The sounds of revving engines, electric guitars, and energetic conversation filled Sunset Hill Farm County Park Saturday afternoon for the Livin’ It Up Music Festival and American Bikers Aimed Towards Education [ABATE] Ultimate Bike Show. The organizations teamed up to create an awesome event to raise money for the Special Olympics.
The sunny day included a bike ride escorted by Porter County Police, a bike show, seven live bands, food and drink vendors, and a beer garden.
“This is the Ultimate Bike Show. We’ve been doing it for 24 years. The last few years, we’ve given all the money to the Special Olympics,” Cathy Szymanski, the Porter County rep for ABATE. “It’s great. God has graced us with a sunny, warm day.”
ABATE works tirelessly to serve both bikers and the community.
“We do all the safety classes for motorcycle courses and all the licensing for the state of Indiana,” said Bob Fry, Assistant Rep for Porter County ABATE. “We also do numerous charities throughout the year throughout the state. This one is an awesome event. It just turned out great.”
The ties between ABATE and the Special Olympics illustrates just one of many ways ABATE serves the greater community.
“We’re for the bike rider,” said Szymanski. “We help them be safe on the road. We watch out for them and their legal rights. We do a lot for the county, putting on events. Number one is our community. We want to take care of our bikers first off, but community is very important to us. Without our community none of this happens.”
After their escorted ride and the bike show contest, bikers and community members took the opportunity to soak in the tunes of local bands, including Upside Down & Backwards, Rito, The Highway Band, Shuddup & Drive, Robert Rolfe Feddersen, Justified, and Ripley Street.
“We’re doing really great today,” said music organizer John King of the Parent’s Special Sports Booster Board with the Special Olympics. “It’s a beautiful day, and a lot of people came out to hear a lot of great music.”
The musical festival and bike show emphasized the importance of community, illustrating how people unite to support a good cause.
“It really brings the community together,” said King. “We have a lot of great sponsors, local businesses that put up the money to do this. We have all the bands that donate their time for Special Olympics. It’s a lot of people coming together for a great cause. So thanks for all the support!”
If there’s one message that ABATE wants to get out, it’s that bikers are an important part of the community.
“We’re family oriented,” said Szymanski. “You may see a bunch of bikers and think ‘Oh my god, they’re bikers.’ Nope, we all have families. We like to have fun and get together and raise money for a good cause in the community.”
“We’re all here just for Special Olympics,” said added Fry.
For more information about ABATE click here!