The show must go on
TIMONIUM, MD., FEB. 8-10—Most of us here in the Northeast don’t have much to do over the winter. With the cold temperatures, unpredictable weather and the advent of brining the roads to protect us from the environment using an ungodly concoction that’s only removed from a vehicle with dynamite, riding is kept to a minimum. Feeding our two-wheeled passion is generally accomplished through magazines, garage projects
We arrived Saturday morning not really knowing what to expect. As we entered the show, we were pleasantly surprised. The Center Hall, already bustling and rocking to the classic rock provided by 100.7 The Bay, was lined with vintage bikes, antique motorcycle clubs and the largest display of bike show trophies I’ve ever seen. Peckerhead Motorcycle Racing and the North Texas Norton Owners Association had great displays, as well as Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run participants the Banks Brothers and Jody Perewitz. Perewitz, who holds 17 land speed records, will be taking this year to prepare her early 1900s single-cylinder Pope for the Cross Country Chase, a new antique motorcycle challenge covering over 2,500 miles in eight days in September.
In the North Hall, we checked out an extensive display of bike show entries and then moved to the vendor area. Although smaller than last year because of the early cancellation confusion, there was still a great selection of products and demonstrations. Top Down Products, Zippers Performance and Eastern Performance Cycles all had a good selection of new products on display. Highway Leather had such fantastic deals that I ended up grabbing a much-needed new coat. At David Uhl Studios, David was working on a painting during the show, we stopped to watch Rob Gibson of the World’s Fastest Darkroom work his tintype magic and then we got a free boot shine from the Outback Survival Gear girls. Maryland’s Chesaco RV stepped in to fill the rest of the vendor area with a fantastic selection of toy haulers.
The South Hall was filled with all the big guns. Harley-Davidson of Baltimore had an impressive display, joined by Hernley’s Indian, Glen Burnie Motorsports, Used Bike Emporium, Lucky Cycles and Velocity Motorsports, to name a few. We also checked out leather jackets by Velocity SportsGear, hats by Mad Bomber, a display by the Maryland 9/11 Rolling Memorial and a great booth set up by the Maryland/Delaware Motor Maids, which explained the history of their group along with a bevy of artifacts. I started to feel a little thin in the skin, so we made our way to the food court for some delicious regional cuisine and fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Feeling recharged, we took the walk up to the parking lot to the new addition to Timonium, Jam-On Productions’ famous swap meet. Set up in a separate exhibition hall, the building was filled with row after row of vendors displaying thousands of parts for vintage and late-model motorcycles. There were also some great booths with old-school advertising and clothing, as well as some great deals on tools. In the back, Nick from High Street Tattoos had a salon set up with a line of patrons eager to get some new ink. We moved back to the main building in time for the daily $300 door prize drawing and then headed out to two of the after-party locations set up by the promoters where ticket holders were treated to generous discounts and entertainment. Afterward, we checked into our hotel room to rest in order to come back the next day and check out the show winners and anything we may have missed.
Unfortunately, there was some confusion as to when the trophies were to be awarded on Sunday, and we had to head out without seeing who the winning entries were. Overall, for putting together an event of this magnitude on short notice, Jam-On Productions did a bang-up job. Attendance was strong for the three days, with few complaints and a lot of satisfied bikers and their families. Possibly with the addition of live entertainment, some crowd participation events and the return of vendors who probably booked elsewhere this year, this will become a premier event for those of us in the Northeast. We’re already looking forward to next year. Now to go home and chisel the brine off the cage!
