By Lulu

If a man’s wealth is judged by his friends…Marty Smith is among the richest! A benefit was held for Marty who worked as the manager of Lowes in Port Orange. First Turn Steakhouse hosted the event with live music and a HUGE raffle which entertained the HUGE crowd. I attend events of this nature all over the state and I must say this one really set the bar high. It was organized…fun…and I am certain the money raised and the emotional boost of seeing so many people come together to show their love and support will help this family deal with his Stage 4 cancer. I want to thank the Hilliard’s at First Turn for always being so involved with the community. And to each and everyone who worked on the event and attended this great cause for Marty…you guys and gals rock!!

By Billy Braddock

The dictionary says that entrepreneurs are persons who undertake business ventures usually with considerable initiative and risk. This country has been obsessed with celebrities. Example “American Idol”. However, the entrepreneurs who start businesses and support the community are the real Idols. Here in Flagler County, we have some of the best this country has to offer. Matt Crews and Joe Rizzo have been running Woody’s BBQ since 2000. Both grew up in Flagler County and graduated from Flagler Palm Coast High School together. Chris Zwirn after eight years as district manager overseeing three Wendy’s locally joined forming JMC Food Company, which was formed using the first name initials of the three owners. Woody’s BBQ is noted not only for its great food but for its community projects which includes donating free kids meal tickets at Woody’s to schools to use as they wish, usually as a reward for good grades. They also sponsor many functions in the community including the classic car show every Wednesday evening. Woody’s BBQ is located at 99 Flagler Plaza Dr., Palm Coast and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.

They didn’t stop there. They went out to West County and at the end of County Road 2006 and reopened Bull Creek Fish Camp on Dead Lake. This Lake not only offers access to Mud Lake to the East and Crescent Lake to the West but also some the most beautiful sunsets in Florida. It’s a great place for fishing, boating, motorcycle rides and even poker runs, not to mention the quality food. It’s open from 5:30 AM through 9 PM for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week.

All this was still not enough for these very ambitious entrepreneurs. They became partners in the Island Grille at 1224 S. Ocean Shore Blvd., Flagler Beach. This used to be the former Blue restaurant at the Topaz motel. It’s open from 7 AM to 9 PM for breakfast lunch and dinner.

Rumor has it that they haven’t stopped there. Look for a new pizza place on County Road 305 in the western part of the county.

Now, these are the Idols we should emulate, because they are what the American dream consists of and what this country was built on. Hard work, initiative, risk and belief in your community.

By Lulu

A new concept in the greater Daytona area was spawned by the crew at the new radio station The Rock of Daytona. You can go online and vote for the charity you would like to see the profits of the event go to. This is a quarterly event with different locations and different charities each time. The event in August started at The Lost Lagoon in New Smyrna, next stop New Smyrna Harley Davidson, then off to OB’s in Deland and then to Rudy’s Crossroads with our final party stop in Samsula at Cabbage Patch. Free BBQ was served, the band rocked the place and the charities included two veterans’ groups and a playhouse. Hundreds rode and everyone seemed to be looking forward to the next event which will be November 21st starting at the Wing House on International from 10:30a to 12:30p…the ending party will be at First Turn Steakhouse in Port Orange. Thanks to The Rock of Daytona 104.7 FM WROD and Rue & Ziffra law firm for bringing us this great event for our community! Go to www.youdecidetheride.com to register!

By Deborah Speicher

The Ruff Ryders “Unchained” event on Saturday August 22 was off the hook! The afternoon at Quaker Steak and Lube really rocked and included the group the Black Honkeys, a bike show, bikini bike wash and stunt show. Most of the members of this group ride sport bikes but I noticed a lot of other makes and models of motorcycles – everything from choppers to cruisers.

This was actually part of a three-day anniversary party that the local Ruff Ryders sponsored, and it attracted riders from all over Florida and beyond. They started off Friday with a meet and greet, followed by an after party. After spending the afternoon at Quaker Steak on Saturday, the party continued that evening in Ybor City. Sunday had everyone gathering for lunch and to bid farewell to all.

Like most other groups, it is all about the riding, family, camaraderie, charity, and in their case “extreme sport”! It was a great party with some really nice people. Thank you Ruff Ryders!

