Inaugural ‘Hall O’Wheels’ Saturday at Northside Drive-in
A combination car and bike cruise-in, food fest and concert will take over the grounds of the Northside Drive-In & Flea Market this Saturday.
Several Rotary Clubs throughout the area will host their inaugural “Hall O’Wheels” event beginning at 4 p.m., and it will boast one of the greatest Southern Rock bands in history.
Molly Hatchet will headline the multi-band fest that is being described as the area’s premier event for bikes, hot rods and rock ‘n’ roll.
And it’s all to help the Rotary Clubs of North Fort Myers, Goldcoast and Cape Coral North carry out their missions.
Mike Fahnlander, Rotary president and event chairman, said he could think of no better place to hold the event than the old drive-in, which was a destination of many a hot rod in its heyday.
Also playing will be Swamp da Wamp, which fuses Southern Rock with New Country; Rednek Messiah, a southern rock meets metal act; and Maiden Cain, which plays metal favorites from the ’80s and ’90s.
There will be hundreds of food and merchandise vendors, with more being signed up as the event gets closer.
“We’ll take any vendors we can get. We won’t turn anybody away. But if they get there and get their stuff in and collect the money early, the better,” Fahnlander said. “It’s a big venue.”
As far as bringing in the cars, the response has been positive, though it’s hard to know exactly how many will be there, Fahnlander said, adding that the word is out.
“We would like to include them as a major part of the event, as well as the bikes, because we know we’ll get a great bike turnout,” Fahnlander said. “We don’t want to portray it as a car show because we’re not giving away prizes. It’s more like a cruise-in or rally.”
As with any Rotary event, there is a charitable aspect. All profits from the event will support the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimers Resource Center and the community projects the three sponsoring Rotaries do throughout the year.
One international project is an initiative with Bill Gates to stomp out polio worldwide. It has been so successful that the disease is expected to be eradicated by 2018.
Admission is $10 and is general admission on the day of the event.
Because the event has never been run, Fahnlander said he doesn’t know what Rotary will raise. So far, though, response has been good. He has gotten a lot of promotion from 96 K-Rock, which has advertised it and given away free passes.
“I know what we’re putting into it, and it’s a lot of money. So, hopefully we’ll get a good response and turn this into a yearly event unless something goes drastically wrong,” Fahnlander said. “The whole idea is to raise money for charity.”
The Northside Drive-In & Flea Market is at 2521 N. Tamiami Trail in North Fort Myers.