By Lulu

Bill and Connie McCormick have been huge supporters of local runs for as long as I have lived in the Daytona area. Always on rides for charity and ALWAYS on their bike! Well due to medical problems Bill’s friends threw a ride for them and friends and fellow bikers returned the kindness Bill and Connie have shown others in the past. I know they want to say a huge thank you to the people who rode and to the bars that participated including Scarey Mary’s!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

I’ve always considered November to be one of the more important months of the year. After all, we have four very important days in the month. There’s my birthday, the Marine Corps birthday, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving. The reason I mention my birthday as being important is because at my age there is not going to be too many more. You know you’re getting old when you feel like you’re a gallon of milk that the date on your driver’s license is a month past ”best if used by” and your health insurance policy includes an autopsy. I eat as many things that have a lot of preservatives as I can because at my age I need all of preserving I can get. When I get in discussions about the condition of our country, I have often been quoted as saying “I will probably be dead by the time our country is completely destroyed”. Well, I think it’s happening faster than I thought. Playboy announced the other day that they would not publish any more nude photos. Now, if that is not an indication of the destruction of this country nothing is. I wish I was a teenager again, so I could take my flashlight and my Playboy magazine, crawl under my blanket and read all the articles. RIGHT!! Of course, at that age I knew everything.

November 10th is the 240th birthday of United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps has participated in every war that has involved the United States. Let’s say thanks to all the active and former Marines. “Oorah” “Semper Fi”.

November 11th is Veterans Day when we honor all the members of the Armed Forces who have served this country valiantly, preserving our freedom and our way of life. I am constantly writing about how bad we treat our veterans. Veteran homelessness is disgraceful. It not only affects those from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, but also those who served in Vietnam, Korea and even World War II. Those who served in the Vietnam and post-Vietnam era have the greatest risk of becoming homeless. The number of homeless veterans in America is estimated at over 50,000. Vet homelessness is mostly faced by returning males, but females make up about 8% of the homeless vets. 50% of the homeless vets are between the ages of 18 and 50. One third were in a war zone at sometime. More than 50% of the homeless veterans suffer from disabilities. About two thirds of them have substance abuse issues. I was surprised to learn that we only spend about $154 billion on our vets. This includes veteran’s benefits, medical care, housing, education, training, and rehabilitation. Veterans are at risk for suicide, mental health issues like PTSD, disability, and even unemployment. Our veterans need and deserve our help. $338,300,000,000,00 is spent on illegal aliens each year. Are we stupid? We can thank our Congress for caring more about illegal aliens than we do our Veterans that fought so they could keep spending our money to keep their way of life and so called important jobs.

November 26 is Thanksgiving Day. This year it may be a little bit more important. While we eat drink and be merry we need to thank God that we still live in a country that has not become totally Socialist. We still have the right to protect our Constitution even though our government wants to trample on it. Take time to read and understand the 1st, 2nd, 9th and 10th amendments. These are very important.

Check out my website nobodiesopinion.com for more opinions.

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow.

By Lulu

We kicked off our monthly Twisted Tea/Thunder Roads Bike Events in September at Main Street Station in Daytona. Twisted Tea is our Bike Night sponsor so we had a hot chick playing with fire can’t get any more Twisted than that. Twisted Tea samples and giveaways all night long. Great music was featured by Bath Salt Zombies and as everyone knows Phaedre always has kicking music on their Wednesday night bike nights. $1 beer and great music no wonder the parking lot is always full! As part of our monthly bike event we collect non perishable food for the food pantry and give $50 cash to a lucky winner. One ticket for the raffle per item, some chose to just pay $1 per ticket. We ended up with $151 dollars and 63 pounds of food all of which stayed in Volusia County going to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Special thank you to Sherry Fletcher for collecting the cans and selling the raffle tickets. And to Janet Cater for donating $50 cash! Also the lucky winners gave the money to the food bank too! See our ad for November’s event!!

By Julie Saylor (photos by Pam Stein)

The babes were in full force on Sunday at the Main Street Station in Daytona Beach for the Second Annual Battle of the Babes for the Cure. Proceeds from the event benefitted the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, who was on hand to give out literature and to talk about the Foundation’s work to eradicate the nation’s second-worst killer of women.

“The theme of the day is Girl Power,” said event organizer, Julie Saylor. “We have female-fronted bands, a woman running sound, a female-led bike run and female vendors, all taking place at a venue run by a woman, benefitting an organization founded and run by women, for a cause that affects mainly women.”

An intimate bike run led by the Chrome Divas started the day off, winding through Daytona to rest for a photo op at the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse before returning to the Main Street Station for a day of raffle drawings and music. Female-fronted bands from all over Central Florida rocked the stage all day, coming together to raise awareness and money to battle breast cancer.

