Thunder By The Bay 2022
It’s that time of year again for you to plan on attending the 24th Annual Thunder By The Bay Music and Motorcycle Festival! This event will be held in beautiful Sarasota, Florida!
I had the opportunity to speak to Lucy Nicandri, Executive Director of Suncoast Charities for Children. We spent quite a bit of time talking about all the great activities taking place during this 3-day Festival, commencing Friday, February 18. There is, however, an event that is taking place on Thursday, February 10 that you might want to consider attending – Thunder By The Bay “Rocks the Runway.”
This “high energy” fashion show will take place at the Sarasota Yacht Club from 6:00-9:00 pm featuring fashions from Rossiter’s Harley-Davidson and Darci . Tickets are $125 and include a full open bar and hors d’oeuvres stations. The charity will be raffling off two $500 shopping sprees and a Thunder By The Bay Festival VIP Weekend Experience Basket at the event.
Also, new this year at the Festival is “Thunder Alley.” Lucy explains, “This year all pedestrians, not riding in on motorcycles, will be entering through Robarts Arena toward the Festival grounds. In this building custom vehicles, motorcycles, and high-performance boats will be on display. It will also feature Sarasota’s own custom bike builder Kory Souza of Kory Souza Originals.”
The “Born To Be Wild” Festival Kickoff Party will be at the Sarasota Fairgrounds outside under the VIP Tent. This is always a popular event to attend on the first official day of the Festival. Tickets are $100 and include food, open bar, a silent auction, 50/50, and much more! You can order your tickets today by going to: ThunderByTheBay.org. There are a limited number of tickets available, so get yours today!
Gate fees to get into the Festival are $5 on Friday and Sunday and $10 on Saturday. Each day there will be continuous live music, over 80 vendors, a food court, and the ever-popular Born To Ride Choppertown displaying some of the most unique and tricked-out choppers in the area.
Bands, bands, and more bands! You certainly won’t be disappointed by the amount of pure talent gracing the main stage at the Sarasota Fairgrounds! Lucy shared with me, “Friday at 6:00 pm, Scarlet Drive kicks off the event with some great country music. Then at 8:00pm, you’ll be dazzled by ‘Dairy of an Ozzman’ an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band. Saturday afternoon at 1:30 pm The Verge takes the stage, Tobacco Road Band starts at 3:30, Slippery When Wet – a Bon Jovi Tribute band rocks out at 6:00, then at 8:00, FireHouse brings down the stage with hits such as ‘Love of a Lifetime,’ ‘When I look into your Eyes.’ and ‘Don’t Treat Me Bad.’ Sunday at 1:00 pm, ‘Free Fallin,’ a Tom Petty Tribute band rocks out, then ending the Festival is crowd favorite, Bobby Friss.”
Every year, Lucy works on making positive changes for all their events. “We are always thinking about creating new events and how we can make changes to existing events to keep them fresh. This also allows us to bring in new sponsors and donors, that will ultimately benefit our charity. TBTB will always be focused on motorcycles. On the music side, we are promoting “Where Rock Meets Country. I am also proud to say that our headline act, FireHouse, currently has 16 gold and platinum records worldwide.” Years of working with her many contacts in the music industry have enabled Lucy to get top-name bands for everyone to enjoy!
Sunday, February 20, is the colossal “United We Ride-America Strong” motorcycle charity ride. This ride pays tribute to our great country, First Responders, Veterans, and Active-Duty Military. “When the Riders register for the ride Sunday morning at Rossiter’s, one of the many charities we support (The Haven), will have breakfast for everyone. The Haven has a culinary program, where students with special needs, learn all aspects of food preparation. They will also be cheering the riders when they leave Rossiter’s at 11:45 am. We are hoping everyone will decorate their bikes with American flags!”
There’s still more to enjoy! On Saturday, February 19, there is the motorcycle stereo “Sound Off Competition.” This competition is from Noon- 4:00 pm. Some absolutely incredible motorcycle stereo systems vie for the coveted first place award! If you’d like to walk away with some cash on Sunday, the 17-class bike show has over $5,000 in cash prizes. This is a crowd-favorite!
Last words, Lucy? “I want to mention that over the 23 years of Thunder By The Bay, we’ve raised $2.1 million for the charity. Last year, we allocated over $150,000 to 6 local non-profit agencies that provide programs and services to over 8,000 children, teens, and adults annually. I would like to remind readers that Thunder By The Bay is a fundraiser for charity. As we all know, prices on just about everything have increased and labor is scarce, so our nominal gate fees help offset those expenses. We work very hard in providing an affordable, enjoyable, and memorable Festival for everyone.”
Thank you, Lucy, for speaking with me today! All of us at Born To Ride Magazine look forward to this event and all that is going on!
Susan Hurst
What: Thunder By The Bay
When: February 18-20
Where: Sarasota Fairgrounds, 300 Ringling Blvd.
Why: Fundraiser for Suncoast Charities for Children
Web: ThunderByTheBay.org
See the article on https://borntoride.com/born-to-ride-florida-issues/