On Saturday morning, after chowin' down at Waffle House best damn breakfast in America for the money. Wish they'd git some biscuits and gravy, though), we headed back to the Shoppes for the Bike Parade. Bobby Sixkiller (Branscombe Richmond) was the Grand Marshall and he got caught up in some traffic or something cuz by the time he rolled by me, half the parade had already left. Joe told me later that he had caught up with the group and led the parade around the Island. We didn't ride in the parade, instead went and checked out various vendors, said Hey to Rhett Rotten at his Wall of Death, had a couple of drinks on the porch at the Mexican Cantina there (they didn't rip us off! See picture on right) and hung out for the Bike Show. ABATE did this up for Thunder Beach Productions, Inc., Too. Matter-a-fact, Joe told me that if it hadn't been for the White Sands Chapter, they would-n't've been able to pull this event off.
They didn't get too many entries in the Bike Show. I think it was cuz it was hot as hell! Us? We were lookin' for some AC to hang out in til that night's concert. We were gonna be the MC's and get everyone kicked up for JB Walker and the Cheap Whiskey Band and Branscombe Richmond and the Renegade Posse. Oh, Boy. Back on stage and Boots has got a microphone in her hand. You know that means par-teeeeee time again.
Right - Boots had the microphone and asked everyone to give her the ol' Dixie Biker Hello while I shot a picture. Thanks, y'all.
Below right - I tried to warn Jim that Boots with a microphone normally means someone is gonna lose some articles of clothing. Nuthin' surprisin' here, then.
Left - We weren't gonna make the same mistake twice. We slathered on the sunscreen - shit, we used Water Babies, SPF 50 - before headin' home on Sunday.
Bottom - A great weekend ends the way it started - me and Bobby ridin' some of the great by-ways we got here in North Central Florida. Here we're on US 27 just before High Springs. Photo by Biggy.
Thanks Thunder Beach Productions, Inc. Y'all did a great job. We'll be back!
It was great seein' JB Walker ride in from Atlanta in his sweet ol' Cadillac. It was good talkin' with him outside of his normal Bike Week Iron Horse hangout. The hordes out back there make it almost impossible to talk to him, catch up on what's been happenin' with him, etc. I wanna tell ya, this dude not only plays great Southern Rock 'n Biker Blues, or as he calls it - American Motor Music - he's also a great guy. Many of you don't know it, but he gives up one month of his life every year to tour with the USO and visit our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines around the world. He doesn't do it for publicity - that's why y'all don't know about it. He doesn't do it for money - he doesn't get paid. He does it cuz of his love for our Country and cuz he cares about our Vets and our Service members. That's how I first met the man way back in 1991 at a nasty little piece of dirt in the Bosnia. It was his first year travelin' to bring a little bit of American Christmas cheer while we were servin' in Europe. And here he is, eleven years later, still doin' it for our troops in harm's way. Thanks, JB.
Right - I told ya that dude on the previous page shoulda come back. That's Shela from Chatanooga and Sherree from St. Louis earnin' a free pair of Big Kahuna T-backs. Thanks for a great time, girls.
Above - The Pat Savage Band. Rick, drummer, Tony, bass, and Pat Savage. They rocked Rock It Lanes all weekend. Y'all kick ass, Pat.
Below - Me and Biggy with Pat. By Bobby
The Bike Parade on Saturday morning.
Above - Arnie and Cindy from Keystone Heights manage to ride all over the Southe East. We run into them everywhere. Good people, y'all. Arnie - e-mail me if you see this. Your address keeps bouncin' back to me.
Boots got the crowd goin' by givin' out a bunch of free stuff. This is somethin' I'll never understand. Y'all go crazy for anything free. Even if it's only a $5 hat or T-shirt. Make it free and people go apeshit over it. That was pretty kewl.
Tell ya what, though. We might hafta invest in one 'em ol' air cannons for our T-shirts one-a these days. The wind blowin' in off the Gulf made it hard to throw balled up shirts very far since the wind was blowin' directly in our faces. (A note to the pretty young thing that screamed and hollered and screamed some more for the sweaty ol' Thunder Beach T-shirt I was wearin' after we had given everything away: I can't believe Boots actually took it off me and tossed it to you. Then I certainly can't believe that you actually came back stage and asked me to autograph it. That ain't ever happened before, lemme tell ya. Thanks. Hope you haven't thrown it out.) Heheheheh
Well, the ol' Renegade Posse put on a helluva high energy show. Not your typical biker music, but they're accomplished musicians, every one of 'em. They played a great medley of hits from the sixties and seventies. Branscombe Richmond is definitely a showman, he sang a little, played a lot and he even deferred to his musical troupe and let 'em sing, play solos, etc. All in all, a good show, indeed.
Sunday morning came too early for us. We'd lose an hour headin' back East to Ormond Beach so we hit the road around 10 am. More heat, love bugs, sunscreen, etc. No thunderstorms, though. That's great.
All in all, we had a great time at Thunder Beach 2002. The only thing that could make this event better would be for the business community to get behind Joe, Rap and Dawn. They had a helluva time gettin' sponsors for the event and ended up losin' money, I think.
The business people basically said, "Screw you. You're gonna bring the bikers in and we'll get their business anyhow." That's a sucky attitude. Too bad the Chamber doesn't get behind this thing. They could definitely fill the coffers twice a year from the bikers.
In our own little way, we supported Thunder Beach by not goin' to places that weren't on their "sponsor list." We stayed at a Sponsor Hotel, we partied at sponsor bars and visited the Shoppes at Edgewater. We thanked Heritage Cycles, Bud, Cook Whitehead Ford and Street Eagle Harley Rentals for sponsoring the event.
This would be a great place to continue to have a Spring Bike Event. We hope it keeps goin'. We'll be back for the Fall Rally September 27 - 29. It oughta get us warmed up for Biketoberfest!
Above - Bobby and Biggy - Gulf Coast Crruisin' on the way to the concert Saturday night,
Below - Doobie, Rae, Gennie and Bethany rode down from Graceville for the day.
Left - Jes gittin' psyched up for the MCing duties just before the concert. It was held at Panama City's Marina. Beautiful location for an outdoor concert.
Below - Bobby, JB Walker and Biggy just before the Cheap Whiskey Band rocked us with American Motor Music.
Right - Kathy and Don from Brooksville.
Left and below right - Branscombe Richmond
Above - Readin' DBI at the Big Kahuna
Below rightand left - Steve and Pat and Carol and Colby. They rode down from Indiana for Thunder Beach
On Saturday morning, after chowin' down at Waffle House best damn breakfast in America for the money. Wish they'd git some biscuits and gravy, though), we headed back to the Shoppes for the Bike Parade. Bobby Sixkiller (Branscombe Richmond) was the Grand Marshall and he got caught up in some traffic or something cuz by the time he rolled by me, half the parade had already left. Joe told me later that he had caught up with the group and led the parade around the Island. We didn't ride in the parade, instead went and checked out various vendors, said Hey to Rhett Rotten at his Wall of Death, had a couple of drinks on the porch at the Mexican Cantina there (they didn't rip us off! See picture on right) and hung out for the Bike Show. ABATE did this up for Thunder Beach Productions, Inc., Too. Matter-a-fact, Joe told me that if it hadn't been for the White Sands Chapter, they would-n't've been able to pull this event off. 
