Bikers and neighbours come together on East North Avenue To Celebrate Harley Davidson's 105th Anniversary

While Harley-Davidson riders a reputation for being rather provincial when it comes to their bikes, have seemed to some different masses get by hanging out at the North Avenue Street Party quite well, for the most part.

Thousands of drivers with an eclectic group of neighbors and the college crowd from nearby mixed UW - Milwaukee for the festivities on North Avenue. From the Oriental Theater, where the Violent Femmes busking discovered on a street corner by The Pretenders in the early 1980s to Vitucci the cocktail lounge, which has not a little to have changed since the 1930s, is East North Avenue coolest one of Milwaukee and historic neighborhoods.

I caught a group of about a dozen 40-and-under riders from German Town, Wisconsin, USA, to talk about their bikes and ride preferences, just before she headed to Rascal tavern. This was not just a group of renegade bikers willing to hell, as they increase from the "Wild Ones" movie, but there was no shortage of character in their team, which includes drivers of Harley touring bikes, Softail and Sportster , as well as a few guys on sportbikes.

Brian Esklidsen, 26, came up with a 2006 Ultra. "I grew up on these bikes," said Esklidsen. "My father had it. You get a thrill from the sound and the thunder of the pipes. Sometimes it's for the show, but we have to go."

"Bikes are bikes, no matter what you ride," said Rob rides Baatz, 25, a Honda CBR. "We have a real mix of bikes, but we're all friends."

Riding as a passenger, Michelle Catalano, 24 wants to learn to ride one day in advance. "I want the first woman to ride in my family since I read of the old Italian tradition, where there have been men over women," she said. "Things are the same for women and now I'm tired of things are for men only."

U.S. Army veteran Mike Mills was the elder statesman of the group at the 39th He owns several classic cars and Harley's rode a 1990 Softail Custom for street festival. "I hate poseurs, but I think they are riders," he said. "They are really more like credit card bikers, though."

While the musical acts Blind Melon, The Crave and Alana Grace entertained the North Avenue crowds throughout the day I was working hard to serve a few cold drinks Miller. As a close friend organized the party, helped a group of our friends serving the beer. Bartending is always a good way for people watching and this night was no exception.

From grizzled veterans with Harley-covered patch of West Tours (rich urban bikers) to college kids out for a good time, the audience enjoyed an evening out on the street. Milwaukee as a city of festivals, and is known in other words, we know how to party. Some in the crowd said they had removed to the street party summer party on the grounds a few miles from Milwaukee lakefront come to avoid the crowds there.

To nobody's surprise, ZZ Top still in an old school Harley crowd at the Summer Festival on Friday seized, along with other bands like the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, War, Los Lonely Boys and Big Head Todd & the Monsters. Gen Xers and the younger group had their fill with the Foo Fighters and Three Days Grace show at the Roadhouse at the Lakefront.

Finally, here is a pretty incredible story go from my city today. Just before pulling into Veterans Park, another driver, and I have to look twice, as we recognized each other. In fact, we had, as I had led him and his colleagues at the Michigan driver at Miller Park on Thursday HOG event and now I was the same for them at Vet Park. I think it's really a small world, Harley, after all.