BEACH INSIDER: Ladies rally for 'Sand and Sass'
PANAMA CITY BEACH — This weekend, girls are made of sugar white sand and spice — and everything nice.
The Sand and Sass Ladies Rally, which began Thursday with a Kick-off Bike Night at Harley, continues through Saturday with special events throughout Panama City Beach.
“Ever since Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach opened three years ago, Vice President Gary Bang had a vision of doing a ladies’ rally,” said Marta Rose, director of marketing and events. “We got together in January and then we partnered with Spinnaker to do several events together. Then we made it an all-over beach event and added three more — Ms. Newby’s, Club La Vela and Runaway Bay — for five rally locations.”
Mid-August seemed like the perfect “little quiet time” for a rally — in between school starting and Labor Day.
“We are hoping to get 2,000 riders from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and the state of Florida,” Rose said. “The American Motorcycle Association came aboard and sanctioned this event. They’re helping us get word out all over the Southeast.”
Marie Wuelleh from the AMA will do two seminars on Saturday at Harley-Davidson of Panama City Beach, 14700 Panama City Beach Parkway. She also will give a 30-minute presentation on the history of female riding — “From Bessie to Maggie” — during Sunday’s farewell brunch at Spinnaker.
“Her presentation will go from 1902 to the current head of the AMA, a lady for the first time,” Rose said. “The Thunder Angels are the local host riding club.”
The Thunder Angels are hosting an Outpost Ride on Friday.
“Barbara Jones started the Thunder Angels in the area, and she is coming to do a special open mic and story hour from 3-4 p.m. She has great riding stories,” Rose said. “It’s going to be fun; it’s a very interactive rally.”
A few members of the Thunder Angels will join Saturday’s self-guided tour. The Forgotten Coast Selfie Tour leaves Harley at 9 a.m. Saturday and goes through Mexico Beach, Port St. Joe and Apalachicola, stopping for breaks and lunch, before heading back to Harley by 3 p.m. The riders are encouraged to take three selfies along the way.
“We give them spots they can stop at, but they don’t have to,” Rose added. “The Bike Competition is on Friday at Harley at 2 p.m., the prelims.”
Bike competition categories are American Bike, Metric, Antique Bike, Trike and Chopper.
“Three winners from each class will go to the finale at 4 o’clock at Harley with handmade trophies,” Rose said. “(Service Manager) Scott Korol makes them by hand from motorcycle parts.”
About 30 vendors will be set up at Harley all day Friday and Saturday with everything from jewelry to apparel, leathers, health and wellness items, and cosmetics.
“Men can come and non-bikers can come, but it’s geared for female bikers,” Rose said. “American Legion Post 402 and VFW Post 10555 are doing the bar.”
Two food vendors will be set up — Wrap it Up and Major’s Smokehouse.
“We will have the Men of Harley Fashion Show with 10 models modeling Harley-Davidson apparel, and then the men will be doing a free bike wash (in board shorts),” Rose said. “We normally do the Harley girls and the female bikers always were saying, ‘That’s not fair.’ We tried this once and it was a hit.”
Spinnaker Beach Club and Paradise Grill, 8795 Thomas Drive, is hosting a Leather and Lace Dinner Party from 6:30-9 p.m. Friday. Limited tickets for the party are available for $30 and include dinner. The party begins with a cocktail hour before the Hottest Leather and Coolest Lace Challenge.
“We’re encouraging all the attendees to wear leather and lace,” said Rose, who added, “It’s a little bit dressier.”
The audience will vote on the winners, who will receive prizes from Harley-Davidson. The challenge will be followed by a three-course meal at sunset.
“Six different biker publications are coming for the event. The entertainment starts with Dueling Pianos and continues through the night with a DJ and rock band,” Rose said.
Ticket holders also receive free cover to Spinnaker’s night club all night, including the Groove Room, Dueling Pianos, live music with The Panhandlers, and Karaoke in Portside. Guests also will receive a complimentary Lacy Moonshine Lemonade in a souvenir Mason jar.
