PANAMA CITY BEACH – The 14th annual Thunder Beach Autumn Rally is back with nine official venues, vendors, live music and entertainment.
“Most of the changes are entertainment related,” said Joe Biggs, president/CEO of Thunder Beach Productions.
Thunder Beach officially kicked off Wednesday night at Runaway Island, 14521 Front Beach Road, and included the first preliminary of the Miss Thunder Beach pageant with emcee Daric “The Hitman” Daniels. The competition was scheduled to further narrow down Thursday night at Hammerhead Fred’s, 8762 Thomas Drive. The Official Miss Thunder Beach third preliminary is 7-9 p.m. Friday at Rock’It Lanes at Shoppes at Edgewater, and the new Miss Thunder Beach will be crowned Saturday evening at Club LaVela.
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Hammerhead Fred’s will host the Ms. Thunder Beach contest for women ages 35 and older at 2 p.m. Saturday, with Buck Wild playing a split set around the contest.
Each of the official venues offer different atmospheres and styles of entertainment for bikers to check out
OfficialThunder Beach merchandise is available at official Thunder Beach venues, including Hammerhead Fred’s, Sharky’s, Boardwalk Beach Resort, Club LaVela, Frank Brown Park, Harley-Davidson of PCB and Shoppes at Edgewater, which all will have vendor villages set up. Most will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Saturday and until 1 p.m. Sunday.
“We have the bike show Saturday at Pier Park,” Biggs said.
The “Best of the Beach” Official Thunder Beach Custom Bike Show at Pier Park is produced by USRider NewsMagazine to benefit Angels 4 Education. The contest has 16 classes with $15,000 in cash and prizes.
“Frank Brown Park is the biggest venue, with stunt teams the Wall of Death and the Ives Brothers Stunt Show,” Biggs said. “We are not putting in a venue this fall at Wicked Wheel, but they will be back as an official venue in the spring when it’s nice and manicured and ready to go. Wicked Wheel is obviously open for business, just not an official venue this year.”
Wicked Wheel is definitely a stop on bikers’ lists for Southern fried chicken with a cool vibe, but The Big Block Bar in the lot next door is still under construction.
Official events also include the Paint ‘N’ Body Contests, which are returning Saturday from 4-6 p.m. at the Party Pavilion at Boardwalk Beach Resort, 9600 S. Thomas Drive, with drink specials. Artist and custom builder Robert Messenger also did the contests last fall and in the spring, recreating custom bike graphics with body paint on the live models.
“Boardwalk has been a venue since 2003 when they got on board,” said Biggs, who explained they were not an official venue a few years ago while the road was undergoing construction. “Riding motorcycles at a low speed on gravel is hard. We get a lot of older riders who are new riders. We had concerns people were going to be dropping bikes.”
Boardwalk features an indoor and outdoor vendor village from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday for last-minute items. Boardwalk also is hosting the Biker Spring Break Pool Party from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, giving bikers a taste of Spring Break in Panama City Beach. The party features all-you-can-drink beer cups, college games, corn hole, beer pong, free swag and Spring Break style wet T-shirt contests by the pool at the Rusty Anchor Bar & Grill.
“Geographically, Panama City Beach is a great place to do this event,” Biggs said. “This is what I consider a riding rally. You can go from this venue to this venue and that venue and ride your bike. What’s the point of having a motorcycle rally where you park your bike?”
Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach’s location, 14700 Panama City Beach Parkway, has been a great addition to Thunder Beach. In addition, free H-D Factory Demo Rides are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Pier Park outside of Dave & Buster’s.
“When Harley came in, Harley has helped me. Our audience is the same and we work well together,” Biggs said.
Like clockwork, Thunder Beach has been taking place annually in the spring and fall, which Biggs said, “creates the illusion Thunder Beach happens organically — it doesn’t.”
Biggs attends motorcycle rallies throughout the country promoting Thunder Beach.
The 17th annual Spring Rally will be April 29 through May 3, 2015, and the 15th annual Autumn Rally will be Oct. 21-25, 2015, finding a permanent home in the fourth weekend of October.
“The Spring Rally just has consistently grown. It costs the same money in the fall as in the spring — trash, porta potties, security,” Biggs said. “Fall is challenging because we just have not had the right date on the calendar. We’re not a backwoods event. In a resort town, it’s a very different dynamic.”
The date is imperative in catching bikers traveling from other regional rallies on surrounding weekends. Though he had hoped for Columbus Day weekend, which would follow Myrtle Beach’s bike rally the first of October, but the Pirates of the High Seas Fest at Pier Park already is scheduled by the Tourist Development Council to bring in families during the long weekend.
“Anyone who does special events, knows moving dates is a killer,” Biggs said. “If we can’t be on the front end of Daytona’s fall date next year, we thought we will just have to be on the fourth weekend after Daytona. We can capitalize on vendors after Daytona.”
Vendors and bikers from Daytona’s Biketoberfest can then make their way to Panama City.
“The last Lone Star Rally in Galveston (Texas) is the first weekend in November; they’re changing their date to Halloween weekend. Vendors wrap themselves around the rallies,” Biggs explained. “To grow an event like ours, all the quality of vendors we get, motorcycle manufacturers, signifies to riders they should be there.”
Weather also is a factor for Thunder Beach, with the fourth weekend of October getting them further away from hurricane season, he added.
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“Last year, Hurricane Karen was going to make a B-line for Panama City,” he said. “Riders don’t worry about rain, especially in the Southeast, but hurricanes or tropical storms are different.”
But this weekend’s forecast is looking good.
“Saturday looks like it will be dry as a bone,” Biggs added. “All venues are going to be rocking.”
