Blue Knights International®

Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, Inc.

Florida Chapter XVII

Tampa, Florida

May 31, Saturday - 16 members and 1 guest (that guest happened to be Bobby Baker, past president of BK-FL XVII) met at CMS on this nice spring morning to participate in the breakfast ride. The group decided to go to the other new place that we were given last week by Vic, Daddy's Grill on Tampa Rd. in Oldsmar. After trying many ways to get the phone number to let management know we were coming and not able to, we decided to just go and take our chances. If we could not get in we would go to NPR and Barnhills. Roland knew where the place was so he took point and got us there quickly (must have been hungry). When we arrived I went inside and asked if they could handle us, they said it was no problem, so in we went to our big table in our own room. It took a few minutes for the staff to get organized, and then everything went smooth. The food was excellent although a little bit higher in price for some items, but normal in others with good service. After breakfast everyone broke into smaller groups to do many different things. T and I went here and there, put on 250 miles and got home about 5:30. Til next time------------(ed-BS)

May 22, Thursday: Burly’s Backyard BBQ -  

Ten (10) met at the restaurant for the weekly dinner ride to Burly’s Backyard BBQ.  Everyone drove 4 wheels due to the gray, cloudy skies above.  Thankfully for Don and me, the restaurant was only 5 minutes from our house.  With my early work schedule, we can’t usually take advantage of the weekly rides.  In this case, being so close to our house, we were so happy to go!  Jimmy Seibel and Steve Kane live in close proximity, so were able to go as well!  It was good to see Steve, as we hadn’t seen him since the SRC! 

Our drink orders arrived quickly and we placed our food orders.  The menu was versatile with many items to choose from, most with BBQ flair! 

As usual, Joe E kept us in stitches with his one-liners and sarcastic comebacks!  One time, I overheard him say, “Oh Bruce, that is so unlike you to be so miserable and negative.”  We about died laughing!  Those 2 always go back and forth in jest.  Must be the New York/New Jersey love for one-another!  It was fun to see Barb D’s facial expressions to the comments made back and forth by the guys.  God love her, as she sat across from Joe E and had Don on one side of her, and Peter on the other! 

Jimmy S looked lost and forlorn with no Paula at his side!  She was unemployed for quite some time, but true to the fact, that “good things come to those who wait”, she landed a fantastic job.  Unfortunately, however, she has to travel 2 weeks out of each month.

All of our food orders arrived, well, except for Gary’s!  (No surprise there!)  When it did arrive, we understood why the hold up!  His prime rib was so large, it covered a huge platter.  We figured they had to cook all of the other orders first, to allow room on the grill to cook Gary’s big slab of cow!  Joe was quiet during his meal, because he too had a platter full of chicken and ribs to tackle! 

My “medium” hamburger arrived a little on the dark/burnt side.  I tried to cover up the taste with mayonnaise, but decided it wasn’t going to work for me!  I sent it back to the kitchen and they gladly cooked it to my liking!  A perfect, medium cooked hamburger was sent back my way.  I felt bad to do that, but knew I couldn’t stomach that burnt taste!  They were very apologetic and sweet about it, even though I had to complain. 

The waitress came to offer dessert, but none of us could breathe at that point and declined.  We joked that with the large amount of food we just ate, that dessert didn’t sound good, that is, until Bruce and Teresa’s big dessert’s arrived!  Teresa sent her warm brownie down our way, covered with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  She yelled down to me, “Karen, have some dessert!”  I said, “No, that’s okay!”  In 2 seconds, I changed my mind and grabbed my spoon and jumped in.  They all laughed, that it looked like I was forced into it!

We sat and visited awhile longer.  When it was time to leave, we noticed it was raining so we were all relieved that we hadn’t taken our bikes.

Karen Lumpkin

Ride Reporter

May 1-4, 2008 SRC Conference, Tampa

 The Spring SRC, 2008 began for FL XVII on Wednesday morning, as many members arrived early at the Red Rose Inn in Plant City to start moving things in and setting up.  The gang got together and caravanned to “Howards Storage House” to pick up the stored items.  Taylor Rentals made their delivery to us and people moved around like working ants!

