Pancakes and sausage! Chili dogs! Hamburgers! Hot dogs and root beer floats! Nachos! Hamburgers and beer! Sound good? For lunch? For (almost) free? Two dealerships in Northern California are participating in free lunch for bikers and fundraising opportunities for local charities. Sacramento Harley-Davidson and Eagle’s Nest Harley-Davidson in Lathrop are doing just that. These dealerships will sponsor lunch for bikers cooked by local charities as long as supplies last in exchange for a donation to their causes. Serving will start at 11:00 a.m. almost every Saturday all summer. Stop by. Enjoy the food, and help local communities. For Sacramento, call Savannah Westbrook at 916.929.4680. For Eagle’s Nest, call Denise at 209.941.0420… Happy birthday to all riders who celebrate in August. Happy birthday to IHR members Patty Brassfield in Los Gatos and David Kinchloe in Wilderville, Oregon. Happy birthday to Paul Fletcher and Angel Kraten in Santa Cruz. Happy birthday to Mike Landers, a member of ABATE Local 17, and to Rich Mcdonald in Vacaville. Happy birthday to my good friend, Debbie Macdonald in Scotts Valley. Happy birthday to Kyle Dalton in Salinas and to Bob Warren in Santa Cruz. Happy birthday to Dan Parker in Sacramento and to Richard Barton in Santa Nella. Happy birthday to Frank Lukachinsky, a member of Iron Steed H.O.G. in Vacaville and to Pat Pine, a member of Redwood Empire H.O.G. in Cotati. Pat Pine’s stepson, Travis Lorenzo, will turn 21 this month. Congratulations, Travis. Happy birthday to Erin Simmons, a member of Hangtown Motorcycle Riders in Placerville. Happy birthday to celebrity rider Sam Elliott. Last but never ever least, happy birthday to Cristy Pazera, THUNDER PRESS Managing Editor. This is a life-changing birthday month for Cristy. Her baby girl is due to be born July 28, and this child is a first for Cristy… If you find yourself riding on I-505, jump off on Midway Road. Just west of the freeway is Judy’s Wild Wrangler. Judy’s is a very friendly biker bar with a Wild West attitude. It ought to be. Judy’s husband, Clay, was a champion bull rider. Drop in. You will have a good time. This is especially true on Saturday night when the band is rocking… Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. McBride in Vacaville. Bill McBride and Paula Machen have been a committed couple for 21 years. This year they decided to take their vows and married. And “they” said it wouldn’t last!… Many thanks to Ed Forbush, owner of Iron Steed Harley-Davidson in Vacaville, and ABATE Local 17. Their partnership made for a successful 19th annual American Hot Rod and 22nd annual Ride In Motorcycle Show. Also known as Hot Rods and Harleys, this event is held at the dealership each June, and it makes for a very nice day. There was an unusual snag in the plans this year. The owner of an adjacent empty lot has traditionally allowed use of it to park cars. For whatever reason, this year the lot owner said, “No.” This made for a pretty big obstacle to overcome. The problem was solved by forking out $1,300 to the city to permit curb parking in no-parking zones. Those of us who chose to drive rather than ride had to walk quite a long distance, but it did not appear to reduce attendance. While we all like inspecting the Harleys, it is a trip down Memory Lane to take in the hot rods. Often heard are comments such as, “Oh, man. I used to have one of these,” and, “I wonder why they don’t make these anymore.” Speaking just for myself, I like to check out the chrome on the Harleys. I have to see if I have missed bolting something onto my bike. Then, if you stand back from the Harleys and scan them, you can see if one bike stands out from the rest. If so, this will be the best of show, and if Sam Fernandez has entered his custom Captain America bike, it will be the one to stand out and take home the trophy. Sure enough, Sam’s bike earned best of show for the third year in a row. Congratulations, Sam. That is one beautiful bike you have there. Girls were standing in line to get their pictures taken with it. The Terry Sheets Band was chosen for this event, and it was a good choice. I like the rockin’ country music they play. No doubt the intense heat was a challenge for them, but they hung in there. All in all, it was a very good day… I think the dumbest comment I have ever heard a biker say is, “I split lanes at 90 miles per hour.” Can you believe? And this was said in all sincerity. My nice gene says to leave the orator anonymous. He can thank me later… A great big shout-out goes to Jeannie and Chuck Atwater. Jeannie says that they still pick up a THUNDER PRESS to read my articles, and it is fun for them to see their birthday greetings. Talk about someone to envy. Jeannie and Chuck have a home in Santa Cruz and another in Palm Springs. That sounds like perfect “snowbirding” to me.