THUNDER BEACH SCHEDULE
For more details, visit ThunderBeachProductions.com
Friday
11 a.m.: Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park; biker village opens at Sharky’s
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.:Free H-D Factory Demo Rides at Pier Park
Noon: Ruthless Cycles USA-Burn Out Pit at Boardwalk Beach Resort
Noon to 4 p.m.:Live Music - KC Phelps atRedneck Biker
Noon to 5 p.m.: Poker Run sponsored by The Defenders LEMC with noon registration, first bike out at 12:30 p.m. from Rock’It Lanes, second card stop at Laketown Wharf, third at Buffalo Wild Wings, fourth at Wicked Wheel, fifth at 4:30 p.m. at Club LaVela with prizes
12:30 p.m.:Ives Brothers Wall of Death
1 p.m.:Ives Brothers Freestyle FMX Jump Show at Frank Brown Park
1-4 p.m.:Rebel Crossing at Harley-Davidson of PCB
2 p.m.:Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
3 p.m.:Ruthless Cycles Burn Out Pit at Boardwalk; Ives Brothers Freestyle FMX Jump Show at Frank Brown Park
3-7 p.m.:King Cotton at Rock’It Lanes at Shoppes at Edgewater
3:30 p.m.:Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
3:30-6:30 p.m.:Biker Spring Break Pool Party at Boardwalk Beach Resort
4 p.m.: Clay Musgrave at Sharky’s
5 p.m.: Ives Brothers Freestyle FMX Jump Show at Frank Brown Park
5:30 p.m.: Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
5-9 p.m.:Saluda at Redneck Biker
7-9 p.m.:Official Miss Thunder Beach third preliminary at Rock’It Lanes at Shoppes at Edgewater; All My Rowdy Friends Hank Williams Jr. Tribute Band at Club LaVela (Bikers free until 9 p.m.)
8 p.m.:Buck Wild at Hammerhead Fred’s; Molly Hatchet at Boardwalk Beach Resort (doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets are $17 or $15 in advance at BoardwalkBeachResort.com)
8:30-11:30 p.m.:Jacobs & Brock Band at Pineapple Willy’s
8-10 p.m.:Highway to Hell AC/DC Tribute Band (no cover) at Rock’It Lanes
9 p.m.:Skinny Molly plays at Runaway Island; Ryan West Band at Sharky’s; Leah Seawright at Sharky’s; Wet T-Shirt Contest at Boardwalk Beach Resort
Saturday
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.: “Best of the Beach” Official Thunder Beach Custom Bike Show at Pier Park
10 a.m.:Sgt. Kevin Kight Memorial Bike Parade at the Southwest corner of R. Jackson Boulevard and Middle Beach Road, sponsored by the Panama City Beach Police, White Sands Riders and Thunder Beach to benefit the Panama City Beach Cops and Kids Toy Run; line up at 10 a.m. and kick stands up at 11 a.m.
11 a.m.: Biker village opens at Sharky’s; Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.:Free H-D Factory Demo Rides at Pier Park
Noon:Ruthless Cycles USA-Burn Out Pit at Boardwalk Beach Resort; judging begins for “Best of Beach” Bike Show at Pier Park
Noon to 4 p.m.:KC Phelps at Redneck Biker
Noon to 5 p.m.:Poker Run sponsored by Fire & Iron MC #202 & Red Knights MC with noon registration at Sharky’s, first bike out at 12:30 p.m., last out at 1 p.m., first card stop at Margaritaville, second at Sugar Sands, third at Barefoot Hide-Away Grill, fourth at Deadeye Dick’s, fifth at Coyote Ugly with last bike in at 4:30 p.m. and prizes at 5 p.m.
12:30 p.m.:Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
1 p.m.:Ives Brothers Freestyle FMX Jump Show at Frank Brown Park
2 p.m.:Official Ms. Thunder Beach Contest for lovely ladies 35 and older at Hammerhead Fred’s; Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
3 p.m.: Ives Brothers Freestyle FMX Jump Show at Frank Brown Park; Ruthless Cycles USA-Burn Out Pit at Boardwalk
3-7 p.m.: Brujah at Rock’It Lanes at Edgewater
3:30 p.m.:Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
4 p.m.:Clay Musgrave at Sharky’s; awards for “Best of the Beach” at Pier Park
4-6 p.m.:Official Thunder Beach Paint ‘N’ Body Competition at Boardwalk Beach Resort Pavilion
5 p.m.:Ives Brothers Freestyle FMX Jump Show at Frank Brown Park
5-7 p.m.:One Ton Taco at Harley-Davidson of PCB
5-9 p.m.:Saluda at Redneck Biker
5:30 p.m.:Ives Brothers Wall of Death at Frank Brown Park
7 p.m.:Official Miss Thunder Beach Pageant Finale at Club LaVela Poolside
7-9 p.m.:Kings of Hollywood, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, Poison tribute band (bikers free until 9 p.m.)
8 p.m.:Classic Rock Tribute Show (free concert featuring Santana & Doobie Brothers tribute bands) at Boardwalk Beach Resort (doors open at 7 p.m.)
8-10 p.m.:Highway to Hell AC/DC tribute band (no cover) at Rock’It Lanes at Edgewater
8 p.m. to midnight:Buck Wild at Hammerhead Fred’s
8:30-11:30 p.m.:Jacobs & Brock Band at Pineapple Willy’s
9 p.m.:Lost Southern Boys and Leah Seawright at Sharky’s; Wet T-shirt Contest at Boardwalk; Skinny Molly plays at Runaway Island
Sunday
9 a.m. to noon:Natalie Reynolds at Harley-Davidson of PCB
10 a.m.:Blessing of the Bikes by Christian Motorcyclists Association