Culture
Antics in Ironton: Rally On The River Returns This Weekend
By: Emily Votaw
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Attention lovers of motorcycles, rock ‘n’ roll, sanctioned event fighting and fire shows: the annual Rally on the River, nestled in little Ironton, OH, is coming your way this weekend.
The yearly event focuses on motorcycle enthusiasts and all that so often comes along with their passion for the wide open American highway: an ample supply of bikes, brews and live music.
Opening on Thursday, Aug. 18, the event kicks off with a Biker’s Breakfast at Peddlers Home Cooking Restaurant at 8 a.m., allowing for bikers to fuel up on traditional all American chow before hitting the various biking vendors, which will begin peddling their wares at 12 p.m. Early in the day the pre-registration for event’s poker run and bike show opens.
The poker run has an associated cost of $10 per bike and $5 per extra rider. The bike show pre-registration process includes not only a Rally entrance wristband but a coupon for four free drinks, as well.
On the first night of the event, which brings together not only the motorcyclist community but the Ironton community at large, attendees will be treated to performances by the likes of North Carolina’s Another Lost Year, an explosive series of fire-based entertainment stunts by Torch’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Inferno and Bobaflex, a high energy rock band founded by brothers Shaun and Marty McCoy, who have loose ancestral ties to the historical family feud between the Hatfields and McCoys.
Another Lost Year is currently making a name for itself in the active rock scene, having performed onstage with the likes of Sick Puppies, Candlebox, Trapt, Hinder, Saving Abel and many more. The band has been touring for over 22 months, seeing the country and learning the nuances of performing for live and rowdy active rock enthusiasts.
With roots in a small Indiana town, Chad “Torch” Land has constantly maintained what his Facebook page describes as a “hunger for success.” In 1998 Land started taking his fiery antics in front of live crowds, perfecting his live show over the course of a career that has bopped him from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach and, finally, his current hometown of Dallas, TX. Attendees to Land’s Ironton performance can expect everything from “fire nunchucks” to more traditional fire eating antics. On his Facebook page, Land notes that his performances feed off the crowd’s often frantic and passionate energy, stating “the yells, the clapping and the screams always feed (Land’s) hunger to perform.”
BFX Record’s Bobaflex is certainly a force to be reckoned with, having almost 20 years worth of live rock shows under their belt. The band is currently touring on their most recent and seventh full length album release, entitled Anything That Moves, featuring the dynamite singles “Mama Don’t Take My Drugs Away” and “A Spider In the Dark.”
Aug. 19 the festivities in Ironton kick off with a car show and a bike show earlier in the day, to be followed by performances by Ashland, Kentucky’s Split Nixon, another round of fire thrills from Torch, and a set by Akron’s Red Sun Rising.
Dr. DeKay’s House of Screams will also be open for business starting on Saturday at the historical Ro-Na theater in Ironton. The spooktastic experience has been described as “not for the weak of heart, stomach, or people with mobility issues. Those who dare to enter will be faced with flights of stairs up and down, running, and subjected to confined spaces with horrifying sights, sounds, and feels.”
The final day of the event will open up with a pancake breakfast at the Ro-Na Theater, following by the Poker Run, Parade of Heroes Ride at 5:30 p.m., a Military Tribute at 6 p.m. EastCoast Promotions will bring a professional boxing match to the event, starring the likes of Travis (Rattlesnack) Hanshaw, Bill Yates (Ky Brawler), Huey (War Machine) Contreras, Tom (Hillbilly) Henshaw and more.
A 50/50 raffle and performances by Nashville’s Geneva, another installment of fire thrills from Torch’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Inferno and a thrilling set from Texas’ Drowning Pool.
For more information on this year’s Rally on the River, and a complete list of events, visit the event’s website.