Media Contact:         Roland Communications (818-509-3080)

2^ND ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIKEFEST SETS NEW STANDARD AS
PREMIER MOTORCYCLE EVENT 

ROBERT PATRICK, GILBY CLARKE, LORENZO LAMAS, AND MORE

JOIN 4,000+ AS CHEAP TRICK ROCKS CROWD
TO BENEFIT SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE

 San Dimas, CA – Over 4,000 motorcyclists rode to Bonelli Park in San Dimas, California, for the second annual Southern California Bikefest on Sunday, September 16 to benefit Susan G. Komen for the cure of breast cancer.  Presented by eight Southern California Harley-Davidson dealerships, the Bikefest has emerged as the region’s premier motorcycle event with major concert acts and celebrity supporters and an expectation for significant growth over the next few years.

The celebration of life on wheels was built from scratch in an idyllic mountain valley overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains adjacent to the Raging Waters water theme park.  Sloping, grassy hills, pine trees, and an adjacent lake created the perfect setting for a towering 40’ x 60’ concert stage featuring Cheap Trick, Wild Child, and Becky Barksdale.  A 2008 Harley-Davidson motorcycle show on a canopied plateau adjacent the stage featured 32 new models.  The Vendor Village and Harley Swap Meet opposite the stage reached close to 70 vendors this year.  Though the rows of vendors were packed with shoppers like sardines, the strategic layout of the village enabled everyone to experience the sights and sounds of the stage.  The trademark Food Faire featured a lineup of booths serving everything from Original Roadhouse Grill’s tri-tip sandwiches to burgers, burritos, rice bowls and many more affordably prices dishes.

When gates opened at 10am, the line waiting to get in was over 100 yards long.  Thirty minutes later, Port Arthur, Texas, blues singer and guitarist Becky Barksdale took the stage in her bare feet and woke up the couple thousand early arrivals with wailing blues licks and Janis Joplin-inspired vocals.  At 11:45, representatives from all eight presenting Harley dealers were introduced on stage: Rich Quaid from Quaid Temecula Harley-Davidson; Bill Bartels from Bartels’ Harley-Davidson; Tom Scott from Harley-Davidson of Anaheim-Fullerton; Mark Ruffalo from California Harley-Davidson (who also served as Chairman of the Bikefest); Glenn Quaid of Quaid Loma Linda Harley-Davidson; Brent Laidlaw of Laidlaw’s Harley-Davidson; Brian Law from Pomona Harley-Davidson; and Robert Wolfe from Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson.

At 12 noon, the renowned Doors tribute band “Wild Child” took the stage.  For the next ninety minutes, lead singer Dave Brock recalled the spirit of Jim Morrison and held the crowd captive with meticulous recreations of the Doors’ greatest hits.

As the stage was cleared for Cheap Trick, several of the attending celebrities appeared on stage to express their support of Susan G. Komen and the cure of breast cancer.  Master of Ceremonies Disco (Tom Loveland of H-D Anaheim Fullerton) introduced special guest host Cynthia Fox of KLOS.  Featured on-air every Monday through Friday from 10am to 3pm, Fox is also recognizable as the host of numerous televised pledge drives for local PBS station KCET.  Cynthia’s first guest was Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge and his wife Brigid, who is also a recent breast cancer survivor.  They were followed by Robert Patrick, the omnipresent actor of over 100 movies and TV shows who began his career in “Terminator 2” with Arnold Schwarzenegger and currently stars in “The Unit” on CBS.  Gilby Clarke of Guns n Rose and Rockstar Supernova expressed his appreciation of healthy breasts, while Dan Haggerty, the former “Grizzly Adams,” said hello while on break from filming an episode his new cable series, “The Great American Motorcycle Show” at the Bikefest.  Fox also introduced drummer Carmine Appice, the founding member of Vanilla Fudge and Cactus, and former bandmate of Rod Stewart with whom he co-wrote “Don’t Ya Thing I’m Sexy,” and George Gray, the former host of “The Weakest Link” who’s now hosting “What’s With That House?” on HGTV.  The stage ceremony closed with a special appearance by Lorenzo Lamas, the former star of “Grease,” “Falcon Crest,” “Renegade,” and “Air America.”  Looking especially lean for an upcoming Broadway show, Lorenzo was joined by his three young daughters, then moved the crowed to silence with his spellbinding rendition of the National Anthem.

Cheap Trick took the stage at 2:00pm and performed a flawless and energetic 75-minute set with original members Rick Nielsen on guitar, Robin Zander on guiar and vocals, Bun E. Carlos on drums, and Tom Petersson on bass.  Since releasing their self-titled debut album in 1977, they’ve racked up four platinum and three gold albums.  Their set included their number one single, “The Flame,” and many of their seven Top 40 hits, including “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police,” and “Surrender.”  The set also served as a cavalcade of the Rick Nielson guitar collection as Nielson--dressed in his trademark cap and checkerboard vest--strapped on a new axe for every single song.

Vendors at this year’s Bikefest included A.I.M., Ace Ride Productions, B.A.M., Bad Ass Biker.com, Bartels' Harley-Davidson, Big Titty Crew, Biker Baby Clothes, Bonelli Park Foundation, California Harley-Davidson/Buell, California Racing Limos, Cheap Trick, Wild Child, Dust Bandit, Ear Plugs 4 U, EBA Design Inc., Ever-Seal, EVO Pet Foods, Eyeride Motorwear, Free Bird Leather Sewing, Harley-Davidson of Anaheim-Fullerton , Hook Up General, Jackies Gifts, John Edwards Enterprises, JS Sales, Keira Industries, Inc., KLOS, Laidlaw's Harley-Davidson, Motorcylce Goodies, Pipe Dreamz, Pomona Valley Harley-Davidson/Buell, Powers Customs, Quaid Harley-Davidson, Quaid Temecula Harley-Davidson/Buell, Recycler, Roc Leathers, Schapiro & Leventhal, Shady Bizness, Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson/Buell, Snow's Photography, Soliders for Jesus, Surrender, Susan G. Komen, Tellez Enterprises, Think Pink, Thread Designs by Charisse, Time Warner, Tops Memorabilia, Weston Enterprises, and Zeyner.

Major sponsors included 95.5 KLOS, Time Warner Cable, Original Roadhouse Grill, The Recycler, Inland Empire Weekly, and Los Angeles County Parks.  Special contributors to the Bikefest included Don Novell and his Bank of America staff; The Soldiers of Jesus; Jan’s Towing; and the Bonelli Park Support Park Foundation.

A portion of all ticket sales were donated Susan G. Komen’s Los Angeles County Affiliate for breast cancer services exclusively in Southern California.  Komen has been a global leader in the fight against breast cancer for 25 years through its support of innovative research and community-based outreach programs. 

The Bikefest featured an opportunity to win a 2007 Harley-Davidson Sportster.  Opportunity tickets were $5 and 100% of the proceeds were donated to Susan G. Komen.  The winner of the motorcycle was Robert Espinoza of Norwalk, California.

Though technically only two years old, the Southern California Bikefest is the incarnation of two other motorcycle events presented at Bonelli Park: the 2003 Harley-Davidson 100^th Anniversary Party and the 2004 California Bikefest—both presented by the Southern California Harley-Davidson Dealers Association.  All four events were produced by Roland Communications of Studio City, California.

The 2008 Southern California Bikefest will be presented on Sunday, September 21 at Bonelli Park by the same eight Harley-Davidson dealerships.

For details on the 2008 Bikefest and photo galleries of the 2007 event, visit www.socalbikefest.com.

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