Gettysburg Bike Week kicked off Thursday, July 7, 2016, and ran through Sunday, July 10.
“Turn-out exceeded expectations, which were high to begin with,” said Kelly Shue, GBW event coordinator, “and the weather was fantastic for virtually the entire week.”
Bike builders battled for the Biker Build-Off Championship, with Tom Keefer, Jr., of Franklin Church Choppers taking home top honors with a 74″ Custom Cutdown Flathead. The Cycle Source Ride-In Bike Show was a total spectacle, featuring ten classes, including Best Sportster, Big Twin, Bagger, Chopper, Bobber, Asian Import, Euro Import, Antique, Panhead and Knucklehead with the Best Of Show winner being a classic 1978 Shovelhead Chopper owned by Jack Deagazio. And rally goers had to don sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sparkling onslaught that was the Parade of Chrome.
Music acts Quiet Riot, Kix, Mustang Sally and The Marshall Tucker Band took turns headlining the Budweiser Stage, rocking capacity crowds each night of the rally. A-list regional acts jammed during the day, and rally goers were treated to performances by the International Bikini Team, Torch’s Rock & Roll Inferno Fire Performer and, of course, the late night spectacle of the GBW wet T-shirt contest. Other crowd favorites included bike games and burn-out and tattoo contests, which drew a bevy of contestants.
And, of course, no rally would be complete without great riding, and Gettysburg has some of the best. Rally goers enjoyed hundreds of miles of the best riding in the east, cruising scenic highways and historic battlegrounds on myriad poker runs and charity rides. It’s always great when doing good works and having a good time can coincide, and that certainly was the case when the Pink Journey of Lights and Stars of Hope charity rides raised over $5,000 for breast cancer awareness and New Hope Ministries. All of this and more made the 15th Anniversary of Gettysburg Bike Week one for the books.
Ready to start planning for next year’s rally the dates are July 6-9th 2017? New and returning riders can find updates, events schedules, lodging information and anything they ever needed to know about Gettysburg Bike Week by visiting http://www.gettysburgbikeweek.com.