By Metric and Phoenix

Heartland Cycles and Rich’s Diner teamed up to host one awesome bike night. Everyone braved the daily evening showers and came out for the party. I even thought I saw Hemingway and a rider or two from the Conch Republic make the trip. One of our own “Biker” entertainers “Dumpster Mike” was entertaining the crowd with some the greatest tunes of all times. The drinks were flowing and the party was going into the late hours. Heartland Cycles owners Kevin and his beautiful wife Michelle said this is the first of many events planned for the future. So check out their Facebook pages for the next great event. The next time you are out here in GOD’S county stop in at Rich’s for a cold beer and a bite to eat. Drop in on Dumpster Mike; he is always entertaining somewhere locally. Of course if you ride a Harley you know you are going to have something on it fixed so see Kevin and Michelle at Heartland Cycles. Kevin works on “METRIC” motorcycles too but they do not need as much tender loving care as a Harley. Tell them “METRIC” sent you…

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By Lulu

Due to a really great year of new ad clients and lots of events that we had to get in, I had to pull the photos from Leesburg Bike Fest the past few months. But summer is here and we had some space to fill. So for those of you, who have been asking for them, please accept my apology for not getting these in the magazine sooner!

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By Deborah Speicher

This year was the 75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and estimates had the record crowds at about one million. Regardless of whether they really hit the one million mark, the roads, bars, stores, restaurants, campgrounds and other venues were packed!

We took advantage of some of the great events sponsored by the Buffalo Chip, starting with Michael Lichter’s photography and motorcycle exhibit the “Naked Truth.” Michael, along with some of the motorcycle builders, did a great gallery talk about the motorcycles and he gave us some history on his photos. The next day we rode into Deadwood for the Legends Ride, proceeds of which benefitted local charities which included athletes from the Black Hills Special Olympics.

The very next day we headed out to The Lodge at Deadwood for the Biker Belles Celebration. This event benefitted the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame and Helping with Horsepower. The keynote speaker was motorcycle matriarch Gloria Tramontin Struck, who recently turned 90 years old! Gloria is still loving and living life on two wheels. As in many years past, she rode her motorcycle from home (New Jersey) to Sturgis and back.

There were so many bike shows, concerts, organized rides and more that you wish you could clone yourself and not miss a thing! But, since it really is all about the riding, we did spend a few days to ride to Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower (Wyoming), Custer State Park, and The Badlands with a short stop at Wall Drug for our free water, free donut and 5cent coffee.

To sum up our entire trip to the Black Hills, the riding and views were spectacular, and what a nice break from the Florida heat and rain.

By Lulu

Shannon Register is one lucky girl! In July she won the Harley-Davidson Street 750 that Bruce Rossmeyer’s Ormond Beach location gave away on the 4th! The day included live music by Mikey Clams & the Daygos, giveaways and a huge hot dog eating contest!

Ride safe Shannon!!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

I doubt that there is anybody who could forget what happened on September 11, 2001. The terrible day Islamic terrorists murdered 2977 innocent people. Every year we have ceremonies remembering and praying for these victims. At 8:46 AM we have a moment of silence. After we have paid respect to those who died on that day with our silence and prayers, we need to look at the rest of the story. It’s time to change our silence into shouts & screams.

Islamic terrorism started long before there was an Israel or the United States. As far back as the 1700s Islam has hated the West. Islam blames the crusades, the Jews, Western culture, and Christians for their fall from power. Truth is they are their own cause of destruction. They are extremely brutal and patient. They know in time that because of the weakness of our politicians they can do a lot more damage by waiting.

Let’s take a look at the damage they have done. Since 2001 we have entered into two wars with almost 7000 casualties, 52,000 wounded, and 970,000 veteran claims for disability. 2600 NY Firefighters, Police, EMTs, sanitation workers, and volunteers have had extreme health problems. Not to mention the Trillions of $.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about making “America Great Again”. America has always been “Great”. It is the politicians that are taking the greatness and throwing it in the dumpster. We spend more money on illegal aliens, than we do our Veterans. Obama has slashed more than 1.4 billion from the budget for American’s veterans. 70,000 fewer veterans will receive the VA care they need. Obama has said he wants to grant amnesty to 5 million illegal aliens, while cutting military spending to veterans by a staggering 65%. This executive action will be giving out a year’s worth of Medicaid coverage and cash, costing US taxpayers 97.8 million, money which would be taken from the VA. Obama stated, it’s important to give these immigrants a footstool to help them climb out of substandard conditions they been facing. He’s right. We need to give them a foot in the ass hard enough to send them home. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) summed it up perfectly. It’s absurd. Taking money away from veterans who served his country bravely and proudly, and handing it over to people who aren’t even American citizens. It’s insulting to know this man is still president.

Actually his actions are not hard to believe. He’s been dissing the military since he’s taken office. He skipped the funeral of the highest-ranking officer to be killed on foreign soil in over 40 years. He’s been smearing Veterans as potential domestic terrorists. He has tried making wounded Veterans cover their own medical treatment through private insurance plans. He gave terrorists at Gitmo a $750,000 soccer field, cable TV, entertainment, classes in painting, etc. while stripping away benefits for soldiers. He silenced and criminalized Christianity in the military. He’s allowed Veterans to die in secret waiting lists at VA hospitals all over the country. He endlessly tramples on the Constitution that soldiers are sworn to defend and attacking the rights they fought, bled and died to protect.

