A few lucky people walked away from Bikes, Blues & BBQ with more than ringing ears and a full belly.

Two of them, in fact, didn’t even have to walk.

Eric Anderson headed home to the Hindsville community on the big prize, a 2007 Harley-Davidson Street Glide with custom paint. Ben Cheek of Fayetteville took off on the Honda Metropolitan scooter.

Mike Jones of Bella Vista can’t rev his prize, but he can riff with the Gibson Blues King guitar he won at the festival. Given some time to practice, maybe he’ll make the airwaves, where J. Steve Hayes of Dennision, Texas, might hear him on the Sirius satellite radio he won.

No word on what kind of bike Matt Crouch of Oklahoma City rides, but he’ll be able to take it almost anywhere in the motorcycle trailer he won.

Let’s hope Cory Backstrom of Fayetteville didn’t get too much barbecue, because he walked off with a barbecue catering package.

He might want to invite Marie Terry, Ashley Hamilton and Samantha Anderson to the party. They finished 1-2-3 in the Ms. Bikes, Blues & BBQ contest.

Anybody looking for the state barbecue champs better head northwest, because they’ve gone home to Kansas. Hot Meat Smokers took the state championship back to Olathe, while runner-up Blue Collar Barbecue is a Wichita crew.

Good ribs might be as close as Alma, however, as the River Valley-based No B.S. BBQ headed back over Mount Gaylor toting top honors in the ribs category. Pine Bluff’s BBQ’ers Delight led the pack in pork, while Sue B. Que of McKinney, Texas, put up the best demonstration of longhorn-to-brisket in the beef category. For chicken, it’s back to Kansas again, as I Wanna Eat Too of Topeka grilled the best bird.

Oteil & the Peacemakers are so entertaining, the crowd at the final night of the biggest annual event in Fayetteville didn’t even mind waiting for the Miss Bikes, Blues & BBQ bikini contest to start. The Peacemakers’ set ran over, but it seemed it was a case of “show us your hits” instead of, well, you know.

(Maybe because Oteil is the prettiest man to ever play the festival stage.)

Oteil Burbridge, bassist for the Allman Brothers and Aquarium Rescue Unit, is a real musician’s musician — so respected, in fact, that when he requested a loaner bike to ride during this year’s rally, emcee and Homewreckers frontman Joe Giles volunteered his own, we’re told.

The festival is nearing an end, but right now the crowd at the main stage is still going strong. It’s been another festival full of good music, food and fun. We’re already looking forward to next year and can’t wait to see how much money was raised for local charities at the 2007 event.

What is exactly is “sacred steel?” you may have wondered when consulting festival music guides this week. Well, when delivered from the Lee Boys of south Florida — a band of brothers and their nephews who have played music together since childhood — the genre is long-playing, uplifting music that touches on everything from blues to early Michael Jackson. The “steel” comes from Roosevlet Collier’s steel guitar, which is played with soul and style.

The music is danceable and, despite it’s name, invokes feelings that could be called less-than sacred, judging from the rear-shakin’ going on.

Next up is another deviant form of entertainment: the Miss Bikes, Blues & BBQ bikini concert, which stuff local wild bikinis with cash.

Joes Giles & the Homewreckers were a few minutes late coming to the stage, and then there were the obligatory thank-yous to the sponsors (again), but Giles – despite a little hoarsness likely caused by his enthusiastic emceeing of festival bikini contests delivered a typically high-energy set. The band already had the crowd singing along when members lapsed into a few ZZ Top numbers – a treat, Giles said, for those who didn’t make it to the bearded band’s show at the Tyson Track Center last night.

Really drawing a crowd near the mainstage was the outlaw biker Jesse James, in town to sign autographs. The line was long, although not that impressive in relation to the sheer numbers of people on Dickson.

With the beautiful October Ozark weather continuing, it seems as many people as ever have been drawn to the event tonight. The throngs of thousands Bikes, Blues & BBQ is known for were in attendance this year. Can’t get a cell phone call through because of “network busy?” Now you know why.

