Downtown Glenside Revs Up for Bike Night

It’s going to be loud in Glenside.

Bikes and bands will gather downtown Aug. 6 as part of the new iteration of the Glenside Car and Bike Show … sans the cars.

When the Glenside Chamber of Commerce decided it couldn’t organize the event this year, another community group repurposed the event and created Glenside Bike Night. From 4 to 9 p.m., visitors can check out the motorcycles and music.  

“You just don’t want to see a great community event go down,” said Lisa Rittler, the owner of Elcy’s Café in Glenside.

Rittler and other members of the Downtown Glenside Community Partnership have cut the car show aspect of the event.

“We are just doing it as a rockabilly bike night,” Rittler said. “There will be a ton of crazy Harley Davidsons.”

Motorcycles will be on display on Easton Road between Waverly Road and Mount Carmel Avenue. Local singer Liimu McGill will perform, as will the rockabilly band Dibbs Preston and the Detonators.  

“They are just the kind of band that, whether you are a teenager or in your 60s, you can appreciate their music,” Rittler said.

A few local artists will be on hand. Hohensstein Pottery’s proprietors will bring their wheel for demonstrations, and Juniper Wind Designs artist Nancy Forman will display her artwork featuring classic trucks.

Geppert’s Lumber in Roslyn has donated a dunk tank that will feature some familiar Glenside faces, like Cheltenham’s Ward 1 Commissioner Drew Sharkey. 

The Downtown Glenside Community Partnership raised funds for Bike Night by soliciting local sponsors, and Rittler said she is hoping the investment pays off to the community.

“On the tail end, it becomes an event where you can raise some money for the neighborhood,” Rittler said.   

Half the money raised at the dunk tank will go to local fire companies, according to Rittler. The other half will go to the Downtown Glenside Community Partnership. One dollar from every T-shirt sale at Glenside Bike Night will also go to the fire companies.  

“I am happy everything is going along well,” she said.

The Downtown Glenside Community Partnership is also planning this year’s Glenside Street Fair—an art and music festival—which is slated for Sept. 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

She said this year’s street fair would be a little more laid back than past fairs, similar to fairs held in Chestnut Hill. Rittler said there would be various musicians and artists throughout the festival, instead of the main stage seen in past iterations of the street fair. 

“We are definitely calling for artists and musicians” who want to participate in the street fair, said Rittler.

The Downtown Glenside Community Partnership will also resume its meetings in the fall. Rittler said the group, which has about 30 members, began as a meeting of local merchants.

“We turned that merchant association into a community partnership,” said Rittler. “We are just hoping to keep the momentum going.”

Those interested in getting involved in the Downtown Glenside Community Partnership or its events may contact Rittler at LisaRittler@gmail.com.

The rain date for the Glenside Bike Night is Aug. 7 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.