Obama has no challengers. The voters gave the GOP the House and the Senate and what did they get? Mitch McConnell the Senate’s designated liar from Kentucky and Speaker John Boehner who can’t speak up unless he’s ordering a drink at happy hour. If chastised he will start crying.

If NASA wants to send people to Mars I’ve got some real spaced out x-wives I’d recommend.

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow.

By Lulu

The folks at Space Coast Harley strive to bring great music to the dealership and it seems like almost every weekend they have something going on! I traveled down to Palm Bay in August for their 1980’s tribute. The bikini bike wash girls had bikes lined up and the music filled the lot. Everyone from the employees to the folks who rode in for the music is always so nice at Space Coast Harley-Davidson. Keep an eye on their ads each month to find out what is planned!!

By Bill Grotto

Imagine riding your bike to Sturgis and leaving with two…Sound crazy? Not when Twisted Tea is involved! This year at the Sturgis 75th anniversary Twisted Tea not only gave away one bike but TWO bikes to lucky consumers. The first bike was a 1974 ironhead Sportster that was built by our friends at The Choppin Block. The Choppin Block is a group of builders that got together to do what they love the most- build bikes! Chop Docs Choppers (From Michigan now out of Daytona) Turners Cycle Shop, Kustoms Inc and Doomtown Choppers all played a role in getting this little bar hopper going. We gave the bike away at Steve Broyle’s The Horse Back Street Choppers show at Full Throttle Saloon. What made this bike giveaway special was that it was free to enter for anyone over 21 and the drawing happened right there on the spot that day. The ballot box was overflowing with entries! When it was time to draw a name we had two (unlucky) entrants whose names were called but they never came to the stage so too bad for them! Three times a charm is true because the 3rd name we drew was Rodney Roerhig from Iowa City, Iowa and boy was he happy! As he approached the stage with a Twisted Tea in hand we knew we had the right guy!

This story almost didn’t have a happy ending…At the end of this busy day I went home and emptied my pockets of all the receipts and business cards I get all day and realized there was something missing…Rodney’s contact information! Luckily Rodney called up The Horse and they put him in touch with us…Otherwise there would have been posters all over Sturgis that said “Rodney from Iowa call Twisted Tea we have your bike!”

The second bike giveaway we did was at One Eyed Jack’s. This was in conjunction with a national “text to win” a trip to Sturgis and a chance to win the bike. The bike was a ’72 FLH shovel head which we named “Tea Bagger” because hey it’s Twisted Tea and it’s a bagger…no brainer! We had the ballot box at One Eyed all week long and there were many entries. On Thursday afternoon we picked 6 ballots out of the box and called the contestants to let them know they were chosen as finalists. One Eyed Jacks is always busy and this night was no different. With the bar packed and the crowd waiting in anticipation each contestant came up and picked one of 6 keys out of a bucket. First one…nuthin…second guy (who won the trip to Sturgis)…nuthin…Once again3 time’s a charm and the 3rd contestant Eric Hess from Buffalo New York had the key that fired the bike! Just like Rodney he was a long time Tea drinker so we knew the right guys got the bikes and nothing could make us happier than making our loyal drinkers happy!

This was the first time we did something like this and felt it was a great success. We plan on doing it again so who knows the next winner could be YOU!

By Raven Van Pelt

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The American Legion Riders Chapter 9, with their host partner Flamingo Lake RV Resort, in support of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., hosted the 3rd Annual Boots on the Ground Poker Run and Concert.  The purpose of the annual event is to honor the mothers of America’s Fallen Warriors and provide financial resources to aid American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. (AGSM) in fulfilling their Gold Star National Monument Foundation Program. Last year’s event had over 500 riders and 1,000 attending overall and this year’s event was much larger with over 886 riders.

Over 2,500 Military Combat Boots lined the entryways and parking lots of the event, each one prominently displaying an American Flag and Fallen Warrior’s picture to include their service, rank, name, age, hometown, date of death and conflict.  The boots are part of the American Legion Riders Chapter 9 Memorial “Boots on the Ground ~ America Remembers”. Visually, it reminds each of us that FREEDOM TRULY ISN’T FREE!

