10,000 rumbling Harleys cruise roads of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE -- Ten thousand Harley riders wearing anything from Hog masks and feather boas to black leather roared through the city Saturday on an 8-mile parade celebrating Harley-Davidson's 100th anniversary.

The event was as much a tapestry of red, white and blue as the motorcycle icon's signature orange and black. One Harley rider festooned his bike with two dozen American flags.

Willie G. Davidson, a grandson of Harley-Davidson's co-founder, and his wife, Nancy, led the parade, followed by riders on bikes toting large Harley flags representing riders' clubs from all over the world.

"It just shows the diversity of people, how they can get together for a celebration like the Harley-Davidson anniversary," said Bob Boyd, 67, of London, Ontario.

Some of the motorcyclists were picked to participate in the parade because they had raised at least $5,300 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Harley has a 23-year history with the association and hoped to raise more than $5 million for the group during the Labor Day weekend.

The parade was one of the highlights of Harley's four-day anniversary celebration, which also includes motorcycle exhibits, memorabilia sales and live entertainment centered along Lake Michigan's shoreline.

As spectators in T-shirts and shorts mingled with those in denim and leather, at least one neighbor worried about the noise Saturday. The Milwaukee County Zoo took precautions to protect its more than 2,000 animals from the roar in the parking lot just outside, where the parade began, keeping many of the animals inside until the riders were gone.

The celebration, expected to draw 200,000 to 300,000 people, concludes today with a birthday party featuring music and fireworks beside Lake Michigan.