweiser, Jägermeister, Bayer Aspirin, Volusia Top Gun for the gun they gave to raffle, The Rock of Daytona (particularly for allowing Sherry and me to make fools of ourselves on the radio live), Spanos Motors, Viscomi Construction and Mid Florida Sportswear…without the generosity of these heavy hitters the event would not have been such a great success. Also we need to thank Doug and his staff from Triple D Motorcycles for the great job they did organizing the event and working with Willie from Tropical Tattoo to make this run quite smoothly for a first ever show at Grandview. I told Sherry there was no way to pull a bike show off in such a short time frame, but she did it and did it exceptionally well. With a dunk tank (with Joe V, Jerry Lee and Craiger bearing their chests), gun raffle, bike entries, silent auction, vendors, 50/50 and even the bartenders donating a portion of their tips…the Grandview donation hit the $10,000 mark!! Many do not realize it takes $2.1 million a day to run the hospital and no family pays. Housing, transportation, food and treatment is totally covered. To keep the crowds entertained a trio of stunt riders, Orlando Alliance, put on a show with burnouts, wheelies and tricks. It was a family friendly event…but gave everyone a chance to see the renovations to the old Grandview Live, and to see the owner, Bob Russell’s, and management’s commitment to being involved with the community in a positive…wholesome way. GREAT JOB you guys. Thank you to each and every one who made donations, entered bikes, bid and bought items. I could not have picked a bike…each and every one was cool in their own right. I am certain this will be a yearly event so shine up your ride and enter next year!!

Grandview would like to say a special thank you to Mike Rudicel of South Florida Bike Events and co-owner of Big Dawgs from Ft. Lauderdale for being such a great supporter of this event and for coming up with the Jager and Bud Bike and for the great auction items!

Best in Show bike is owned by Derrick Ames and wife Anne, owners of Daytona Estate Jewelry for the past 28 years. The bike is a 2011 Thunder Cycle built by Eddie Trotta. Eddie named it “Nasty” and it is the only Pagan Gold bike built by Eddie. It was painted by Bones. The bike features a 131 cubic inch motor. Derrick also had two other bikes in his stable; another Trotta custom named “Skullster” for sale at Midwest Motorcycle and one built by high school students in Sturgis with parts provided by famous builders the build off was titled “Clash of the Titans”. Derrick and his wife Anne are involved with a great charity that helps put musical instruments in the hands of children, Kids Rock the Nation, and will be putting on an event at Bank & Blues on December 5th. So put this on your calendar and ride out for a great cause.

By Lulu

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Spring…and all those who like rides, rallies and the beach head to Panama City Beach. This was the 18th year and I think it has grown a lot since the new Panama City Beach Harley-Davidson opened. The usual places to hang out were packed including Ms. Newby’s, the streets were jammed and the hot spots for vendors had plenty of peeps browsing. Concerts, bikini contests and bike shows were all over town. Gotta love the pretty beaches and water in the panhandle. Next event is October 19-23 so get your reservations now!

By Lulu

Our monthly Twisted Tea parties take us to great bars we sometimes haven’t had a chance to visit and in July we were quite impressed by Fast Freddie’s Bar & Grill in Jacksonville on N. Main St. Not only do they have a really cool outdoor place to party, the band Highway Jones was awesome, patrons were friendly and the owner Fred was lots of fun, even donning one of our Thunder Roads T-shirts to wear with his ass showing costume. They have food including great wings, full liquor and a Thursday night bike night. We raised 40 pounds of food and $103 dollars for the Duval food pantry so a great night also made for a bit of grub for those less fortunate. The Twisted Tea sampling got many to try Twisted Tea for the first time and if you haven’t tried it you really must! Our next Twisted Tea Party is in Ocala at Tilted Kilt on August 7th so ride out and join us for great music from 6-9pm and don’t forget some canned goods to enter for the $50 we give away!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

It’s often said that we should never talk about religion, faith, or politics in fear that we may offend someone. The best defense is a good offense. So I offend as many people as possible. Religion is the ritual observance of faith. Faith is the confidence or trust in a person or thing or the belief in God or the doctrine or teachings of religion. Politics is the use of strategy in obtaining a position of power or control.

Now, that we know my definition of religion, faith, and politics I will combine them in my thoughts in this article. I was brought up in a very religious family but as I got older I lost my faith in organized religion because of its politics. However, I never lost my faith in God. You who read my column know that I was diagnosed stage IV oral cancer. Nothing like a bit of reality to arise your faith not only in God but in medical providers.

When I was growing up, all we knew was our local doctor who if you were too sick to come to his office, he would come to your house. Hard to believe in this day and age but doctors were treated like gods, and they deserved it, being called out at all times of the day and night while having an intimate relationship with their patients. Doctors are no longer held in such high esteem as they were decades ago. I never paid much attention to this.

