Back for its 17th anniversary rally at the Allstar Events Complex in Gettysburg, PA, Gettysburg Bike Week kicks off Thursday, July 12, 2018, and runs through Sunday, July 15. The entertainment line-up has just been finalized.
New this year on the music front, GBW is proud to welcome Lita Ford. Lead guitarist of the seminal all-girl hard-rock band The Runaways, and known for her blistering guitar and powerful vocals, Lita Ford has been playing her solo brand of heavy rock for over 35 years. She headlines the Budweiser Main Stage Friday the 13th, and what better day to play a comprehensive offering of her hell-raising catalog?
In addition to Lita Ford, top-flight music acts for this year’s rally include hard rockers Jackyl (Saturday’s headliner); country music sensation Parmalee (Thursday’s headliner); the Metallica tribute band Fade to Black; acoustic wizards Redemption Road, Tom Senseney, and Acoustic Juice; Marshall’s Highway; Sound of Silence; and child percussion prodigy Avery the Drummer.
Gettysburg Bike Week is also celebrating its 17th year with the high-flying, death-defying spectacle that is the American Motor Drome Co.’s Wall of Death. A giant silo-shaped cylinder 30 feet in diameter with 15-feet-high wooden-plank walls, the vintage live-action thrill show that is the Wall of Death serves as a cyclone of mayhem wherein motorcycle daredevils drive century-old Indian and Harley-Davidson motorcycles at high speed round and round, parallel to the ground, climbing the walls, performing stunts, inching toward an audience perched right above the action. Crazy never looked so, well, crazy.
For the fellas, the titillating spectacle of the high-end burlesque act The Cherry Bombs are back at GBW for three performances: 9:30 p.m. on Thursday; 3 p.m. Friday; and 10:30 p.m. on Saturday. Is it a coincidence one of the best songs by Lita Ford and Joan Jett’s The Runaways is called “Cherry Bomb”? We’ll just call it serendipity.
And for the ladies, GBW is happy to welcome back the best male burlesque show in the country. Composed of national and international touring Chippendales past members, 50 Shades of Men is the premier male revue performing today, delighting women everywhere with “disarmingly sexy, yet very tasteful routines. Designed exclusively for women [they] combine a perfect blend of music, hot dance moves and sensual theatrics,” and, if last year’s reception is anything to go by, the ladies are sure to love it.
And of course that’s just the tip of the fun-and-games iceberg, because legendary emcee Jack Schit is back again to perform master of ceremonies duties throughout the week on the Budweiser Stage, Gin Gypsies will be slinging the drinks, and the Second Annual York / Adams Cornhole Tournament featuring cash prizes goes down on Saturday at 1 p.m. Plus, you’ll see heavy competition in the Cycle Source Ride-In Bike Show, Ride and Rodeo; the Parade of Chrome; one of the best swap meets in the motorcycle community; and, new this year, brought to you by Cycle Source Magazine, Mini Bike Races!
New and returning riders can find updates, the schedule of events, lodging information and anything they ever needed to know about Gettysburg Bike Week by visiting http://www.gettysburgbikeweek.com.
