NSBNEWS.net video by Sera Frederick. A biker is OK early Friday after striking the concrete median on North Dixie Freeway directly in front of the home of Henry and Sera Frederick. The song "Ballad of Easy Rider" by the Byrds is added for your enjoyment.
Another Bike Week has come and gone. The streets are quiet again, though as Sera and I can attest to, weren't really that noisy this time around.
The bike totals were down significantly across Volusia County, nut just here in New Smyrna Beach. Sera and I drove through Main Street in Daytona Beach on Saturday night in our Audi TT with the top down with little delay, an almost certain impossibility in year's past.
The economy is in the tank and the unusually harsh winter up north were factors in this year's decline. With that said, Bike Week was a good shot in the arm for the local economy.
After all, every dollar spent locally helps all of us. Restaurants were packed Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Pub 44 saw far greater numbers of bikers and other patrons from mid-week on. Kevin Hannah, general manager of Pub 44 said he had 10,000 for Thursdayday's Bike Bash and Ron Luznar, owner of Sopotnick's in Samsula, reported 15,000 bikers turned out for his women's coleslaw wrestling.
Sera and I enjoyed covering the highlights for Bike Week from New Smyrna Beach's perspective. We were the only news media outlet to provide exclusive video of the Coleslaw wrestling and the Bike Bash. We were also on top of the tragic news involving the four biker-related fatalities, including that of the Ohio woman, Linda Lockwood, the first fatality, thrown from the back of a Harley when two motorcycles touched going in the same direction a week ago Sunday on the beachside.
The video above was shot in front of our home on North Dixie Freeway when a biker drifted into the concrete median and flipped his bike. He was not intoxicated and he escaped injury. Of course, he was wearing a helmet.