Being a normal male (matter of opinion) I had to be in really bad shape before I went to a doctor, so when I was diagnosed I had second thoughts where to put my faith. Should I put it in God or my medical providers? At my age I had a major decision to make. Should I throw the towel in and let my faith in God direct the way, or should I put my faith in the medical providers? The first thing I did go was to go to the Internet to see what kind of treatment I would need. Secondly, I questioned people I knew who had gone through the same thing.

God has gifted all kinds of people in all kinds of ways with the ability to study medicine in order to heal people. After talking to a few doctors I decided to put my faith in both God and the medical providers. What I found out was that the patient had little to say about the doctors or the treatments. Politics now rule the medical world. The government tells health insurance companies what they have to cover and what to pay. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?

Even with all the government intervention I got lucky. I was directed to Island Doctors in Flagler Beach for my primary care. They referred me to Florida Hospital Flagler for radiation treatment and Medcare in Ormond Beach for chemotherapy. Both teams in radiation and chemotherapy were five-star. I’m on the road to recovery despite the politics in medicine and government intervention. So I’ll be around to write more offensive articles.

My doctor said I should cut back on my drinking because in my last x-ray my liver was wearing a party hat. So today I celebrate my 10 days sober, not in a row just total. Then again I don’t drink alcohol, I drink distilled spirits. So I’m not an alcoholic, I’m spiritual. After all, Tequila lets me appreciate small things in life, like shot glasses.

Check out my website nobodiesopinion.com
See you on the shiny side of tomorrow

By Lulu

People come into your life some you will never know but for the moment your paths cross. Others you feel like you are meant to be their friend. And let me tell you Donna is one of those girls! We met her tending bar several months ago at Pug’s Pub in Eustis. She was friendly and just seemed to include us in her “circle” instantly. A perfect personality for a bartender…and certainly a perfect personality to call your friend. Recently we heard she was facing a major battle with the “C” word and we were stunned. She is a little bitty thing and seemed frail for the fight. But her friends and patrons of the Pug rallied around her to raise a bit of money and to RAISE her spirits giving back some of the love she has bestowed on anyone who walks through the door. A great day was held for her with Patty the owner hosting a meal and the band Shaky Puddin’. We had a blast and seeing her determination and that big smile on her face, even in the face of this fight, made everyone there feel better!

By Lulu

The great customers, employees and owners at Stormy Hill Harley-Davidson in Clermont got a chance to celebrate in June. They celebrated 14 years of success which I am sure hasn’t always been easy, having to survive a recession during the course of 14 years of business! But hard work, community involvement and good customer service is something to celebrate. AND it didn’t hurt that they were giving away a brand new Harley. The winner of the Harley, Christopher Brown was beaming when they called his name. It is easy to go home a winner…but I have to say I love the guy who won the 50/50, John Gitzy, who donated his winnings right back to Hospice! The Andrew Williams Band rocked the place while we were there and I hated to have to leave to run up to check out Ocala Bike Fest. On your travels of the Florida highways check out Stormy Hill they have great apparel, friendly staff AND you can always check out their brand new bikes!!

By Ron Cox

Six Bends Harley-Davidson (Ft. Myers) celebrated the 4th of July by hosting its Inaugural Independence Ride to the Veteran’s Memorial Area of the Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve in Cape Coral. Eighty motorcycles and more than 100 riders/passengers made the ride led by Six Bends General Manager Curtis McKinley, owner Scott Fischer and HOG Chapter Director Bob Hotovy.

McKinley spoke about the gratitude we all feel for our comrades in arms who made the ultimate sacrifice that enable us to have a day like today. Many in the assemblage were Veterans. In unison the group recited the Pledge of Allegiance and other patriotic songs.

The group photo was taken in front of The Marine Corps War Memorial, also called the Iwo Jima Statue. This monument is a one third scale replica of the original located near the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Upon returning to Six Bends the riders were treated to a cookout, live entertainment and door prizes.

The principals have indicated that this Independence Ride will become an annual event.

By Lulu

Up in the Panhandle of Florida almost to the Alabama line is Ft. Walton Beach and during the same weekend as the Thunder Beach Spring Rally Emerald Coast Harley-Davidson sets up at the Boardwalk with a huge tent of motorcycles, demo rides, live music, poker runs, bike shows and vendors. The 3 days of poker runs benefit children giving the proceeds to Children in Crisis and the Children’s Advocacy Center. It was a nice ride over from Panama City Beach, so get on your bike and ride next time you are up at Thunder Beach Rally and check out the good peeps at Emerald Coast H-D.