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.

By Raven Van Pelt

The Nation of Patriots was formed in 2009 to provide financial support to those who have served in our Armed Forces and their families. These individuals have volunteered their lives in the preservation, protection and future of The United States and all of its citizens. For this we are grateful.

They are an independent, non partisan, 501(C)3 nonprofit organization. Who annually launch a campaign that works on a national level to promote the awareness of the physical, emotional, and economic misfortune that our wounded veterans and their families are living with today and every day.

This event is called The Patriot Tour. They pride themselves on being able to give 100% of all donations received directly to the veterans they strive to help. They work with VA facilities and many other veteran organizations to help locate and select the veteran families based on specific criteria. During the months of November and December they allocate ALL money raised and send it to veterans all over the country.

This year they had 46 bikes and 52 players for the Nation of Patriots Poker Run, and despite a little rain, it was a great  ride, with 5 stops, a 50/50, raffle prizes and live music. The amount made on the poker run was $1,233.00 and the total for all events, the Poker Run, the welcoming of the National Flag to Jacksonville and the delivering of the National Flag to Tallahassee. was $6,855.00. Thank you Michael Franz Cooper (Bear) Shea Ready, they couldn’t do what they do without the participation and dedication of many people who believe as they do.  Sponsors are very important like Adamec Harley-Davidson, The Law Firm of Pajcic & Pajcic, Swisher International, Imagine Glass, Mineral City, Open Road Leathers, and many more who donated to this very worthy cause and to all those who made the ride so successful.

By Lulu

Bruce Rossmeyer’s Ormond Beach location has been having extended hours monthly. In June, they threw in a Garage Party for lady riders and this month care of your motorcycle was the featured topic. Ted Koester gave an in service demonstration on bug removal, washing and waxing and chrome and leather care.

I loved the S100 product for fast suds and an easy wash! BUGSLIDE is his recommendation for bug removal and Pig Spit for the black motors featured on many Harleys now. Lucas Spray Glaze for paint and chrome ends with a pretty shine. After the class the ladies headed to the showroom for free hot dogs.

It is a great way for lady riders to get to know each other and to learn care…and easy ways to care…for their bikes! All the products mentioned for care of your bike are available at Destination Daytona Harley!

By Phoenix and Metric

The American Legion Riders from Chapter 25 in Lake Placid hosted the most enjoyable annual party and poker run in the past few years. While the turnout was not as large as expected the outcome was well worth enduring the July heat.

The day’s events start with the juiciest, most delicious burger in town thanks to the Ladies Auxiliary and the post provided the coldest drinks on earth. The Riders led a small but brave group of riders on a wonderful ride around the beautiful countryside in the extreme heat.

After a long hot ride the riders were greeted with a fun filled afternoon of bike games, a dunk tank and a delicious pulled pork dinner provided by the Sons of the American. Special thanks to David Wrede from Wrede’s Wildlife Preserve for bringing “THUNDER” out for our party. THUNDER is now an honorary member of the Legion Riders.

Seeing how the funds from the annual go to support local Veterans, I’d like to give special recognition to the Highlanders US Military Veterans MC for showing up in force. It is great to see other Veteran organizations supporting each other. Everyone had a great time and we are already looking forward to next year’s annual to be bigger and better.

So mark your calendars for the second weekend in July to make the trip to God’s country (Highlands County) to enjoy the best annual around. Bring a bathing suit and prepare to get WET & WILD!!

By Lulu

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35 years in business is an accomplishment for any establishment. But it is rare in the bar business! But that is the birthday Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach just celebrated and they did it cowboy style. The day was complete with a great band Rio Grande, a free mechanical bull to ride to your heart’s content, a Daisy Duke contest with cash prizes, best female and male cowboy outfit contest, best horse and western theme tattoo contest. Willie from Tropical Tattoo was there doing his thing… Birthday cake filled the partiers’ bellies. Corona, Budweiser and Twisted Tea were giving out things all day long including Kenny Chesney tickets! Sherry handed out Sparklers and we all seemed like little kids suddenly, no one waited until the order was given to light them…they were running around like maniacs with what I perceived to be a danger in the hands of Iron Horse patrons!

Everyone made it through the night safely and I am sure with the hardworking Melissa and Sally holding the reins the Iron Horse Saloon will ride out many more birthdays!

By Lulu

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Some things in life are meant to be celebrated and milestone birthdays are one of them! Ronnie Luzner, the owner of the world famous Cabbage Patch Bar in Samsula, had one this year and between friends, family, dueling pianos and lots of liquor a good time was definitely had by all. The whole crew from the new radio station the Rock of Daytona 104.7 was on hand to celebrate. And if there is anyone I know who has a young at hard spirit to celebrate it is Ronnie!! Happy…healthy many more years to come!