Onlookers line Dickson Street getting a good view of the bikes. Earlier, gawkers at the Tyson Track Center got to join in the fun.

Johnnie Taylor of Keller, Texas, walked — or rode — away with the best of show award during the Stokes Air Battle of the Bikes with her 1995 Sportster. She also won the Sportster class. Taylor now has the chance to come back and defend her title.

Second place went Jamie Vangel of Joplin, Mo., who also walked away with the radical custom class. The Harley Davidson Heritage softtail delux owned by Jan and Tom Hoskins of Oklahoma City claimed third place and topped the American Cruiser category.

Other class winners:

Antique: Paul Owens, 1967 Harley

Vintage: William Barton, 1973 Harley Shovel Head

Bagger: Landon Logan, 2003 Harley Road Glide

Metric Sport: Tim Wagner, 1976 Kawasaki KZ900

Chopper: Bob Hagerman, 2007 Chopper-V8

Trike: Larry Isaacs, 2003 Indian Spirit

Metric Cruiser: Matthew Street, 2003 Honda Shadow

American Factory Custom: John Summer, 2007 High Roller APC

Unique: Alan Spencer, 2008 Harley Retro V-Trim

Winners of the Battle of the Bikes are chosen by the crowd based on applause. The contest is sponsored by Cycle Connection.

The champ gets a title belt for the year.

When the festival is over, let the atonement begin.

A number of biker-focused services are scheduled Sunday in Northwest Arkansas, including one on top of Mount Sequoyah overlooking Fayetteville.

The outdoor service at Vesper Point, east of College Avenue and Dickson Street and up Mount Sequoyah, starts at 11 a.m. The Rev. Gary Lunsford of St. James Methodist Church will officiate.

Another biker worship session is slated at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, 1500 S. 48th St., in Springdale. New Hope Fellowship is sponsoring the 10 a.m. service. A Suzuki 1500 motorcycle will be given away at the end of the service. A collection will be taken to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The Bella Vista Assembly of God, one block north of Arkansas 340 and 279, hosts Biker Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Bikers wanting to get a head start west can go to Christian Life Church in Siloam Springs for “Blessings and Barbeque,” starting at 8 a.m. at the church. Christian Life Church, 17410 Kincheloe Road, is 3.5 miles east of town on U.S. 412. Free doughnuts and coffee start the day, with church services at 10 a.m. The service is followed by a barbeque lunch, live music and prizes.

Bikes roared through downtown Fayetteville on a new path for the Parade of Power this afternoon.

From the looks of it, this year’s 40-minute power drive was shorter than parades in the past, but still packed a punch for the crowd.

Though the parade passed by in shorter time, it didn’t keep the crowds away. The parade still draws families who set up lawn chairs and watch the hundreds of motorcycles pass by.

Most drivers followed the majority of the downtown route, taking the turn off Dickson Street onto College Avenue. One of the first people the riders saw after they made the turn was a guy with a hand-printed sign saying, “REV IT”. The bikers responded.

Many continued on past the Old Washington County Courthouse.

Drivers trying to go south on College when cops cut off access at Dickson got a front row seat to the parade, whether they liked it or not.

A stabbing incident following Friday night’s ZZ Top concert sent the victim to a local hospital, University of Arkansas police said today.

The victim apparently had an argument with the agressor earlier in the evening, and was stabbed as he was leaving the concert at the track center, said Lt. Gary Crain.

The victim told police he did not know the perpetrator, who vanished into the crowd, Crain said. A investigation is underway, he said.

Crain did not have the name of the victim, who was taken to Washington Regional Medical Center with an apparent single stab wound to the abdomen, Crain said.

Otherwise, Crain said it was a calm day Friday and only four arrests were made at the track center venue.

The biggest crowd of BB&BBQ so far descended on the track center early this afternoon, checking out classic bikes and fresh barbecue. Traffic around the track center is thick with bikes, and parking is scarce.

Pork butt, beef brisket, ribs and chicken received their final touches before this afternoon’s state barbecue championship.