We checked into our rooms and were pleasantly surprised by the beautifully decorated rooms, each with its own theme.  Ours looked like something out of the movie, Gone with the Wind!  I felt like Scarlet O’Hara (which made Don, Rhett Butler!) with the red velvet valances and the poster beds covered with decorative, frilly pillows!

Pauline McD said that she had to change her room location, because her room had the geisha girl look with the red velvet wallpaper.  She explained that she would be very busy with conference duties and was afraid customers would be stopping by in the middle of the night with other duties in mind.  (That girl is a hoot!)

Our yellow shirts were a great idea, which helped others know who to approach and ask questions to.  We didn’t know the answers to anything, but we would quickly get Dennis D on the radio and get the questions answered.  I joked that the backs of our shirts should have read, “Wait, let me ask Dennis”.  The bright yellow shirts were an eye-catcher and very much liked by the other chapters.  Don and I had several people approach us and ask where they could buy the cool, yellow shirts.

Thursday morning, we got up early to enjoy the breakfast buffet before going to “work”.  The breakfast buffet contained every breakfast item imaginable and the room was so nicely decorated.  The wait staff was extremely accommodating to our wants and needs.  Don decided to open up the registration table early, because many guests had arrived on Wednesday night and he wanted to get them checked in and registered.

It was a busy day Thursday, with the majority of the guests arriving on this day!  We were surprised at the number of walk-ins who hadn’t pre-registered, yet didn’t want to miss our conference.  We were prepared with “generic” packets that we had put together, in the event we had walk-ins.  Cory R. and Jimmy S. donned their “pirate” attire and looked the part!  Jimmy S even had a lifelike parrot attached to his shoulder and had his bike set up with pirate flags and a skeleton on the seat, holding the welcome-to-our-conference sign.  Don, Gary and I snuck up to our rooms later and donned our pirate costumes, to hold true to our pirate theme!  Gary carried a long sword with his costume and really played the part well! 

That ornery Cory left us a “black cat” for our registration table to accommodate the pirate theme, but little did we know, the cat had a gastric problem and kept “tooting” as people walked by!!!  That kind soul, Rosalie, kept us supplied with nourishment of cheese and crackers, because we couldn’t get away from the registration table to go and eat.  At one point, a very attractive waiter, Peter D, served us with hot dogs (ketchup and mustard!), and cold drinks from the Hospitality Room!

The bikes lined up for the escorted ride to the Spaghetti Warehouse in Ybor City.  The Plant City Motor Unit led the way, while TPD Motor Unit picked up the lead through their city.  We stood outside and waved goodbye to the bikes leaving and everyone was smiling big and honking their horns as they rode by, all 120 of them (or more!).  The BK XVII workers stayed behind to man their worksites.  We were glad, because more people arrived and wanted to check in and register during that time, and some wanted to hang out in the Hospitality Room.

A few minutes after they left, we heard sirens and thought it cool, how Plant City had “announced” to the other drivers that they were doing an escort.  Later, come to find out, that one of the Georgia riders had gone down on his bike and the sirens we heard was that of an ambulance.  The details later indicated that he had dislocated his shoulder, but was fine, thankfully.

We heard positive feedback as the riders returned from the restaurant, how well the restaurant did to accommodate them and how good the food was.  Many headed over to the Hospitality Room (we could overhear the laughter!), but Don and I snuck to our room to prepare more packets for walk-ins, since we went through all of the prepared packets we carried with us.

Friday morning, we got to “work” early, to accommodate those checking in.  Ron and Rosalie worked their posts, as well as all of those in the Hospitality Room.  Gary and Dennis D had all of the posts covered.  We could hear them constantly being summoned on the 2-way radios which Gary provided to us.

The guests started lining up for the BAR-B-Q ride to Medard Park.  The BK XVII workers lined up and waved goodbye to those on the bikes!  Again, the smiling faces taking the ride were priceless!  We later heard that went really well.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the good food and the wonderful ride through the back roads.  Roland was so thoughtful; he brought us back some of the bar-b-q pork to munch on, since we weren’t able to leave our posts.  The food was delicious, so tender and juicy!  (Our hats off to Howard and his crew!  Job well done – the feedback was VERY positive!!!)

