It was an all-day celebration at Harley-Davidson of Michigan City on Saturday, July 20. The shop invited the entire community for a day of fun in honor of the shop celebrating 25 years of business.
Jeff Haggerty, general manager at Harley-Davidson of Michigan City, shares what an important milestone this is for the store and the people they’ve connected with over the years.
“It’s great for us to have the opportunity to celebrate this accomplishment of 25 years in business,” Haggerty said. “It’s been a fun ride to say the least, but we couldn’t do what we do without the support of our staff and customers that have been a part of our events.”
Over the years, Haggerty cherishes how much growth he’s seen in this community that has drawn interest in their events and learning more about bikes.
“I’ve seen some new faces and a lot of familiar faces from the beginning,” Haggerty said. “It leaves me excited for the next 25 years for this shop and Harley-Davidson as a whole.”
The event was loaded with a variety of activities. Attendees had a chance to enter a people’s choice bike show with a prize for the top three finishers. Customers were also able to enter in a dyno shootout to test the horsepower and torque of their Harley-Davidson bikes. Inside the store, one could find a “Willie G” look alike contest. The majority of the attendees were enjoying refreshments and listening to the Head Honchos perform live music.
“I think it really brings the community together to celebrate our anniversary with a lot of special events going on today,” Haggerty said. “People also get to check out the other motorcycles and there are plenty of vendors here. They’re selling a lot of products that we don’t, so it’s awesome to see that creativity plays a part in our event.”
On top of the festivities, it was the perfect day for the Harley-Davidson community to celebrate. Fred Akins has been a long-time attendee of their events and was pleased to come join the party on such a warm summer day.
“I’ve been a rider since 1980 but I’ve been a Harley-Davidson rider since 2000,” Akins said. “I always love coming to these events because everyone here is pretty down to earth. With this being the celebration of 25 years, I wasn’t going to miss this for anything.”
As one of the earliest Harley-Davidson riders in this community, Akins is fascinated by the difference in riders and their bikes over the past 25 years.
“It’s always been a great camaraderie but it’s pretty cool to see how things have evolved over the years,” Akins said. “A lot of the people come in and see that the Harley-Davidson community is like a tight knit family. I feel like we’re part of a pretty elite group and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Harley-Davidson of Michigan City was pleased with the turnout for their 25th anniversary celebration. Haggerty and his team always appreciate being able to reunite with familiar faces and bring new friends into the community.
For more information on Harley-Davidson of Michigan City, you can visit their website.