Three full houses were on the board, with aces over threes leading the hands from the annual Fire Fighters Poker Run. Several more contestants still had to pull a final card to compete their hands by 1 p.m.

Finals are underway for the Stokes Air Battle of the Bikes.

Dogs aren’t allowed at Bikes, Blues & BBQ, but some four-legged friends have slipped through.

One lap dog with a bow and the ability to cower in its owner’s shoulder bag peeked its head out just enough to get a whiff of funnel cake as it was carried past.

Another took a different rout to anonymity. Decked out in an Arkansas jersey, red sunglasses and a Razorback ballcap, the dog walked right past two Elkins cops and into the beer garden.

C’mon, who’s gonna deny a Hog fan entry?

Police confiscated several guns and switchblade knives at the entrance to the beer garden on Dickson, police said Friday night. The gun owners had concealed carry permits, but even with the permits, guns are not allowed in the beer garden. The officers were wanding folks as they went in to grab a cold one and listen to the high-energy zydeco Chubby Carrier band.

Twelve arrests downtown on Friday night indicate a calm crowd at Bikes, Blues & BBQ, police and organizers said this morning.

The only felony arrest came when a misdemeanor suspect turned out to have felony warrants from Colorado, said Sgt. Shannon Gabbard of the Fayetteville Police Department.

A few accidents and drunk driving arrests in other areas of town are probably also attributable to the festival, Gabbard said.

For the record, Jesse James has two minions who look just like him from afar. The prince of pimping out bikes has yet to appear. The crowd waiting for him grows.

There’s plenty to keep them busy if they want to wander. The Ben Miller band is putting on a clinic on how to sound great. The boys are on stage pickin’ and grinnin’ their way to some real notice.

The weather is beautiful for a stroll or ride down Dickson, and it’s got the crowd in a good mood. Even police are smiling as they direct traffic and keep things under control.

They’ve still got time to joke. An unnamed Fayetteville police officer with a large tattoo on his forearm is one example.

“What’s that say,” we asked about the ink.

“It says don’t get drunk and get a big tattoo on your arm,” he responded.

The mob in front of the West Coast Choppers booths is deep enough the people in the back are in line for kettle corn about 40 feet from Jesse James.

Or we should say, we think it’s Jesse James. It could be a body-double, and we aren’t going to get close enough to check.

Saturday lunchtime on Dickson Street shows why this is a family-friendly festival. A toddler in a “I’m on permanent time-out,” shirt is seated next to a 6′4″ leather-clad biker on the retaining wall in front of the Walton Arts Center. Neither seem out of place.

The street is crowded no matter where you go while bikes shoot up and down the street.

JCBC is belting out the blues on the main stage.

The lines at the barbecue booths make you wish you’d packed a lunch for the wait.

The crew is in place, but the king hadn’t arrived by 11 a.m.

Famous motorcycle builder and television host Jesse James isn’t on Dickson Street yet this morning, but several of his West Coast Choppers creations are on display. He’s expected some time soon.
Traffic barricades are going up on side streets off Dickson just before noon. Hundreds are stolling the downtown area. Traffic is bumper-to-bumper on College Avenue from Dickson south through downtown and north to the Veterans Hospital.

And for those whose vehicles got towed Friday night, be assured there’s no discrimination by the towing companies. Festival coordinator Nelson Driver walked out this morning to find his pickup had been towed off the Square. It was in the way of the farmer’s market.

The ZZ Top concert may have lured thousands away from Dickson Street, but you’d never know it by the foot traffic or thousands more packed into the beer garden to hear Chubby Carrier and his band.

After Michael Burks’ boogie-oogie set last night, Carrier brought the swamp boogie to close the Friday music. And just like Burks’ band brought a distinctive instrument in the Wurlitzer organ, Carrier hit the stage with the accordian, the signature noisemaker of zydeco.

Carrier’s sidekick brought yet another instrument not yet seen thus far at Bikes, Blues & BBQ: the metal washboard. It’s player wore it strapped to his chest, remniscient of 50 Cent’s bullet proof vest — but way cooler.

