Juni 2012

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Bike Week Dairy, Part 2

Posted by abohan Selasa, 26 Juni 2012 0 komentar

By the end of the first week - before the Big Weekend even starts - it's apparent what kind of Bike Week this is... The weather has made everyone happy, and if the crowds are thinner the joy is every bit as big as ever.

On Tuesday, a rock/blues group named Grace Curran & the High Falutin Band has the small crowd at the restaurant jumping. But it's a rainy day that produces a dispute among the owners.

"Open the front bar," says one.

"Don't open the front bar," contradicts another, who is concerned that the crowds won't hear about the band if they see they'd have no cover from the rain in the front area. And some folks do start trickling in, responding to cell phone calls from friends who are already in the audience.

A young man stops by the host's station with his Bike Week complaint. "Where are all the young chicks?" he wants to know.

Well, the baby-boomers who've revived the event in recent years are getting older...

Meanwhile, this observation: Two kinds of women wear bikini tops - those who are too young, and those who are too old.

The Harley-Davidson T-shirt parade continues: St. Thomas, the Grand Cayman Islands, Tripps Harley-Davidson in Amarillo, Texas, and Chunky River Harley-Davidson in Meridian, Mississippi.

The napkin holders have color-coded cards to help identify the waitresses' sections. Some one has affixed a sticker to one: "Jesus Loves Bikers."

(He'd better.)

As the night gets later, the folks who came for just a drink eventually grab a table and order some food from the nearest waitress - which creates havoc and some hard feelings. ("She stole my table!" "What am I supposed to do? He wanted to order!")

There are a good number of bikers from Maine and Quebec. The Canadians - and Europeans - are more style-conscious than the Americans and dress neater.

One day a group of Norwegians arrive. "You drove here?" asks a map-challenged older guy. (Hard to tell if he's kidding or not.)

Among it all, some romance grows - kinda.

One staff member shows off her engagement ring to the rest of the women. It's big, so they all oooh and aaah.

"But my boyfriend says it's not big enough," she blurts out. "He wants to buy me a bigger one."

"He's stalling," says the only guy in the group.

"I'm a matchmaker," beams a young waitress from Bulgaria. She's just served a woman a drink that a man on the other side of the room paid for.

And as most couples come in, it's the guy trailing behind his gal... a loving but bemused smile on his face that says, "Where is she leading me now?"
Right into the heart of the 89th Laconia Motorcycle Week, 2012, my friend.

See ya next year.

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Bike Week Diary

Posted by abohan Selasa, 19 Juni 2012 0 komentar

If you stand at the foot of Tower Hill and look down Lakeside Avenue on a warm summer day, the reflections from metals and mirrors on the rows of motorcycles emits a wavy aura.

It’s the kind of thing you’d see over street pavement on a hot day. The epicenter of Bike Week looks hotter from a distance than it is.

Working at restaurant just yards from Weirs Beach, the crowds, the activities, the people all look different than they do when you’re standing back. As a journalist, I’ve been in the area during the day for years.

But never at night.

It’s not to say that it’s not somewhat weird. The percentage of tattoos per person in the crowd is uncommonly high. My first full night, two young women dressed in too-tight jeans and t-shirts danced seductively closed together to the hot boogie-woogie music; but it was apparently more for the amusement of the drinking folks at the tables then themselves. On another night, a fellow strolled through the crowd with a pink rat on a leash sitting on his shoulder. A day later, some fireworks were set off right outside the patio area.

But most of the people were pleasant. Even the most tattooed displayed uncommon patience when asked to wait for a table. And while some freely admitted they’d come just to “get drunk,” most seemed to hold their liquor pretty well.

On the first Sunday of Bike Week, the ATM machine nearby ran out of cash.

“Good sign,” said someone on the staff, indicating the problem pointed to a financially profitable week.

By Monday, it was apparent things were going to come together: the best weather for the nine-day event in years was forecast.

Harley-Davidson t-shirts from around the country abounded: New Orleans, Corpus Christi, Tucson, Lake George (N.Y.), and Caba San Luca, Mexico.

“If loud pipes save lives,” commented one shirt, “imagine what learning to drive that thing could do.”

The oldest Laconia t-shirts were from 1997 – 15 years old; there were two. That was the 74^th Lakes Region event; this year was the 89^th. Next year will be the 90^th for the oldest biker rally in America. That should be something.

(More To Come.)

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Lakes Region News

Posted by abohan Minggu, 17 Juni 2012 0 komentar

Two interesting Lakes Region stories in today's New Hampshire Sunday News.
Check out the concerns of the owner of the Lake Opechee Inn & Spa, and the suit filed by Ossipee Lake lakefront property owners. (Careful, the site only gives a few 'free' looks!)
And have a great Sunday... "Just another day in (our weather) paradise."
But forecast is for temps to hit 90s later this week - the first time since April(?!).

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Correction

Posted by abohan 0 komentar

Our recent June 14 post, "How Squam Lake Really That Funny?," contained an error.
The organization presenting the special "Saturday Night Wild" comedy night is the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center. We've corrected the original post and apologize for the error.

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"We Ride!"

Posted by abohan Jumat, 15 Juni 2012 0 komentar

What an amazing Bike Week!
In almost 20 years, cannot recall more perfect weather. Except for a morning mid-week, it's been fabulous. Warm, sunny, a bit of clouds... Ride, enjoy - and be safe!

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Biker Blog

Posted by abohan Kamis, 14 Juni 2012 0 komentar

About New York biker culture... Link here

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Is Squam Lake Really That Funny?

Posted by abohan 0 komentar

The folks at the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center are trying something different.
Their newest fundraiser, scheduled for July 21, is a "comedy night"- "Saturday Night Wild" - and if they do it like they do most things, it should be a hummer. Prized at the auction held that night include two nights at Church Landing in Meredith, a week's stay at Rockywold-Deerhaven camp for four people, golf and ski packages, etc. Click on the link to find out more.

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Top Lakes Region Eats

Posted by abohan Rabu, 13 Juni 2012 0 komentar

In the current issue of the Hippo, the arts & entertainment magazine based in Manchester, the editors name 50 favorite New Hampshire restaurants. Among those with ties to the Lakes Region are the Common Man (Ashland and Plymouth), the Homestead in Bristol, and Fratello’s Italian Grille, T-Bones Great American Eatery in Laconia, Cactus Jack’s and O Steak & Seafood, all in Laconia.

Not a bad group, we’d say.

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The Heart of Motorcycle Week

Posted by abohan Selasa, 12 Juni 2012 0 komentar

Daryl Carlson of Meredith perfectly

captures the spirit of Motorcycle Week

in this image from our photography book.

(See below for purchasing details.)

They’re like the Greek gods.

Every culture has them. Characters, symbols really, who somehow stand head-and-shoulders above the other “ordinary” people.

But who, at the same time, are recognizable to all of us. They’re one of us – heroic, but with what the Greek dramatists called their “fatal flaw.” Something in their character seems to doom them, even as they speed past us.

America has its cowboys. That’s the archetype, but there are numerous models. The hardboiled detective. The rock’n’roller. The poetry-reading beatnik. The solitary war hero. The quiet but accomplished athlete. The superhero/avenger.

They always follow the Cowboy Code: Look truth strait in the eye. Don’t be phased by critics. Don’t be afraid of being wrong when you’re standing up for what’s right – especially when it comes to defending the weak and the vulnerable.

Don’t expect much from others.

That’s the world of the motorcycle rider, be it real or imagined, when he’s zooming by on his “potato”-chugging Harley.

It’s part myth, part reality. Part hero, part anti-hero. Part the most trustworthy friend you’ll ever find. And part the renegade outsider you don’t turn your back on.

Read about the early motorcyclists who started coming to Laconia in the 1920s. In those days riding was considered as “foolhardy” – as dangerous – as skydiving. Riders had to be as much mechanics as drivers. The machinery was wildly unpredictable. Breakdowns – even minor explosions – were an expected part of the routine. Everyone knew how to fix their own bikes. The people who rode those bikes were daredevils, like aviators or people who tried to get to the North Pole.

They were heroic but considered a little loony by most people.

It was the World Wars in Europe and Africa that changed all that. The U.S. military found uses for motorcycles no one could have imagined. Bikes could do things and get places better than any other means of transportation in a war-torn terrain.

The select few who got to ride those early Harleys and other brands fell in love with the adventure.

After World War II, when most soldiers returned to “normal” life here in America, there were a band of brothers, mostly on the west coast, who kept the tradition alive.

They collected parts and put motorcycles together. Then they raced them wherever they could find a place. They rode on mountain paths and in the desert. They shared their parts and their knowledge with one another.

They somehow kept the biker’s dream world alive.

A few of them – like the occasional cowboy, even today – took the code past its natural limits. Hurting others became a way of expressing “independence.” Thrills went past just breaking speeding or riding rules. Men who were meant to be heroes became losers. And as a result, all riders lost a bit of their luster.

But over the years, it’s come back. Bikers ride in huge POW-MIA parades, including one in Meredith. They stand with military veterans in all kinds of difficulties. They raise money for charitable causes. They fly American flags and are patriots.

Every year thousands of them come here, from across the country and the world. The Laconia Motorcycle Rally is the oldest one in the country. For one week at the end of the spring, on the cusp of summer, they roam the streets, fill the restaurants and roar down the roads.

On Lakeside Avenue in Weirs Beach they show themselves in an incongruous parade of loners gathered together. Their tattoos, decals and clothing declare what they cannot say. Their motors rumble as their lives streak by.

Enjoy them, these cowboys on their “iron horses.” There will be a day when they will ride off into the sunset. When someone else – some other, newer breed of cowboy – takes their place.

They will be missed.

And their like will never be seen around these parts again.

This story first appeared in “The Lakes Region of New Hampshire: Four Seasons, Countless Memories,” the first full-color book of photographs and essays about the area published by Carbone Productions. The book is available at local bookstores or ordering information is available at LakesRegionNHBook.com

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Before the Bikes Arrive...

Posted by abohan Minggu, 10 Juni 2012 0 komentar

On a cool June night just days before Motorcycle Week, Weirs Beach is quiet. You can hear the water lap gently at the sandy beach.

But there are spurts of noise and activity in the area.

On both sides of Lakeside Avenue, where motorcycles will soon fill the slanted parking places, tractor trailer trucks fill up almost 15 spaces a piece. Workers, with cigarettes dangling from the lips, unload their wares: T-shirts, souvenirs, leather goods... One truck, owned by Tents & Events, is from an obscure Florida town. (Osolo? Orolo? Can't even pronounce it.)

The arcades where hundreds of people will enjoy themselves in less than 36 hours are peculiarly empty. [NOTE: Learned after this story published that arcades are closed during Bike Week; space used by vendors.] All the games are piled up at the far end as workers ready the floor space. Some "naked" female mannequins stand piled in a corner - some with only half their bodies attached - waiting for the store next door to call them into service.

Some signs reveal the peculiar nature of Bike Week.

A small tent announces "free medical care and legal advice." A small food truck promotes its "gourmet pizza". (Can you really get gourmet pizza from a food truck?) Another tent advertises a "holistic herbal elixir" called "Drink No Evil."

And the distinctive red, white and blue sign is already lit up, pointing people onto Lakeside Avenue and "Weirs Beach."

On a cool Spring night hours before Bike Week.

In the nearby Lobster Pond parking lot, vendors are already securing their tents, their work done for the night. And you notice, perhaps for the first time, that many signs simply announce that "rally" goods are for sale - not "Laconia Rally". And you remember, from past conversations, that these folks live the "carny" life. They move from one motorcycle rally to another - Daytona to Sturgis to the Laconia to the next smaller one - with little opportunity to visit, to take in the views, to get the know the charms of the Lakes Region.

And you're reminded of a sign you saw in a restaurant this week. It goes something like this: "If you're really good and say your prayers every night and are nice to people, when you die you'll wake up in - NEW HAMPSHIRE!"

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Lake Region Reflections

Posted by abohan Senin, 04 Juni 2012 0 komentar

Foodie News: Just a while after we wrote about “disappearing” food menu items like the Red Flannel Hash recently featured at the Cafe Deja Vu diner in Laconia, the eatery has brought the once-familiar New England dish back for a rerun. (Guess that’s what they mean by “déjà vu".)… The Tilt’n Diner is now open 24 hours. And just days ago, owner Alex Ray won the Jim Irwin Community Service Award from the Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce. (It’s kinda amazing when you think about how many great restaurateurs there are in the Lakes Region. Besides Alex – who one the Common Man Family of Restaurants, and who one employee called “the most generous man I’ve ever met” – there’s Allan Beetle and his family at Patrick’s Pub in Gilford, the Hart family of Hart’s Turkey Farm in Meredith, etc.… Include all the other places that regularly support all kinds of community organizations and event - and that’s not even talking bout the great food they all serve! It’s an area where we’re especially blessed.).. And at about the same time comes news that the China Bistro on Weirs Boulevard has been named the best place in America to get a crab rangoon. Having eaten them, you won't find any argument here. They really are spectacular... And meanwhile, there's a security guard at the Tilton Outlet Centers who's perfecting the trick of handing a single McDonald's french fry to a chipmunk who lives in front of the Starbuck's. The little guy grabs it between his little claws and scurries away, happy as can be. (And drawing a good deal of smilers from onlookers.)

Talking about eateries and blessings: A drive down Union Avenue in Laconia Friday unveiled this unusual scene – a family of ducks, mama and her brood, making their way across the road from the McDonald’s, heading towards the Paugus Bay. Of course, all traffic north and south stopped – but some out-of-stater tried to weave his way around the car halted in front of him.

And it almost made it - until a local lady in a van honked her horn and halted the driver. We couldn’t make out her shouting, but it sounded a little like, “Show a little respect!”… And just hours later, we spotted a wild turkey and her brood trotting around Belmont. To this untrained eye, the little ones looked more like the baby ducks that their mama. (I said “untrained”.)

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What to do with that view?

Posted by abohan Jumat, 01 Juni 2012 0 komentar

Today's edition of the Laconia Daily Sun features our opinion piece about the former Laconia State School property. Here's the link.

(The last time we tried this, the link stopped working after a certain amount of time so if you'd like to read this as it originally appeared online, check out the May 19 post below.)

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Nh2o, Sunny Slope saved

Posted by abohan 0 komentar

After weeks of anxiety, it appears that the owners of Sunny Slope Farm in Alton - the site where Nh2o spring water is bottled - have staved off a bank auction.

Below it the latest news, from Deanna O'Shaughnessy, a friend and a member of the family that owns the 300-acre property. Her business owed the bank about $53,000 when she began notifying friends and supporters of the problem several weeks ago. Now, after our friends at the Laconia Daily Sun, wrote a story about their crises - and Deanna's sister offered some of her art work for sale to help raise the funds - the Chamberlain family property is apparently safe. (Here's a link to the Sun story that ran last week: Laconia Daily Sun story)

Sunny Slope Farm's Nh2o, named a "Best of NH" by New Hampshire magazine in 2010.

Here's an email I received from Deanna yesterday:

Ray,

Thank you so much for all your help!

In the morning I am sending out an e-mail to update everyone with the good news about our being able, by the grace of God and with the help of so many generous people, to pay off the credit line (and the property tax which was in arrears as well!) and to forestall foreclosure! Together, we were able to save our sweet Sunny Slope Farm! What an amazing life lesson this difficult time has been.

And, tonight I just wanted to tell you what a difference your help made to us. The article in the Laconia Daily Sunalone brought in such an overwhelmingly generous response, it put us over the top financially (and spiritually!) and made it possible for my sister to keep just enough of her savings to be able to pay her own property taxes.

We feel so humble, so blessed, so grateful… and so tired! This last 30 days has been a roller coaster of emotions, from fear and sorrow and despair to awe, amazement and overwhelming gratitude. I’ve cried more in the last few weeks than I have in the last few years, and, happily, over the last two weeks, most of those tears have been tears of thankfulness.

I pray that all the generosity of spirit you have shown us comes back to you a hundred-fold and the Lord just fills your life to the brim with abundance and joy!

Thank you!

Deanna
Chamberlain Springs LLC
Sunny Slope Farm, Alton, NH 03809
603-875-7562 home-office / / 603-387-3889 cell
www.chamberlainspringsnh2o.com/ www.sunnyslopefarmnh.com

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