We scheduled the banquet on Friday night, to accommodate Plant City Bike Fest on Saturday night.  That went well, as people returned from the park, some napped, some socialized in the Hospitality Room, and some laid out by the pool to enjoy the Florida sunshine. 

Later, early evening, people went up to their rooms to get ready for the banquet!  The Red Rose Inn rolled the red carpet (literally) for the arriving guests!  Don, Jimmy S, Cory R and I donned our Pirate Costumes for the event, but not to disobey, we wore our “Party Police” Hawaiian shirts over our outfits!  Marjorie went all out with the Hawaiian (shirt) theme, by donning her grass skirt and COCONUTS!!!!!   She got a lot of attention, to say the least, and wore her coconuts well!!!!!! 

Gary, El Presidente, was required to sit at the “Executive Table” because he is a dignitary now, but so that he wouldn’t feel left out, we called him constantly on his cell phone throughout the dinner to check on him.  We even sent him text messages, to assure him that we hadn’t forgotten about him.  We were somewhat relieved that he wasn’t sitting at our table, because we were starving, and he has a way of getting served last, if at all!  His face was bright red, as we called him constantly, checking on him!

We were served the most wonderful dinner and the desserts were spectacular!!!!!!  Dennis D had warned the hotel that we were all big eaters, so the kitchen was prepared for our hearty appetites.  (Blue Knights, no matter what state they represent, all have one thing in common:  BIG APPETITES!)  Dennis did a great job with the microphone and kept everyone in stitches.  I heard later by many, that those banquet speeches are usually so boring (zzz) but they “so enjoyed Dennis’s public speaking abilities and couldn’t wait to hear what he would say next!”

It was an honor to have Chief Bill McDaniels present at our banquet as our Guest of Honor.  He spoke about what it meant to be a Blue Knight (he is the current President of the Plant City BK Chapter).  It was a beautiful, heartfelt speech spoken from the heart and soul.  What a nice man to assist us in so many ways to allow us the best conference ever!

The awards were given out and old John was appointed Sir John.  That was an emotional, touching experience for us all to see.  Alex R could barely speak, he was so emotional!

Our Party Police shirts were well received and the guy at the table next to me, President Bill from Alabama, kept trying to steal mine!  At one point in the evening, I looked over and noticed he had my Party Police shirt on!  He acted so innocent, as if the shirt was his, until I pointed to the name which was sewed onto the pocket:  Karen!  Bill was busted at that point!

We hung out in the Hospitality Room after the banquet was over and had a ball visiting with everyone!  Our BK XVII bartenders were very BUSY, to say the least, tending to their “customers”.  If you closed your eyes, you could hear the laughter, and feel the energy and excitement going on in those 2 rooms!  What a WONDERFUL feeling, to host a party for our friends, near and far!  It was a great feeling to look around and see the rewards gained by our hard work; everyone having such a GREAT time!

Don and Gary went up to the rooms and said they would return soon.  Lo and behold, they returned as women:  nylons (Gary, are those fish nets???), long hair (Don explained that the reason he had a mustache was because he was an Italian woman), g-strings (which the male guests used to put their dollars in). 

They had kept this a huge secret, so the BK XVII members were in as much shock as the outside guests!  Our Gary was really getting into it, by shaking his “bootie” and Don was enjoying his long hair by throwing it back in a sexy way!  I overheard the guests exclaim that they were “shocked by Gary, the quiet, shy one” to which I overheard Gary say that “Don forced him into it!”  The laughter could be heard all around and everyone begged for photo opportunities with the “women” visitors.  Dennis D smiled a big smile, as he shook his head and rolled his eyes at his 2 rebel SRC Planning Committee members (“President Gary” and “Secretary Don”).  SRC Chairman, Alex R took advantage of a few photo opportunities, posing with the “women”.  After everyone was laughed out and broke from putting all of their dollars into their g-strings, the “ladies” disappeared into the night.

