Thousands of motorcyclists are gathering in New Port Richey for the annual Cotee River Bike Fest, running until Sunday at Sims Park and downtown bars. Hosted by Harley-Davidson and Fran Haasch Law, local bands will perform on two stages during this bikers festival.
Farrell Cares, a non-profit that raises funds for local causes like Children’s Burn Camp and Pasco County Safety Town, holds an event raising money on May 27. However, Mayor Rob Marlowe has criticized it and suggested people attend Zephyrhills instead for an alternative family-oriented experience.
Entertainment
This weekend will bring the Cotee River Bike Fest, drawing thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts together for three days of bike shows, bikini competitions, and charity poker runs, as well as live music and craft beer!
West Pasco Chamber of Commerce launched the Motorcyclist Festival 14 years ago as a way of honoring motorcyclist culture and promoting local businesses in New Port Richey. Present sponsors this year are Harley Davidson of Port Richey and Fran Haasch Law Group, which are organized by Farrell Cares, a charitable arm of Team Farrell Contracting Services located nearby.
Sims Park in downtown New Port Richey serves as the location for this annual festival that features vendors, bike show riders, a Motorman riders skill contest, and a stunt show by Jesse Toller. Furthermore, participants in a poker run known as “Fire and Iron” visit locations like Starkey Market, Drunken Mullet, and Get Hooked Grill before returning to Sims Park – this year boasting celebrity grand marshal Matt Bradley from Deadliest Catch as its grand marshal!
Bike Shows
Cotee River Bike Fest will make its return this weekend in Downtown New Port Richey with the sound of revving engines reverberating throughout Sims Park at West Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s West Pasco Chamber of Commerce at Sims Park and sponsored by Harley-Davidson of New Port Richey and Fran Haasch Law Group, offering various events and attractions tailored to motorcycle enthusiasts such as bike shows, bikini contests and charity poker runs for motorcycle fans. Live music performances, as well as beer brewed locally, will complete three days of festivities.
Tina Farrell of Team Farrell in downtown New Port Richey anticipates this year’s show will be bigger and better than ever, said organizer Tina Farrell of her contracting business, taking on all the work involved with hosting it from Friday through Sunday. A committee will assist her.
The festival will be hosted at Sims Park, with events taking place at various other locations around downtown New Port Richey. Streets will be closed off to cars, allowing only bikes on them. Two different classes of motorcycles will be judged each day, with winners receiving both trophies and cash prizes as trophies/cash prizes for their victory. There will also be skill shows by Motorman Riders and Jesse Toller stunt show, as well as various vendors.
Bikini Contest
Cotee River Bike Fest returns this weekend, welcoming its 14th edition with revving engines to downtown New Port Richey. Established 14 years ago by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, this three-day festival features bike shows, bikini contests, charity poker runs, and live music at Sims Park. Team Farrell, a one-stop contracting company, is taking on responsibility for this year’s Cotee River Bike Fest alongside their employees and present sponsors, Harley Davidson of New Port Richey and Fran Haasch Law Group; admission is free while food and beer can be purchased.
Charity Poker Run
The 14th annual Cotee River Bike Fest will take place October 12-14 and offer bike shows, bikini contests, charity poker runs, and plenty of craft beers – including craft varieties – along with lots of vendors selling goods or services related to bikes and other motorcycle-related topics. Established initially by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, this year, Farrell Cares (an offshoot of Team Farrell contracting business) is taking over sponsorship and organizing the event.
Charity poker runs are unique forms of charity rides where participants receive one card at each checkpoint along the route and compete to create the best hand possible to claim a prize, such as free T-shirts or autographed pictures from bands playing at the event.
Charity poker runs are an enjoyable way to meet fellow bike enthusiasts while supporting an important cause. To ensure its success, though, a key ingredient of organizing one lies in having enough volunteers at each checkpoint ready to distribute cards, answer participant queries, assist participants, and collect tally sheets at every stop before determining winning hands.
One of the highlights of the event is pairing poker-run participants with Make-A-Wish Central New York program children and their families for powerboat rides on Mystic’s 52-foot G3. Over 60 children registered this year alone!
Promoting a charity poker run involves placing ads in local newspapers and using social media. Start planning four months so everything will run smoothly on race day; also, ensure someone from each stop can communicate with other members via walkie-talkies or cell phones.
Craft Beer
this weekend as thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts descend upon downtown New Port Richey for the Cotee River Bike Fest, running until Sunday. This annual event offers live music, bike shows, bikini contests, charity poker runs, and an abundance of food and beverage vendors.
Downtown businesses stand to benefit from this three-day bike festival. According to Carman Passarella, owner of Village Pub and Jilly’s on Main, she estimates it brings in an estimated revenue of $200,000. During two days when streets are closed to cars during this festival, estimated payments increase to $200,000. It also draws customers into local restaurants and bars downtown.
Cotee River Bike Fest has not been free from controversy. Last year, Mayor Rob Marlowe expressed dissatisfaction on social media regarding this year’s event due to its non-family-friendly nature and failure to contribute to local charities – this triggered outrage among residents and business owners, prompting some of whom to demand his removal from office.
As it was established 14 years ago by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce to celebrate motorcycle culture and promote local businesses in West Pasco, today Farrell Cares Inc. is overseeing this annual bike festival with Harley Davidson of Port Richey as its Presenting Sponsor along with Fran Haasch Law Firm as other organizations providing support.
This year’s bike festival will include a craft beer tent featuring six to ten taps from local brewers’ beers. Market Fresh was its inaugural creation – an innovative wheat beer featuring herbal tea from White Heron Tea & Gifts that proved very popular with visitors during the festival.
