No Revving? – THUNDER BY THE BAY – Rev It Up!
By Ed Bertha
“You do not need a therapist if you own a motorcycle, any kind of motorcycle!”
Dan Aykroyd
No Revving? Are you serious? Once again Thunder by the Bay quietly ROARED into Sarasota raising over $140,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children. This year’s event enables Suncoast Charities for Children to continue providing support to Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children, which over the years has constructed area facilities valued at over $20 million dollars. This past year approximately 8,000 special needs children, teens, adults and their families benefited from Suncoast Charities for Children funding. Rev It Up!
Research Data Services calculated that the direct and indirect overall economic impact of the 2015 Thunder by the Bay Motorcycle Festival was $8 Million (an 8.8% increase from 2014) and generated 6,000 room nights in area lodgings (up from 5,400 in 2014). Rev It Up!
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This year I made it a point to seek out attendees and learn about them. What I found varied but all loved the freedom their bikes provide. One gentleman spent 3 hours polishing his chrome engine to display the bike. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Another was into customizing his bike so there would be no other like his (and he wasn’t done yet?). Others just enjoyed being a weekend warrior and getting the duds out to go with the bike. REAL people. Rev It Up!
Riding my own thirty-three year old antique Honda CB750 I encountered the helpfulness of these not so outlaw bikers. Old machines can get cranky. And Saturday night in the cold my bike would not start. It did with the help of numerous bikers giving me the “push” until the bike fired up and Kim Burns and I made our way home. Rev It Up!
I can’t wait until next year to Rev It Up! Thank you Lucy Nicandri and all the volunteers that make Thunder by the Bay happen. If you don’t like revving why not take a short vacation while Thunder roars next year? Me? I’ll continue supporting this great event and charity. See you next year!
Rev It Up for Charity!
Ed Bertha
April 2015
Photo Kim Burns/Ed Bertha by Giovanni Lunardi. A thank you to Gateway Bank and Glen & Kathy Poutney at Cow Camp Lane for hosting our cover shoot.
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Copyright © 2015 REAL Exclusive Magazine [2]
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Photography used under license from Giovanni Lunardi Photography [3]
Photography Copyright © 2015 Giovanni Lunardi Photography
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