Bike Fest Will Get Your Motor Runnin’
culture, festival, motorcycles,
Motorcycles rumble into Angier each summer for a weekend of family fun – and to raise money for the county’s Emergency Services Memorial Fund.
“The Angier Bike Fest is geared to the family,” says Jamie Strickland, Angier Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. “We are committed to keeping the focus on that.”
The festival attracts approximately 6,000 people and 2,000 motorcycles. There’s plenty of food and fun in an alcohol-free environment.
“Most of the vendors are motorcycle-related,” Strickland says. “Harley-Davidson sets up a big display, along with custom bike painters, apparel and some arts-and-crafts booths.”
Many churches and charities – and several Christian biker groups – are involved, along with local merchants including event chairman John Toomey, of Angier’s own D & Q Motorsports.
“We draw visitors from as far away as Ohio and Tennessee,” Strickland says. Others come from throughout the state, often during a summer road trip.
“They hear about the festival, and stop on their way to the beach,” she says. “We’re about an hour and a half from some of North Carolina’s best beaches.”
The event grows in scope and attendance every year. For the next event, Angier is considering including Rolling Thunder, a motorcycle group, as well as doing a veterans’ appreciation ceremony.
“We want to include as many groups as possible, and make it as community-oriented as it can be,” Strickland says.
Story by Paul Hughes
Photo by Brian McCord
