Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
After a long hiatus, the 34th installment of the “Love Ride,” made its way back to Castaic Lake on Sunday with vendor booths, food trucks, live music and camaderie all around. The “Love Ride” first began in 1984 as a grassroots motorcycle event driven by a simple mission which was to support those in need. Organized by riders, for riders and hosted by hosted by Harley-Davidson, Love Ride is a celebration of freedom, goodwill, music, and community, according to the website. The event began with a motorcycle ride at Harley-Davidson of Glendale and the riders met up at the festival at Castaic Lake. This year’s “Love Ride” was to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project and Adopt the Arts. With the mood high and the warm weather, people were seen smiling in their best motorcycle outfits everywhere someone looked. Todd Sobleski, of Granada Hills, said he was excited to come back to the festival after its hiatus. “It’s been away for a little while, so it’s really nice that it’s back and it’s in its original form, and it’s probably going to be the biggest one ever because everybody’s been waiting for years for it to come back,” Sobleski said. Sobleski said he loved the biker community and coming to events like the Love Ride. “Honestly, the brotherhood of the bikers, there’s just so many different kinds of people here, and everybody’s just out to have a good time and appreciate it and the support of the biker community,” Sobleski said. “Plus, obviously, the giving back part of the event, the donations and it’s just a really good feeling to be out here and part of this.” He added that the mutual support within the biker community feels great, especially when supporting an important cause. “I think anybody in most of the biker community feels that if we can do something and help out people that are less fortunate, it just makes us all better people. And we appreciate each other’s tribes and the way we look, the way we dress, the way we feel, and it’s a good feeling,” Sobleski said. Sobleski came with his wife, Melanie Garibay, to enjoy the day. Garibay said that she enjoys being around people with similar interests and being able to express herself how she wants. “This guy coming up right here, we actually, he was part of the sponsorship that we used to do. I haven’t seen him probably in 10 years. He’s an old friend walking by,” Garibay said. “So, it just feels great, yeah. You know, I got my shorts on. I got my biker boots and nobody’s looking, you know, sideways or twice, you know. And it just feels really good to be around people who are like-minded and, you know, for the same cause.” Robert Patrick, actor and honorary grand marshal of the Love Ride, spoke to the crowd about how amazing the event is with the founder and chairman of the foundation, Oliver Shokouh. “I mean, look (at) what you did. This is beautiful. All these people here, it’s so great to have you all here. I know there’s a lot of sun, soak it up, because, you know, it won’t be around forever, and you’re going to enjoy the show,” Patrick said. Patrick, who co-owns Harley-Davidson of Santa Clarita, continued to give gratitude to many different people behind the scenes while also praising the impact of motorcycle culture. “Southern California is the home of the motorcycle culture. So, we’re thrilled to have all you guys here to show up, and we’re thrilled to have everybody from Harley Davidson that showed up because they were freezing in Milwaukee, apparently,” Patrick said to the crowd with a laugh. The day was filled with people laughing, dancing, and enjoying the live music from Chevy Metal and a band fronted by Gene Simmons of KISS.
