Get your motor running

Bikers will be heading out to the highway and ending up at the Lafayette Tap Room on Wednesdays throughout the summer for the fifth annual Blues, Bikes & BBQ series.

This year the event has moved to Washington Street between Clinton and Eagle streets, which will be closed off at 7 p.m. each Wednesday to provide a true festival setting while allowing for more bikes to line the street.

Besides the new location, the Disabled American Veterans Association is the official event beneficiary.

For more than four years, bikers from as far as Toronto, Ontario and Syracuse have converged into downtown Buffalo to attend this weekly summer promotion, and in turn, transform the city into a mini Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, attracting the top bikes from across the region and drawing large festive crowds.

In prime season, more than 1,000 party goers attend the event each Wednesday to marvel at the 500-plus motorcycles that visit each week.

The Blues, Bikes & BBQ also offers prizes, such as custom leather jackets, Dunlop motorcycle tires and even an all-inclusive trip to Daytona, Fla., for the famous Biketoberfest Bike Week.

One of the most sought-after prizes each evening is one of the 200 keys that could start the 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle, which are given away over the 20 weeks the event runs - 10 every Wednesday. The lucky owner of the key that starts the 2007 Harley Davidson on Sept. 26 will be able to ride it home.

The event also features local blues bands with a few national surprises. The Lafayette Tap Room is located at 391 Washington St., Buffalo. For more information, call 854-2466 or visit www.lafayettetaproom.com.