Registration began at 8:30 am with the Studio One Band playing blues and southern rock for the opening ceremonies. The event had a Military Vehicle Display, Civil War artillery demonstrations and extreme 4×4 golf cart rides for the kids. Naval Air Station Jacksonville Honor Support Team presented the Colors and conducted a gun salute to honor and memorialize our Fallen Heroes. KSU was at 11:00 am as the bikes paraded through the resort and then rode throughout the Jacksonville and Nassau County areas stopping at various American Legion Posts and Veteran of Foreign Wars Posts. Last Bike In was at 5:00 pm. There were dozens of retail vendors on site selling the latest and greatest biker gear and apparel as well as other great merchandise.

As the non-riding public was invited to the event, and came out in force, the band Home Grown came on around 2:30 pm and played some great classic and southern rock and then the band Second Shot, with special guest Dave Hlubek from Molly Hatchet, rounded the night out from 6 pm until the city shut us down around 10 pm.
Riders were provided a BBQ dinner with their registration and the many volunteers that came out to support the event were fed as well. There were hundreds of raffles and door prizes as well as a 50/50. I must say that of all the Poker Runs I have been to, this event is the largest and best organized single day Poker Run event I have ever seen. It is like a mini Bike Week but fun for the whole family. This event will always be held Mother’s Day weekend and I highly recommend all riders mark their calendars and come to Jacksonville to attend this event. You will not be disappointed.

By Deborah Speicher

When the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa decided to show its appreciation to the Harley-Davidson motorcycle community, they really did it in style. On July 1, they hosted a party at Harley-Davidson of Brandon which featured food, drinks, music and their calendar girls. It was a nice evening with friends and other local bikers, and we also got to meet some of the Hard Rock’s representatives. Keep the Hard Rock in mind the next time you are looking for a fun night out. In addition to their gaming, they have great restaurants, live entertainment, a world-class hotel and more!

By Lulu

Everyone that lives in the greater Daytona area that Main Street Station brings great music to town on Wednesdays for Bike Night but during the summer they have featured music 4 nights a week. Make sure you put on your calendar their Labor Day weekend party the 7th Annual Rum and Pirate Festival! Check their website for current events MAINSTREETLIVE.COM.

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

It’s August and it’s hot. Why? In the 70s I was told that the earth was experiencing global cooling and we were in for a mini Ice Age. I sold my air conditioner and bought an extra set of leathers. In 1977, Democrat Gov. Jerry Brown claimed that the two-year drought in California was being caused by global cooling. Now, he says that California faces an unprecedented drought, caused by global warming. Is it a coincidence that the first time Jerry Brown was governor California had a drought and now the second time that he’s governor, California has another drought?

The tree hugging green people try to blame global warming on the increase in CO2. The EPA better-known as “Extreme Pain in the A**” blames the increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere is caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Actually, it’s just an anti-industrial campaign to form a world socialist government. What is the motive behind politicians, green corporations and green scientists promoting the fear of “global warming”? Do you think maybe $22 billion a year that the government pays to stop the “global warming epidemic” might be an influence? That is twice as much as our government spends on securing our borders. Why is it that the CO2 was 10 times higher than it is today when modern life evolved? (I guess Fred Flintstone was really driving an SUV.) This fundamentally contradicts the certainty that human caused CO2 are the main cause of global warming. Humans just aren’t capable of predicting global temperature changes. Mother Nature and the Sun take care of that. When liberals burn their toast they blame the bread. A liberal told me that in the future “you will never see a polar bear”. I said “I never saw a dinosaur neither”. The next time a global warming activist confronts you, just ask “What is the ideal temperature for the planet?” All you will here is “DA”!

If meteorologists using the most sophisticated computers can only forecast weather a day or two in advance, how can climatologists project climate years ahead?
97% of the CO2 entering the atmosphere is from nature. In 2014, NASA launched a satellite that measured CO2 levels around the globe. They assumed that most of the CO2 would be coming from the industrialized northern hemisphere but surprisingly it was coming from the rainforests in South America, Africa, and China. Global warming hoaxers claim that their statistics are irrefutable. I remember a statistic back in 1964 that claimed “97% of the women who got pregnant had eaten mashed potatoes”. I made sure that all my dates ate French fries.

Pres. Obama feels that global warming is more of a threat than terrorism or ISIS. He may be right. He just opened the door for Iran to procure a nuclear bomb. Iran WILL warm up the planet. It’s said that the temperatures of a nuclear explosion can reach those of the interior of the Sun about 100,000,000 degrees Celsius. Now, that would definitely cause some global warming, but at least we get to see a brilliant fireball.

When Bill Clinton was asked about global warming, he said, At least you can’t blame Hillary for that but then again global warming might thaw her out.

Here’s what I think. Female orgasms are like global warming. I don’t believe they’re made by man.

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow.