$35,000 Harley top prize in full-throttle event

More than 200 motorcycle riders won’t have much time to rest Saturday after they return from a short poker run.

If they want to take part in a show and shine, the finish line at Welland County Motorcycle Club will become the starting point for applying elbow grease, and lots of it, to prepare their rides to compete in the contest for the bestlooking bike.

The show and shine and a poker run that will take riders through Niagara Falls, along the Niagara Parkway and Lake Erie are among highlights of the 14th annual Biketoberfest fundraiser for charity.

“We decided to keep the poker run short, so the riders can get ready for the show and shine,” said Wes Pierce, a lifetime member of the club and a promoter of an event that in previous years was organized by the Fenwick Lions Club.

All proceeds from a day that gets underway with breakfast at 9 a.m. and begins wrapping up at dusk with a bonfire are going to the Pathstone Foundation.

Admission and parking are free, with most of the money coming from registration for the poker run as well as the sale of $20 tickets for a draw.

This year’s grand prize a 2016 Harley-Davidson Street Glide Special Edition worth about $35,000. Second ticket drawn is for a cash prize of $1,000.

“It’s a beautiful bike, let me tell you. I’m going to go out and get another ticket.”

Pierce said there will be a “lot to see and do.” “It’s going to be a big show.” In addition to appreciating, with no small amount of envy, chrome buffed to a mirror-like finish in the show and shine, there will be a vendor’s alley, with many of the wares appealing to the motorcycle community.

There will be a beer garden and food will be available throughout the day at the club’s concession stand.

“The food booth will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Pierce said.

Live music will be performed by The Travelling Beer Bellies, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., The Athertones, from 2:30 to 5 p.m., and Back Rent Blues Band, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Welland County Motorcycle Club’s three-day Biketoberfest Festival begins today at 5 p.m. at Clare’s Cycle in Fenwick with a “ride of the flags” in which all riders are encouraged to fly a flag.

On tap Sunday is the club’s third annual Mustache Ride, with all proceeds going to Movember, an initiative to promote men’s health.

Registration is a $15 donation, or $30 for tax receipt, and the ride gets underway at the club from 11 until 11:30 a.m., rain or shine.

The club is located on Netherby Road, east of Highway 140, in Welland.