The Babes included Suzanne Doane-Williams and Zanband, Wicked Kitty, fronted by Kerry Musser, Zu Crew, led by Melodie McCall Magner, Strut, featuring Lindsey Brown, and Bad Apple with Julie Saylor. The bands were not competing against each other, but rather battling side by side to fight breast cancer. All the bands donated their time and talent to the event, as did Audio Z Productions, Stockwell Brothers Stage Lighting, and the Rockstar Music Foundation, who donated the stage, sound and lighting. Sloppy Joe’s and Piscataway Pizza contributed as well, donating lunch for the riders on the bike run, and businesses from all over the area contributed items of all kinds to be raffled. Daytona Jeep Rental and Evolution Gym donated the day’s grand prizes; a weekend Jeep Rental and a one-year full-access gym membership.

Main Street Station manager Phaedra Lee called the event a huge success, and plans are already being made for the annual event’s 2016 extravaganza. Attendees and participants all had a great time, and next year’s event promises to be even bigger and better!

By Lulu

Everyone loves the Iron Horse Saloon and everyone loves good music. The week before Biketoberfest the Iron Horse Saloon kicked off the fall riding season by bringing in the Razorbacks for a 4 day rock-a-billy music event. Their sponsors J&P Cycles, Politis and Matovina law firm and Tropical Tattoo helped make this 4 day event possible.

By Lulu

First Turn Steakhouse and Lounge in Port Orange have a weekly Tuesday night Bike Night with beer specials, live music and some type of free vittles each week! And if you haven’t tried their jello shots you don’t know what you are missing. Goat from Full Throttle TV series was on hand to play some redneck games which included plungers and toilet paper. You just never know who might turn up at First Turn. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Austin Dillon have been spotted there this year. So ride on in to their Tuesday night bike night for great music and a chance to hang out with really great people who like to ride!

By “Kneecap”

Labor Day weekend is always busy. So much going on and not enough time to cover it all. When Lulu called me and asked if I could cover an event at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Destination Daytona featuring Bill Wharton aka “The Sauce Boss” I hesitated. I never heard of him but then he probably never heard of me either. I was pleasantly surprised. He is said to be the inventor of gastronomic boogie woogie. He plays the blues, classic R&B and rockabilly-flavored tunes while cooking a large pot of gumbo that he hands out free at the end of his gig. He says he has served over 200,000 bowls. It was so good, most went for seconds. If you get a change catch his show you won’t be disappointed.

By Deborah Speicher

The weather is starting to get just a little cooler and a whole lot dryer. That means it was time for the Cotee River Bike Fest. Once again, all of the New Port Richey downtown district roads were closed off to allow motorcycle only parking, additional vendors and an additional entertainment stage. This three day event (October 9-11) was multi-faceted and really did incorporate something for everybody.

Friday night started out with various bands including local favorite, The Greg Billings Band, plus a “Dukes and Dudes” contest. Saturday and Sunday featured more good music in addition to a ride-in bike show, the Harley-Davidson Demo Truck, bikini contest, pub crawl and professional wrestling. There was also a poker run on Saturday sponsored by Fire & Iron Station 43 MC which benefitted the Children’s Burn Camp.

Coupled with great weather and attendance all three days, I would say that this event was a huge success!

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

Here we are in October getting ready for Biketoberfest with partying on our minds. However, I need to write this column in advance so I’m still in September. This past Sunday I went to the 9th annual 9/11 Memorial Ride and Ceremony. Even after 14years, the memories are still embedded in our minds and hearts. Even though the weather was terrible (rain, rain and more rain) 500 bikes showed. The USPS has nothing on these dedicated bikers. Their motto should be “Neither rain, nor heat, nor gloom of heart stays bikers from honoring and remembering the heroes and the fallen”.

The thing that broke my heart was when I saw an on the street interview with college freshmen. They know very little or nothing about the tragedy of 9/11/2001 when Islamic terrorist murdered 3000 innocent people. Granted, they may have only been 4-5years old but they graduated High School. Was this not taught in school? Apparently not. Is this what our educational system has become? Unfortunately, this is true. They indoctrinate not educate. I wasn’t born when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, or when there was WWII, but I learned about them in school.

Another thing that opened my eyes to what is happening in this country; an elementary school student was asked what he knew about 9/11. His reply was (paraphrased) “Why should I care? I’m Mexican”. Somebody needs to tell him that 90 countries lost citizens that day and 15 were Mexican.

I’m writing this on Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day). This is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and those who have become U.S. Citizens. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia. In 2005 the U.S. Dept. of Education announced the enactment of a law that mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programming on the history of the Constitution on that day. Guess what? It was no surprise that when I called several public schools no-one knew what I was talking about. Education is the foundation of any country. It looks like ours is sitting on quicksand. Abraham Lincoln said it right “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms it will be because we destroyed ourselves”. We spend a lot of time looking for intelligent life on other planets. I’d be happy if we found some in Washington D.C.

Our Constitution is being trampled on and misrepresented daily. The 9th and 10th Amendments have failed to curtail the growth of the federal government and the Supreme Court has failed to keep the other two branches in check. The men in black are writing their own laws

I have a lot more to say about the Constitution on my website nobodiesopinion.com

I had sex with a telephone operator and I think she reversed the charges. To be on the safe side I took a pregnancy test. Thank God the results were I’m just fat. I’m too old to have kids.

See you on the shiny side of tomorrow.

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!