For those who couldn’t make it into the beer garden, there are plenty of fine street performers, from the acoustic guitarist that’s been perched near the Walton Arts Center Tyson Plaza all week to the electric guitarist that has plugged in near the center’s west doors. Just as Carrier was taking the stage, this guy was attracting a crowd of his own.

The music on Saturday, the final day of the 2007 rally, won’t disappoint. Look for JCBC Blues Duo at noon, Ben Miller Band at 1:15 p.m., Leah & the Mojo Doctors at 2:20 p.m., Big Bad Bubba at 3:45, Big Un’s at 5:15 p.m., festival emcee Joe Giles and his Homewreckers band at 7 p.m., Lee Boys at 8:45 and Oteil & the Peacemakers closing out the festival with a set at 11:15 p.m.

The set is winding down, but the crowd isn’t. There’s just a bit left to go in this set.

There’s still a lot of Bikes, Blues & BBQ left to go, though.

Get ready.

Know your audience is the first rule of show business, and Billy Gibbons is a man who knows his business.

“How about some blues,” the bassist yells to the crowd.

Cheering erupts, and the track and field banners in the rafters sway a bit.

“How about some low-down dirty blues,” Gibbons responds.

So does the crowd.

A rapid fire procession of guitar licks sends the noise in the Tyson Track Center through the roof.

“Are we having a good time now,” Billy Gibbons asks to thunderous applause.

The track center is known as a place for fast times, but this one’s gotta rate high.

Next up is “Cheap Sunglasses.”

ZZ Top has taken the stage, and the crowd is pumped. The guitar licks are solid and the vocals strong. This greatest hits set is already great, if the audience’s response is any indication.

Okay, so after much confusion press credentials weren’t happening. So we were ambling by the Tyson Track Center for the start of the ZZ Top concert and noticed the lines looked a little long. Then peeking through the glass we could see why. Security is searching each person as they come through the door.

It doesn’t look like the festival is going to take a bath on the concert like it did with Blues Traveler in 2003. The crowd looks strong and eager for some tunes.

But we’re stuck on the outside until (insert Batman — POW! — noise):

“Free ticket,” the man bellowed.

“Huh,” we said.

“Free ticket,” the man said.

It was John from Cleveland. He gave us the ticket because he got it for free and didn’t want it to go to waste.

It won’t.

Earlier this week, saxophonist Brian Crowne promised that a reunion featuring himself and other former members of Fayetteville’s own Oreo Blue would be a “special show,” and the group didn’t disappoint in their early-evening set.

Crowne, vocalist Chris Payton and Bryan Martin — Oreo Blue’s original guitarist — joined the current trio of bassist Rod Williamson, drummer Stephen Boudreaux and guitarist Gary Hutchison for the set.

It was an obvious mutual admiration society among the performers, but the audience seemed just as smitten.

Despite so many on stage, everyone got their moment to shine on originals from a playlist the band has built over the last 10-plus years.

While Oreo Blue has maintained its popularity as a trio of late, Crowne’s retun reminded us that while guitarists often get all the glory in blues, brass players really bring an extra something to the music. (Tony & The Tigers, who played Wednesday, also brought the brass.)

Payton’s return was another reminder, this one that it never hurts to have a cute blonde out front. It was also good to have some female energy in this line-up, which while impressive, is heavy on testosterone.

Speaking of girls and testosterone, the only thing that distracted from Oreo Blue was the babes on the roof of the Coors Light bus, who were throwing schwag into the crowd.

Next up: the Nace Brothers featuring Earl and Ernie Cate.

All roads lead to the rally.

Traffic at 7 p.m. was lined up from the Tyson Track Center up Razorback Road to the football stadium and south on Cato Springs Road to I-540. ZZ Top fans were waiting in long lines to get into tonight’s concert.

Police officers calling into dispatch said I-540 was bumper-to-bumper from Hwy. 412 in Springdale to 6th Street in Fayetteville.

Folks reported they were sitting in traffic on Crossover Road the whole length of Fayetteville.

