Leesburg pulls off Bikefest that almost didn’t happen
Guitar chords and drums rang out in downtown Leesburg Friday for the kick-off of Bikefest 2024, an annual tradition that’s become one of the favorite gatherings of motorcycle enthusiasts in Florida.
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More than 150,000 people are projected to attend this year’s event, boosted by near-perfect weather.
Since the pandemic, Friday has turned into an unofficial “locals’ day,” giving long-time attendees a chance to catch up with one another before the crowds pack Main Street.
“I like people watching and [the] bands,” Tammy Felton said as she sat on her parked bike, before cracking a smile. “Everything.”
However, Bikefest almost came to an end this year after the nonprofit organization that traditionally organized it fell apart.
The city, deciding the event was too valuable to let go, stepped in and hired a special events manager to helm this and other events. She had just four months to plan it instead of the typical 11.
“There may have been some divine intervention,” Maggie Lyden joked. “I have a lot of really great partners that I’m working with. I’ve built relationships over the years that I was able to call upon and utilize. So I’m very happy with where we are today.”
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Lyden said her first year would be about observing. Any potential improvements she notices could be enacted next year.
She said she made one adjustment: the music. While the rally will have several big acts, she said she focused on adding fresh local bands and a more diverse selection, including additional pop rock and country acts.
“I think that we’re going to get a lot more people that have never experienced this event coming in,” she predicted.
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Some things take time to test, though. Over the decades, Lake County Fire Rescue has evolved its approach to the rally by setting up a mobile hospital out of sight of Main Street to treat anyone who needs help.
“We set up with casualty cots in there, we set it up with full clinical gear, cardiac monitors all of that,” LCFR Deputy Chief John Simpson described. “Paramedics that can treat all the emergencies as well as physicians that will actually treat and diagnose the patients.”
That, however, is not a focal point of the rally. To many attendees, it’s the atmosphere and crowds that are again rivaling the years leading up to the pandemic.
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“Finally,” Wayne Johnson said.
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