On Saturday, check out the UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2 on pay-per-view at Spinnaker. Early preliminaries start at 5:30 p.m. and preliminaries start at 7 p.m. The main card starts at 9 p.m., and the event goes on till 11:30 p.m. Entry is $10 and includes two drink tickets and free cover the rest of the night; limited tickets available.
“Spinnaker is an early evening venue, and Club La Vela and Newby’s are after-hours,” Rose said. “Runaway Bay is doing one big pool party.”
Runaway Bay, 3901 Thomas Drive, is hosting a Tropical Pool Party on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. with a poolside lunch and tropical cocktails. Neal James will be playing by the pool from noon to 3 p.m. Bring a swimsuit, towel, sun block, sunglasses and a hat.
Club La Vela, 8813 Thomas Drive, is hosting the premier act at Saturday night with Sand and Sass headliner Barracuda. The event starts at 9 p.m., with free cover from 7-9 p.m.
On Sunday, Spinnaker hosts a Farewell Champagne Brunch from 10 a.m. to noon featuring keynote speaker Marie Wuelleh from the AMA, who will give a short presentation on the history of female riding, “From Bessie to Maggie.” Tickets, $22, are limited and include brunch, the speaker and a complimentary glass of champagne or mimosa.
Brunch offerings include assorted fresh fruit, Southern style biscuits and sausage gravy, spinach and cheddar jack frittata, roasted bell pepper potato hash browns, applewood smoked bacon, French toast and maple syrup, stuffed pork roulade, bagels and cream cheese, Danishes, assorted breads and rolls.
The rally-wide Passport Poker Run officially ends at 1 p.m. Sunday at Harley-Davidson of Panama CityBeach.
“When you register, you get your passport with various locations. You have to stop at a minimum of 10 to get stamped,” Rose said. “We choose 10 winners for Harley apparel, leather jackets, watches and vacation packages.”
The winner will be notified after the rally by phone.
“We plan to make this an annual event,” Rose said. “This is a test to see how we go from here.”
There also is a charitable component to the event.
“We are working with Lucky Puppy Rescue,” Rose said. “They will be set up in the guest lounge with dogs and puppies, doing pet adoptions throughout the rally.”
SAND AND SASS SCHEDULE
Friday
- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: VendorVillage at Harley-Davidson of Panama CityBeach
- 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Outpost Ride with Thunder Angels
- 2-3 p.m.: Sand and Sass Bike Competition Prelims at Harley-Davidson
- 5-6 p.m.: Men of Harley Fashion Show hosted by Harley-Davidson
- 6:15 p.m.: Bike Parade to Spinnaker KSU
- 6:30-9 p.m.: Leather and Lace at Spinnaker
- Friday night is Ladies Night at Club La Vela with live rock by Splendid Chaos
Saturday
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Forgotten Coast Selfie Tour
- 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: VendorVillage at Harley-Davidson
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Men of Harley BikeWash
- 11 a.m. to noon: AMA Workshop at Harley-Davidson
- Noon to 5 p.m.: Tropical Pool Party at RunawayBay with live reggae music
- 1-2 p.m.: AMA Workshop at Harley-Davidson
- 4-5 p.m.: Bike Competition Finale at Harley-Davidson with awards presentation
- 8 p.m. to midnight: UFC Party at Spinnaker
- 9 p.m.: Hayley & Alexis (twin sisters) at Ms. Newby’s, 8711 Thomas Drive; Feature Concert of Sand and Sass, Barracuda (Heart Tribute Band) at Club La Vela
Sunday
- 10 a.m. to noon: Champagne Brunch at Spinnaker with keynote speaker AMA’s Marie Wuelleh, “From Bessie to Maggie” – a historical overview of female riders
- 1 p.m.: Deadline to turn in passport to Harley-Davidson; winner notified after the rally by phone
When: Friday through Sunday, Aug. 19-21; rain or shine
Where: Various locations throughout Panama CityBeach
Registration: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Harley-Davidson of Panama CityBeach, 14700 Panama City Beach Parkway
Details: SandAndSass.com or Facebook: Sand & Sass Ladies Rally
SAND AND SASS LADIES RALLY