In other words, get out a bike and put the pedal to the metal. Or the road, more specifically.

Looking for that dinnette set that says “Yeah, I ride to live and live to ride”? Then you can find it at Bikes, Blues & BBQ.

Along with tables and chairs emblazoned with the Harley Davidson logo, shoppers can scout out jammies for the little rebels in their lives, official festival keychains and bottle openers, and hundreds of T-shirts that somehow show a love of motorcycles.

Buyers can even advertise the fact they love their pit bull, german shepherd or maltese. Okay, we didn’t see maltese on the sign, but we’re sure it can be done.

Many motorcycle maniacs showed up with their own shirts, some more colorful than others. One guy standing at the corner of Dickson Street and West Avenue on Friday afternoon had one that said “Support Single Moms,” with a sketch of a volupuous woman and a stripper pole.

Behind him there was a guy with a shirt that said “Jesus is the Standard.”

Up the street there was one that said “Spotted Owls Taste Like Chicken.”

Simply put, it takes all kinds to really have a festival.

A line forms outside the Tyson Track Center about 5 p.m. Saturday for the ZZ Top concert tonight. Doors are scheduled to open at 7.

Shortly after John and Gary belted out the first Robert Johnson cover Friday afternoon, an Arkansas & Missouri Railroad train rolled by with its horn a-blaring. Not to be trifled with, Gary Hutchison matched the train with a series of drawn out B chords. He got off one better than the train.
“I win,” Hutchison said.
The duo picked up the pace for the lunch crowd with another Robert Johnson song as people pigged out on the barbecue, corn dogs and fried turkey legs available at the festival. Many locals who work downtown high-tailed it to the corner of Dickson Street and West Avenue for their lunch break.

Bikers cruise Dickson Street on Friday afternoon. The street was still open to car traffic at 2 p.m.

Designer motorcycle gloves and Harley Davidson table settings aren’t the only things advertised along Dickson Street. Some ambitious political advocates with sidewalk chalk are talking up Ron Paul on intersections along the road.

Every project chopper or hot rod Jesse James builds turns out a little different from the original plan, and that’s apparently true of the famous fabricator’s schedule as well.

James, the founder of West Coast Choppers, will not be here tonight. He will sign autographs Saturday in the Walton Arts Center parking lot at the corner of Dickson and West. That’s a location change. He was supposed to be at the track center.

James will be available “all day” Saturday, according to festival organizers. Neither organizers nor James’ representatives could define “all day.”

Senior breakfasts reported stronger attendance Friday morning, but would like more visitors.

“I think when it catches on it’s going to be beneficial,” said Mary Clayton, director of the Farmington Senior Center.

The Fayetteville Senior Center, 945 S. College Ave.; Farmington Senior Center, 340 W. Main St., and Hillcrest Towers, 1 N. School Ave., in Fayetteville are hosting Saturday breakfasts.

The Biker Breakfasts are $5. Fayetteville’s are open 7 to 10 a.m., while Farmington runs 6:30 to 8:30 a.m.

On Saturday, LifeSource International will have a breakfast for participants in the annual poker run at the agency’s office, 600 S. School Ave., Fayetteville. The poker run, a charity event for local firefighters, begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

What can we say about Michael Burks? To quote the fellow next to us,who is a longtime music aficionado familair with some of Burks’ bandmates “it just doesn’t get any better.”

The crowd at Thursday’s closing show seemed to feel the same way. Burks became a pied piper of sorts when he left the stage for a swing through the audience — and he never missed a note. This guys’ boogie-oogie blues is they way it was meant to be played. It made us proud to be Southern and surely made even the Yanks and Midwestern folk in the audience feel homegrown for the duration of the show.

Burks’ band is equally great. His supporting players are all talented instrumentalists, and we have it on good authority his organist’s Wurlitzer has been stripped down and rebuilt — maybe that’s why, along with the performance and Burks’ molasses-over-gravel voice — we felt tranformed to a backwoods dancehall. By the amount of dancing going on, we weren’t the only ones.