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since Stormy Hill Harley-Davidson opened their doors. “We decided we wanted to do something really special for this lucky 13 anniversary, so we elected to giveaway a new 2015 Street,” said Janice Malik, owner. On June 6th, there were only 500 entries allowed and you had to be present to win. Not only did they giveaway a bike they had two live radio remotes, K97 Country and 103.1 the Wolf were on site. Additionally, the Andrew Williams Band and Patrick Gibson Band shared the sound system so there was never a break in the music when one took a break the other band played and the music was great.

At 3:00 they pulled the lucky winner, Deirdra T. of Winter Garden screamed when she heard her name called. “Not only was she the perfect winner for this bike, it was her birthday as well,” said Janice. “It was a wonderful event and the best thing about the day was that everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves. We have heard so many compliments about the day and all that we did to make it so much fun. Guess we have really raised the bar now.”

By Billy “Kneecap” Braddock

July is one month that I get really irritated. I know it should be a joyous time with BBQ’s, parades, and fireworks but I look around and I see our schools indoctrinating instead of teaching. Polls have shown that 30% of our teens have no idea why, and from whom, we declared our Independence. (21% believe that the sun revolves around the earth). Even college students when asked about Independence Day know little or nothing at all. They weren’t taught that in 1776 we declared independence from an oppressive government. We are far more dependent and oppressed by this Imperial Federal Government than we were by Great Britain. We are taxed higher and regulated more.

I make no apology for being a patriotic American. Many Americans have forgotten or never knew what the Fourth of July is really all about. They never have been taught that a group of men signed their names to the Declaration of Independence knowing that it could cost them everything including their lives. Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself and your family to sign a similar document declaring independence from Obama tyranny? The Fourth of July is about our freedom in America. We are losing more and more freedoms daily. Patriotism is dying. It’s no longer taught in government schools. It’s more important to teach how to put a condom on a cucumber.

Even when I was in my one room K-8 school writing with a piece of coal on the back of a flat shovel or with a quill and ink on pulp paper, my teacher would encourage us to read as much as we could. When I finally went to high school, where we had electricity, I was instructed to read two books that have made a deep impression on me. One was “1984”, a dystopian novel by George Orwell that was about an omnipresent government surveillance and public manipulation dictated by a political system that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as “thought crime”. The other was Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shugged” that depicts a dystopian USA wherein many of society’s most prominent and successful industrialists abandoned their fortunes and the nation itself, in response to aggressive new regulations, whereupon most vital industries collapse. Sound familiar?

Our founding fathers despised democracy. That’s why they referred to the USA as a Republic. Democracy was once explained as “a pack of wolves and one sheep discussing what to have for lunch”. Time has changed. We now have the minority of the minority telling the majority how they should live. Since Bruce Jenner, aka Caitlyn (he to she) (if the surgery when going from she to he is called “adadicktomy” is going from he to she called “loseadicktomy”) and Rachel Dolezal (white to black), we now have to accept transgender, transethnicity (cisacism), transracialism, transanimal (otherkin).

I was once told that if you can’t beat them join them. So I did. When I got up this morning I felt like I was a female, so when I went to pee, I sat down. When I went to the gym, I told my trainer that I was still feeling like a female and would it be all right if I showered with the girls? He said “Just because you have a nice set of moobs (man boobs) and a beer belly that looks like a baby bump, that does not entitle you to the female shower room. The dumbbells are over there dumbbell”.

Someone once said I was pessimistic. Could a person who was married 12 times be a pessimist?

See you on the shiny side up tomorrow

By Dave Twitchell

We are never at a loss for events this time of year in Florida. However, after a work week that leaves its mark on the Mind & Body, an early Saturday ride may be easier considered than done. Organized rides with scheduled times and briefings were not on my radar, just give me flat asphalt and two huge cylinders firing in perfect rhythm was the needed prescription.

When it comes to events within the Cycle community we tend to pick our events with skepticism knowing that some gatherings will be a disappointment. Who or what crowd is going to be there? We ask ourselves those questions because time is limited. Will it be Cruisers, Harleys, Sport bikes, a Poker Run, or custom Chops? In the case of the Ride Into History Concours d’Elegance hosted by the World Golf Village every niche of the Motorcycle legacy was represented which made for an agreeable scene no matter what you ride.

A showing of three-hundred restored and preserved Vintage motorcycles from all corners of the United States assembled in one place for a two day event to benefit exhibition. Pick your flavor and it was there including Milwaukee Hogs and the original Indians beside Ducati joined by Soviet-era models, BMW’s galore and every Moto Guzzi wowed the crowd. Kawasaki, the innovator in motorcycle technology, stood beside Honda with their strong line-up of 1970’s bikes still running to reinforce their reputation of producing an engine that refuses to quit.

