Awesome Weekend @ Roar on the Shore - Erie PA
#1
07-18-2010, 07:15 PM
Awesome Weekend @ Roar on the Shore - Erie PA
Not sure if anyone on here was down at the Roar on the Shore event, but what a great weekend..
Lots of bikes, good music and no rain !!! They estimated that 50,000 people had come just by Friday night...
Published: July 18. 2010 12:01AM
Roar on the Shore gets high praise
By RON LEONARDI
ron.leonardi@timesnews.com
Kelly Lapping has seen Erie's Roar on the Shore bike rally evolve rapidly since its inception in 2007.
Advertisement
About 10,000 people attended the Erie region for that first rally.
Lapping, co-owner of the Harley-Davidson of Erie dealership at 4575 West Ridge Road in Millcreek Township, considered it little more than a "glorified bike night.''
He no longer harbors that impression of the event.
"I think it's safe to say this rally has turned the corner,'' Lapping said. "This is a national rally now.''
Lapping and organizers of the event believe the fourth annual Roar on the Shore rally lived up to its billing this week.
More than 5,000 motorcyclists -- the largest field ever -- attended Thursday's Bringin' in the Roar parade from Presque Isle Downs & Casino to Perry Square in downtown Erie.
Friday's Thunder on the Isle: The Mayor's Ride attracted more than 800 bikers, who followed the grand marshal, Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott, on a ride around Presque Isle State Park.
More than 1,000 bikers participated in Saturday's feature ride, the Roar to the Vineyards Poker Run, to several North East Township wineries.
"I think from what we're seeing, the rally has really made a definite growth in scope from last year, markedly easy to measure,'' Sinnott said.
Manufacturer & Business Association officials estimated this year's rally would attract 50,000 bikers and visitors with a regional economic impact of more than $18 million.
"We believe we have far and away exceeded 50,000 people,'' Manufacturer & Association spokeswoman Tammy Polanski said Saturday evening. "We estimated there were 22,000 people in downtown Erie on Thursday night alone. Friday night, we thought we had matched that number.
"We believe this will be one of the best rallies in the nation,'' Polanski said. "We want Erie to be the destination rally for these riders.''
The 2008 Roar on the Shore rally attracted 25,000 people to the region. More than 35,000 people visited downtown Erie at the 2009 rally, Polanski said.
"You see the kind of money the bikers have invested in these bikes and accessories -- it's huge,'' VisitErie President John Oliver said. "Those involved in this activity run the gamut from lawyers and doctors to CEOs to others.''
Bikes at the various rally parade events this week sported license plates from California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, Vermont and Ontario.
"When you look at what people have invested in those bikes, you start to realize this is a very affluent group, and a group that seems to readily want to spend their money on vacation,'' Oliver said. "They're spending money all over. That's obviously a very positive sign for our economy.''
Polanski said this year's Roar on the Shore rally attracted 34 sponsors; the 2009 event's sponsorship total was in the twenties, she said.
Many bikers said they believed there were more attractions, and that more vendors appeared at Perry Square the past three days than at any previous rally.
"There's more things to do here, and I think that will help us grow more quickly,'' Sinnott said.
Late Saturday afternoon, Linda Kowalczyk, 55, of Erie, was hanging out near the stage on North Park Row, sipping a beer, listening to a local band, and sometimes dancing.
She wore a lime-green Harley-Davidson T-shirt, and she said she was content taking in the atmosphere.
"The music is great, and there are so many people from out of state,'' she said. "And they love coming to Erie. That's good, because Erie needs that.''
Robbie Shaffer, 44, of North East, said he thought this year's Roar on the Shore rally was better organized than any of the previous events.
"Everything has run smoothly,'' he said. "They've done a really good job.''
Shaffer spent most of Saturday afternoon walking around Perry Square looking at bikes.
"It doesn't matter where you're from or what you do,'' Shaffer said. "You come down here on a bike, and everybody is the same. You might be talking to a lawyer or a janitor. It doesn't make a difference. Everybody is out here to have a good time.''
Lapping said more and more bikers around the nation are hearing that message.
"When you have people coming from as far away as California, that tells you that the popularity of the event, that the word of mouth has gotten out that, 'Hey, Erie welcomes bikers,' and people are going to come and spend their money here,'' Lapping said.
Lots of bikes, good music and no rain !!! They estimated that 50,000 people had come just by Friday night...
Published: July 18. 2010 12:01AM
Roar on the Shore gets high praise
By RON LEONARDI
ron.leonardi@timesnews.com
Kelly Lapping has seen Erie's Roar on the Shore bike rally evolve rapidly since its inception in 2007.
