WRITER | LISA BECKER CAMPBELL
PHOTOS | BIKES ON THE BRICKS
Flint’s Bikes on the Bricks celebrates everything for the motorcycle enthusiast!
Over 10,000 spectators gather to enjoy a police-escorted ride, a bike show with cash prizes, and a police skills competition – with officers participating from across the US and Canada. Adding to the fun are a Rock-a-Billy Pin-up Girl contest, a beer tent, food and merchandise vendors, and more.
The 11th annual family-friendly Bikes on the Bricks event starts Friday, September 8. The police-escorted 40-mile ride takes place on Saturday, routed to downtown Flint. The competition affords spectators a close-up view as some of the best-uniformed riders attempt to navigate a maze of cones. Police competition takes place in assorted sessions for senior, novice, and retired categories, with “King of the Bricks” awarded to the overall expert, “Brickmaster” for the overall novice, and “Brick and Mortar” for the overall retired.
“It’s a great spectacle to see,” according to Paulla Schemm, board member. “Spectators enjoy witnessing first-hand how talented the riders are.”
A “Ms. Bikes on the Bricks” contest – a rockabilly pin-up competition – also takes place on Saturday. On Sunday, participants enjoy the awards ceremony for law enforcement competition and the Motorcycle Show awards on the Main Stage. For the bikes, awards are presented in 11 categories, with cash prizes and a trophy for Best of Show, Builders, Antique, Restored Antique, Rat, Stock Custom, Manufactured Custom Euro, Mini Bike, and Trike. First-, second-, and third-place awards are given for best Touring, Sport, Stock Custom, and Mini Bikes.
A special attraction is the One Wheel Revolution Stunt Show. According to the Bikes on the Bricks website, “We dream, build, and ride modified Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. Join us if you love the v-twin wheelies, burnouts, drifting, wild motorcycle modifications, adrenaline-filled performances, and the sight of road bikes blasting down dirt roads.”
HISTORY
Bikes on the Bricks was first celebrated in October 2007 as an off-shoot of the Back to the Bricks Cruise and Car Show. This one-day event, which encompassed a single motorcycle show and a police motorcycle skills camp, drew roughly 50 motorcycles. Today, the festival is the fastest-growing motorcycle show in the Midwest, drawing over 5,000 bikes. Approximately 20 different public safety organizations from across the region participate, and roughly 1,000 riders take the police-escorted ride.
The annual competition is presented by Security Credit Union and many other sponsors. Proceeds from the ride are donated to the community and dispersed to charitable organizations in Genesee County.
Bikes on the Bricks l 502 Church Street, Flint l (810) 965-4855 l Bikesonthebricks.com
