“It’s all about the bikes” on Friday the 13th in Port Dover

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Long motorcycle processions roared through Port Dover for Friday the 13th.He Tradition that goes back 40 years.

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By mid-morning, the lakeside town of 7,000 was already bustling with loud rock music, crowds of pedestrians and, of course, rows of shiny bicycles of every make, model, colour and design.

“It’s all about the bikes,” said Raila Rintala from Toronto, who travelled to the city with her husband Alan. “It’s fun when you’re riding and people are waving at you and taking pictures. You feel like a celebrity.”

With cyclists coming and going all day and well into the evening, it’s difficult to estimate how many people will attend the event. But Amie Ferris, director of the Port Dover Kinsmen, one of the main organisers, said that with the unusually warm weather and bright sunshine, the number could reach 100,000.

Chris Miller of Port Colborne on his Yamaha V-Star, Harley-Davidson motorcyclist Lou Moffatt of Niagara Falls and Bill Livingston of Fort Erie on his Honda Goldwing gathered outside Knechtel’s on the Beach, where business was brisk for burgers and fries and the restaurant’s famous walleye and pike.

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All veterans who belong to the same social group have made a Friday the 13thHe They become a bit of a regular, but they don’t stay around for long.

“I have my shirt, my ID and my food, so I’m ready to go,” Miller said.

The origins of the event date back to 1981, when a Port Dover biker and a small group of friends met at a local bar. They had so much fun that they decided to return every Friday the 13th.He.

Each Friday the 13th, more people showed up, and when the crowds became overwhelming, the Kinsmen took over to create a more organized event and now involves months of planning, more than 500 volunteers, and coordination of police, EMS, fire department, and Norfolk County personnel.

“It’s a great opportunity for the community,” said Norfolk Mayor Amy Martin, who was in the crowd wearing her Friday the 13th T-shirt.He T-shirt.

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Martin, a Port Dover native, said she has only missed two events in her life.

“I like the energy. It’s a great opportunity for the community. It’s great for tourism. I like the respect people have for it. They use the trash cans. On Saturday morning, the trash is gone and the streets are open.”

Meetings are also a great source of revenue, not only for year-round businesses in Port Dover, but also for local nonprofit groups and organizations.

Members of the Port Dover Masonic Lodge were selling their version of Friday the 13th.He T-shirts on Main Street. Ian McFadden said the proceeds go toward maintaining the shelter and allow the group to donate to various community causes.

On Friday, moms and dads from the Port Dover minor hockey team were at the beer tent, raising money that will go toward buying new jerseys for the young players.

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While visitors enjoyed a cold beer, they were entertained by Norfolk band The Echelon, featuring Brandon Vary (guitar), Hannah Dolson (vocals, keyboard), Marlon Schott-Ramirez (drums) and Mike Matthews (bass, vocals).

“It’s a dream come true,” said Vary, a Port Dover resident, just before taking the stage. “To play in front of all these bikers is a milestone.”

Brant County Town Crier Larry Davis is known for his booming voice, but he wasn’t about to compete with the music and rumble of passing motorcycles as he grabbed a bite to eat on Walker Street.

“Do you think they would listen to me?” he said with a smile.

Davis, a motorcyclist for 58 years, got hooked when he took his first ride on a Honda 150 as a teenager and now rides a Honda Goldwing 1800. He’s coming to Friday the 13thHe to admire the bikes and get some inspiration from the modifications the riders make to make the machines their own.

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It can be an expensive hobby, Rintala said.

“You either have a bank account or a bicycle,” he said.

Norfolk OPP warned drivers to be alert for increased motorcycle traffic on the roads Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There was an increased police presence throughout Port Dover to control traffic and “maintain a safe environment.”

A 23-year-old motorcyclist from Oxford County was killed in an ATV crash shortly before 7 a.m. Friday on Thompson Road East in Waterford. Norfolk Provincial Police Constable Andrew Gamble said Friday afternoon he had no information on whether the motorcyclist was headed to Port Dover.

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