The Milwaukee Post

6 • Milwaukee Post • September 6, 2013 Photo by Rich Rovito/Special to The Post Photo by Ann Rovito/Special to The Post Left photo: Miranda Levy, who appeared on the television show "Project Runway," spoke at the Women Riders Day on Saturday benefitting the Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Right photo: Gov. Scott Walker speaks at the same event held at the House of Harley-Davidson along West Layton Avenue in Greenfield. Randolph Mantooth, who played Johnny Cage in the 1970s television series "Emergency!," appeared at the House of Harley-Davidson in Greenfield on Aug. 30. Mantooth was joined on stage by Elizabeth Wagler, business development director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. H-D: Out-of-state visitors rave continued from Page 1 "One of the things we discovered and is obvious is how proud the city is of the Harley-Davidson headquarters being right here and of being home to such an icon," said Steve Grandon, as he and his wife, Daphney, strolled along West Layton Avenue checking out the various vendor tents and entertainment at the House of Harley-Davidson. The Grandons, who reside in Kansas City, Mo., made their first visit to the Milwaukee area to attend the festivities surrounding Harley's anniversary . Impressed by what they witnessed, they plan to return for the 115th anniversary in 2018. "The piece of history here with HarleyDavidson is amazing," Daphney Grandon said. "We will be back and maybe bring others next time." Upon first arriving in Milwaukee, the Grandons figured they would rev up their Harley-Davidson motorcycle and head back to Kansas City on the day before Labor Day but decided to stay longer because they were enjoying themselves and wanted to take a ride along the shore of Lake Michigan, as well as make a trek to the House of Harley-Davidson. "We thought early in the weekend that we may check out early and head out of here but we decided against that. We want- ed to see more of the city," Steve Grandon said. The Grandons were among the throngs of bikers who visited the House of HarleyDavidson, known simply as "The House" to many motorcycle enthusiasts. Festivities at the dealership began on Aug. 28 and ran through Labor Day . The city of Greenfield closed several blocks along West Layton Avenue to accommodate the six-day event. Vendors hawked clothing, food, commemorative patches for vests and jackets, portable cooling units, motorcycle lighting systems and custom earplugs, among a host of other items. Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds packed the venue at times during the event. Special guests made appearances at the dealership in support of the various charitable causes. Randolph Mantooth, who played Johnny Gage in the long-running 1970s medical drama "Emergency!," appeared for Firefighter Recognition Day, which benefitted the Muscular Dystrophy Association. "I find it a great privilege to be here to celebrate your fire departments. Not only in Milwaukee or Wisconsin, but all you firefighters that made it from all over the country," Mantooth said. "MDA is something that needs to be supported. If you look those little kids in the eyes you see the hope and sometime the despair in their eyes." Reagan Imhoff, an 8-year-old girl from New Berlin, who is the Wisconsin ambassador for the MDA, took part in the festivities along with members of the Greenfield Fire Department. "With all the money we have lots of hope that we will find a cure," she said. Miranda Levy, a native of Wilton, who works as a visual artist based in Milwaukee, spoke of her appearance as a designer on the reality television series "Project Runway She appeared as part of ." Women Riders Day, which benefitted the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which raises awareness and funds for breast cancer research. She appeared on stage wearing a black and pink leather dress, which she said she wore to symbolize the fight against breast cancer. Levy spoke of her eight years of service in the U.S. Army, during which she worked as a mechanic. "I'm the first project runway contestant that can not only make all you ladies a sexy biker dress, but I can also fix your motorcycle engines, too." Although she's gained a level of fame from appearance on the show, Levy said vowed not to forget her roots and her childhood in Wilton, a community in Monroe County that had about 500 residents as of the 2010 census. "I'll always be daddy's girl with dirty feet and motor oil on my hands," she said. "I'll be fixing my own sewing machine and changing the oil in my car when I need to." Gov. Scott Walker made multiple appearances at the dealership, riding in on his 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. "We've met folks from Mexico, Lebanon, Brazil, Japan and China," said Walker, sporting a black leather vest worn over a pink T-shirt on Sept. 1 to support breast cancer awareness. Bruce Thompson and his girlfriend, Tasha Rotter, traveled to Milwaukee from Olympia, Wash., to take part in the festivities. They took in the Toby Keith and Aerosmith concerts at the Marcus Amphitheater and planned on attending one of the motorcycle street parties in Milwaukee. "We thought we'd also check out the House of Harley," Thompson said as the couple stopped outside a vendor tent along Layton Avenue. The trip marked the first HarleyDavidson anniversary celebration for them. "This is more than we ever dreamed about for a first-time experience," Thompson said. Upon his arrival in Milwaukee, Thompson logged onto Facebook, where he chatted with a former high school classmate about the Harley-Davidson event. "It turns out he was only a mile from our motel," Thompson said. They met and toured the HarleyDavidson factory in Menomonee Falls and planned to meet up with him again before heading home. "I hadn't seen him in 36 years," Thompson said. "It's a small world." He vowed to urge members of his motorcycle chapter in Washington to travel to Milwaukee for 115th anniversary . "This was our first time in Milwaukee but it won't be our last," he said. "This has been incredible."

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