The next morning, Saturday, many people laughed when they saw Gary and Don in normal clothing.  Of course, the 2 denied all accusations and stated they had “no knowledge” of what anyone was talking about.  Of course, some pulled open their cameras and shared the photos as proof.  Don and Gary looked puzzled and questioned (very innocently), who the “heavy ladies” were in the photos.

We got ready for parking lot activities.  The virtual shooting range was set up, which Diane Miller manned.  The Plant City Fire Department came by to fill up our dunk tank.  Teresa was a good sport and was the first one to jump into the tank and sit on, what Dave Bryant called, “the perch”.  Teresa really egged her customers on and “heckled” to them, until they bought 3 balls for $1.  She made a good chunk of money, the way she egged her customers on, begging them to try to dunk her (saying they couldn’t throw, couldn’t see to throw, and things like that). 

Cory R got on “the perch” next and the guys lined up to dunk him!  He was really heckling!  It was funny to see his mom, Joan, try to dunk him!  She succeeded, time and time again (if not fairly with the balls, then by going up to manually push the button). 

Alex R got on the perch and people came out of the woodwork to try to drown him!  Alex is a good sport and really egged the other presidents on, stating it was for a good cause, Gold Shield.  Peter D asked where the ATM machine was, or if not close, if Dave B would accept his Discover card!  Alex looked worried when he saw his wife, Iris, walk up with a handful of dollars.  She missed every time, to which Alex said, “Good girl honey!”  She knew she had to dunk him, so ran up and pushed the button!  He fell right into the water and she laughed very hard.  She went over to the tank and kissed him afterwards!

Howard, Robin, Jinx and the other helpers were busy setting up the fresh grouper fest.  Canopies rose up, ice was carried, grills were set up, pots of oil were put on the stove, the fresh grouper was rolled in the flour mixture and Steve K was the expert hushpuppy maker.  The fish-b-q was a HUGE hit!!!! 

Everyone jumped in to help clean up and we got ready to leave for Plant City Bike Fest.  That was a huge success with a LOT of bikes going down to see the vendors and to experience all the bikes.  We were escorted by Plant City Motor Unit and had special, reserved parking.  Everyone seemed to enjoy walking around, looking at the vendors.  We ate on our own and left on our own and later, all joined up at the Hospitality Room to “visit” some more!  We had a lot of fun sitting on our chairs in the parking lot, visiting.  Patti C entertained us with her hula-hoop, and encouraged all who walked by to give it a whirl, literally.  We saw people trying to avoid her, by going in through another door!  That’s okay; she would catch them when they would try to sneak by her!  We had fun watching everyone try to do it.  One gal was overheard saying,

“I couldn’t do that when I was young, so I certainly probably can’t do it now!’  It was fun trying, though!

The giveaways were presented and people visited and said their good-byes.  It was bittersweet, we were relieved our work was done, yet it was sad to say good-bye to our friends, until the next time (Ocala in the Fall!).  Many people thanked us and raved about our GREAT conference.  It was heard people were saying, “Tampa’s conference would be a tough one to follow!”

We would like to thank all of those who worked so hard in helping it all come together.  A special praise goes to Dennis D and Gary J, who together, assisted in every way possible.  It was sad to see our members limping as days went by, or using body braces on knees that were sore, or bending down and struggling to get up!  Moods were sometimes over extended, and at times, tempers flared, but, in the long run, we are all still the best of friends, together for the same purpose in life – we love to ride our motorcycles and we LOVE to eat!  It’s those commonalities which bring us together.  Oh, and did I mention?  We are the best of friends and we truly love one-another?  Somehow, we made it through it all!   We wonder now, what we will do with all of our free time, that which was spent every night after work, preparing for our conference.  I know, maybe we’ll meet our friends for something to eat!

If you missed the conference, we’re sorry, you missed a great time!  Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait another 10 plus years for the next one!

Until we eat again,

Karen Lumpkin

Ride Reporter

   This page was last updated on Saturday June 07, 2008