Advertisement
About 10,000 people attended the Erie region for that first rally.
Lapping, co-owner of the Harley-Davidson of Erie dealership at 4575 West Ridge Road in Millcreek Township, considered it little more than a "glorified bike night.''
He no longer harbors that impression of the event.
"I think it's safe to say this rally has turned the corner,'' Lapping said. "This is a national rally now.''
Lapping and organizers of the event believe the fourth annual Roar on the Shore rally lived up to its billing this week.
More than 5,000 motorcyclists -- the largest field ever -- attended Thursday's Bringin' in the Roar parade from Presque Isle Downs & Casino to Perry Square in downtown Erie.
Friday's Thunder on the Isle: The Mayor's Ride attracted more than 800 bikers, who followed the grand marshal, Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott, on a ride around Presque Isle State Park.
More than 1,000 bikers participated in Saturday's feature ride, the Roar to the Vineyards Poker Run, to several North East Township wineries.
"I think from what we're seeing, the rally has really made a definite growth in scope from last year, markedly easy to measure,'' Sinnott said.
Manufacturer & Business Association officials estimated this year's rally would attract 50,000 bikers and visitors with a regional economic impact of more than $18 million.
"We believe we have far and away exceeded 50,000 people,'' Manufacturer & Association spokeswoman Tammy Polanski said Saturday evening. "We estimated there were 22,000 people in downtown Erie on Thursday night alone. Friday night, we thought we had matched that number.
"We believe this will be one of the best rallies in the nation,'' Polanski said. "We want Erie to be the destination rally for these riders.''
The 2008 Roar on the Shore rally attracted 25,000 people to the region. More than 35,000 people visited downtown Erie at the 2009 rally, Polanski said.
"You see the kind of money the bikers have invested in these bikes and accessories -- it's huge,'' VisitErie President John Oliver said. "Those involved in this activity run the gamut from lawyers and doctors to CEOs to others.''
Bikes at the various rally parade events this week sported license plates from California, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, Connecticut, Vermont and Ontario.
"When you look at what people have invested in those bikes, you start to realize this is a very affluent group, and a group that seems to readily want to spend their money on vacation,'' Oliver said. "They're spending money all over. That's obviously a very positive sign for our economy.''
Polanski said this year's Roar on the Shore rally attracted 34 sponsors; the 2009 event's sponsorship total was in the twenties, she said.
Many bikers said they believed there were more attractions, and that more vendors appeared at Perry Square the past three days than at any previous rally.
"There's more things to do here, and I think that will help us grow more quickly,'' Sinnott said.
Late Saturday afternoon, Linda Kowalczyk, 55, of Erie, was hanging out near the stage on North Park Row, sipping a beer, listening to a local band, and sometimes dancing.
She wore a lime-green Harley-Davidson T-shirt, and she said she was content taking in the atmosphere.
"The music is great, and there are so many people from out of state,'' she said. "And they love coming to Erie. That's good, because Erie needs that.''
Robbie Shaffer, 44, of North East, said he thought this year's Roar on the Shore rally was better organized than any of the previous events.
"Everything has run smoothly,'' he said. "They've done a really good job.''
Shaffer spent most of Saturday afternoon walking around Perry Square looking at bikes.
"It doesn't matter where you're from or what you do,'' Shaffer said. "You come down here on a bike, and everybody is the same. You might be talking to a lawyer or a janitor. It doesn't make a difference. Everybody is out here to have a good time.''
Lapping said more and more bikers around the nation are hearing that message.
"When you have people coming from as far away as California, that tells you that the popularity of the event, that the word of mouth has gotten out that, 'Hey, Erie welcomes bikers,' and people are going to come and spend their money here,'' Lapping said.
#2
07-18-2010, 08:25 PM
I was up there last week for a raffle ticket for that Crossbones, but didn't make it back up this weekend. Rain saturday, and family obligations sunday.
Glad to hear it was a good time... sorry I missed it!
Glad to hear it was a good time... sorry I missed it!
#3
07-25-2013, 04:46 PM
Cruiser
Came in from Mass. had a great time! People were very friendly, drinks were really cheap, and the music was on the mark. Oh, did I say that the drinks were really cheap!
#4
07-26-2013, 04:22 AM
Cruiser
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Northwest PA
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was there and had a great time. It has definitely grown into a great event. I rode up to Kelly's dealership on Sunday and they were still getting a ton of people through the door.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
