BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey
It’s been a long-held tradition to mosey downtown for the annual Cotee River Bike Fest. A combined interest for me and the old man who always enjoys checking out the classic rides. One year he got to show off his one – a custom-rebuilt Pan Head that he rode one last time downtown earning a trophy for it at the juried Bike Show before putting it up for sale.
He was sometimes along for the ride so-to-speak while I was out covering the event for the St. Petersburg/Tampa Bay Times. The bikes lined up along the main drags always seemed picturesque to me – especially when framed by the gold dome over Rose’s Bistro.
One of my favorite feature stories to write as a reporter was about a vendor on the motorcycle circuit named Eileen Ceder. She was one of the busiest vendors, spending three days tending to the long line of customers wanting to have her sew patches on leather vests and jackets before packing up her sewing machine and heading off to the next bike fest. While the fest was pure entertainment for some, it was a way to make a living for her.
Traditionally the event brings thousands of bike enthusiasts to New Port Richey. I don’t know the official numbers, but his year’s event felt lighter than usual attendance-wise – at least during the Saturday afternoon hours that we spent there. Likely revved up for the nighttime events.
Via social media, I know that Eileen is still out there, but I didn’t catch sight of her while winding through the vendors’ area of Sims Park. With Covid still hanging over and a couple of hurricanes sweeping through, it might be expected that some would be reluctant to travel. We’ll see how things swing next year.
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