The benefactor for this year was K9’s for Warriors. They are a voluntary non-profit organization that links Veterans to rescued service Dogs with a high success rate of rehabilitation for both the Soldier and the Canine. Last year’s Ride Into History contributed $40,000 to K9’s for Warriors. It may be the struggling Veteran or damaged Dog that was abused and discarded but a new partnership of unconditional servitude repairs wounds that resonates a positive change throughout the Community. Since the beginning of Ride Into History the foundation has donated over $350,000 to various charities.

Instead of aiming the camera at every bike I found it was refreshingly nostalgic to just listen to people from all over our Country tell a short story about a certain Make, Model, and Year of a bike they were now seeing again like a High School reunion. It’s a religiously intimate connection we have to our bikes; the ones we ride now and those we racked up the miles on. Which one did our family member have or what color was the hottest thing you remember from a decade past? Many made your Heart thump and like all loves a few were wrecked leaving their marks like distorted tattoos. These are the tales from those days that had to be lived to be understood – the low-speed turns and the high-speed falls that we’ve experienced because of the freedom to hit the road on two wheels.

www.RidingIntoHistory.org
www.k9sforwarriors.org

By Lulu

Friends come and go in life…some impact our lives so deeply that we just wouldn’t be the same person without having them in our lives. Occasionally it is someone that you really haven’t known long or even that closely. Just the small amount of time they travel down the highway of life with you changes you. My friend Bill Gruber was one of those men! He died last year tragically on his motorcycle traveling up north to watch a graduation of one of his grandkids. He is missed by his wife Nancy, his family, his fellow Rolling Thunder family, by many friends and by me (one of his biggest fans!). This month Rue & Ziffra law firm, Veteran’s Assistance Coalition and Rolling Thunder Chapter 8 held a ride in Bill’s memory to support veterans . Bill worked tirelessly in his neighborhood helping those in need, helping veterans and working with Rolling Thunder Chapter 8.

Bill convinced me a few years back to ride to D.C. with their Chapter and that was one of the life changing experiences I credit him for. I have always loved the men and women who protect our country, but I had an eye opening respect hit me in the face when I saw how the Vietnam veterans work to keep our current veterans from ever experiencing what they went through.

The other was when Bill asked me to go on a day of moving homeless veterans into housing. I watched a group of “way past middle age” men spend HOURS each week moving, packing and unpacking to put one more person into a home and off the streets, providing all the essentials needed to make a safe homey place for someone that 24 hours earlier had basically what would fit in a knap sack.

This is how Bill spent his life wasn’t enough to have served our country in the military. He continued to do so right until the end. I was pleased when I heard about the ride to help veterans in his memory…nothing would have made him happier than to know the work he loved being a part of he was still impacting.
Thanks to Rue & Ziffra for being such loyal supporters of great community causes, to Beaver Bar for being the host for this event and to Rolling Thunder 8 and Veteran’s Assistance Coalition for all their tireless work. And to each and every one of you who rode with us in Bill’s memory!

By Deborah Speicher

For some people Memorial Day brings to mind a three-day weekend, barbeques, a day at the beach, and the Indy 500. What should be remembered is the reason for this holiday, which is to thank the veterans of this country and the families of those who have fallen.

Every Memorial Day, Florida National Cemetery (Bushnell) holds a ceremony to honor those buried there and their families. Even in times of high gas prices and economic turmoil, the Florida motorcycle communities were out in full force to support this event. Several military riding organizations participated. With approximately 350 bikes, the largest group riding into the cemetery was the Defenders MC (Tampa Bay Chapter). The Defenders MC is a group comprised of active and retired military, law enforcement, emergency services and public safety professionals.

The Defenders’ ride was coordinated by Colonel Ron “Paladin” Rook, USMC (Ret.), who has done so for the past several years. Local HOG and other riding groups were invited to join the Defenders for this ride. Thanks to a police escort and the excellent road captains from the Defenders MC, this 30+ mile ride went off without a hitch.

The ceremony had many poignant speakers, patriotic music and a “missing man” flyover by Ye Mystic Air Krewe. While the actual meaning and traditions of Memorial Day may have been forgotten by some people, those attending the ceremony came out to remember, honor and salute those who had defended our country as well as to those currently keeping our country and citizens safe. Once again, the group “Flags for Fallen Veterans” and a couple of thousand volunteers made sure that 120,000+ flags were placed on the grave sites. A big THANK YOU to this group and all the volunteers that came out the day before to make this happen.

By Lulu

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Blue Knights Chapter XXII hosted the 2015 Law Enforcement Ride out of Flagler County. It began with a brief ceremony and then a beautiful 65 mile escorted ride which ended at Bulow Campground for a BBQ lunch and raffles. This ride is held each year in memory of those officers who have died in the line of duty. This year a special thank you to Rue & Ziffra for their sponsorship of this worthy event.