'Ready to get out': Vendors from near and far set up for Thunder in the Valley

Jun. 23—Preparations were underway on Tuesday as vendors started setting up for Thunder in the Valley.

"It's just nice to get here early," Doug Lehn said.

He and his business partner, Kay Weit, were constructing their tent beside the Polacek Pavilion at Peoples Natural Gas Park and later in the day were going to set up tables as well.

The pair run 929 Customs, which is based in Lititz, and specializes in motorcycle merchandise, such as riding gear, clothing, headbands and custom items.

Lehn and Weit said their most popular sellers are Daytona helmets.

They work at shows all over the East Coast and have been attending Thunder in the Valley for the past four years.

The couple initially came out just to visit the rally, but decided to set up shop the next year.

After last year's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Weit said she and Lehn are excited to get their business running again.

The Lehns' first show this year was in May at Ephrata for a bikers' breakfast.

During that event they noticed an increase in attendance and expect more people than they've seen in the past few years coming to Johnstown this week.

"People are ready to get out," Lehn said.

Rain showers late Monday and early Tuesday brought cooler temperatures — in the high 50s and low 60s by Tuesday, which Dakota and Jennifer Kempf, who run the Thunderbolt Saloon, appreciated.

"The weather is perfect," Kempf said.

He and his partner were doing the heavy lifting Tuesday at Peoples Natural Gas Park in preparation for Wednesday's main setup prior to the bike rally, which starts Thursday.

The pair hail from Joliet, Illinois, and have been making the trip east for the past 10 years, initially with the Broken Spoke Saloon.

"We look forward to this rally," Jennifer Kempf said.

The two spoke about how nice the people are in Johnstown and how much fun they have when visiting, as well as the friends they've made in the past decade.

"Here has treated me better than any rally I've been to," Dakota Kempf said.

He added that, although the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is his favorite overall, Thunder is his favorite to work.

The pair are also fans of the Pennsylvania landscape.

They commented on the rolling hills and natural scenery and how it compares to Illinois.

Among other workers enjoying the cool weather were Kevin Fowkes, Red Redman and Justin Cottingham from J.V. Chujko, Inc., an equipment and event services company.

They were constructing large tents on the lawn of the park and were set to also build bike racks and tables.

"It can be a lot of heavy lifting at times," Redman said.

The trio had never been to Johnstown before and were interested in Thunder.

Fowkes said he was considering staying in town for the week to experience the event.