Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/776310
8 nFebruary 2017n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Felicia Morgan CAVE CREEK, ARIZ., DEC. 2—A couple of the great things that Ebenezer Scrooge taught us was to take the time to enjoy the holidays with those we love and to appreci- ate our particular lot in life. While ol' Scrooge was busy working hard, counting his pennies and grumbling "Bah humbug," his cold heart was quietly shriveling up. Eb was in seri- ous danger of spending all of eternity hanging out with the Grinch in some faraway bat cave as everyone else sipped eggnog and hung out their Christmas stockings with cheer in the town down below. Mark Bradshaw, by comparison, spends his holidays doing what all the other cool kids in Whoville do during Christmas, dancing with sugarplums and rocking the nights away. Mark and his partners own the Hideaway and Roadhouse Grills somewhere in Cave Creek, Arizona, and fi gured out early on that life really is pretty grand. As the long-established local hot spot for riders to hang out and socialize, Mark took the time recently to take stock of his particular lot and to appreciate what a wonderful life it is. He decided he wanted to give something back to the industry that has treated him and his family so well these last 19 years. So he threw a party. Sending out a social media blast, Mark invited all the local bike builders and industry folk to share an evening of drinks and dinner under the mistle- toe over at the Roadhouse. Needless to say, we loaded up the one-horse sleigh and rolled on over for a swell time at the jingle hop. The fi re was blazing as bikes squared up out front and we didn't have to wait long for the usual troublemakers to show up, including ol' St. Nick who rolled in wearing his usual red fur and black leather. The ugly sweater kids showed up, of course, and there was a bit of Dirty Bird Concept with some Azzkikrs thrown in. By the end of the night all the usual hooligans had come by to pay their respects and grab a plateful of fun. Dinner was enough to cause Santa to let his belt out a notch as he bellied up to the tasty spread. Grilled tuna caught fresh off the boat, beef, and chicken with all the tasty tidbits that accompany such gourmet fare was followed by pies and the usual bribe cookies that make it tough for Rudolph and the boys to keep the sleigh air- borne. Blitzen brought along more than one Vixen and the whole crew crowded up to the bar for a bit of holiday grog. After a while the doors were opened to the pub- lic and the band cranked out the mix-and-mingle jingle bell beat. We eventually set- tled in for a chat with Mark and he introduced his son Taylor, who's involved in managing the businesses. He beamed as he shared the plans for the future that looks bright and cheery for the company as he and part- ner Rick work towards extracting themselves from the day- to-day operations, leaving the chore of continuing the family business to the younger guys. "You know, we've been here in the biker scene from the beginning; this is our life, our livelihood. Back then it was just us and Waldo, do you remember him? He helped us get started with runs and events when there were, like, 20 people that rode out. We've been doing this a long time and we're going to keep doing this for a long time. It's for the kids now, for our family. We are a family, all of us. Kevin is doing a great job, Taylor's stepped up, and we're providing for the next generations, too. I was just thinking about what I could do for all the people who support us throughout the year, the builders who come out for our parties and set up during Cave Creek Bike Week, the motorcycle industry guys. We have a lot more room with the Roadhouse now, we have vendors and a lot of different events and I just wanted to show my appreciation. I wanted to say thank you and Merry Christmas, you know?" Having just served up a fl ock of well- dressed turkeys and all the trimmings for a free Thanksgiving feed and plans to do the same for locals on Christmas day, it seemed to us that Mark's sense of community is enough to keep him from ever suffering that cold, cold heart syndrome that kept Scrooge so cranky. There's absolutely no danger of the Grinch stealing Christmas with Mark around. Be sure to swing by and say hi when you're in the 'hood. You can check out the haps for the annual Cave Creek Bike Week, March 31– April 9, as well as all the other rockin' good times at both the Hideaway and the Roadhouse by going to hide- away-usa.com/cave-creek. 4 Family is everything for Kevin, Mark, Rick and Taylor who keep an eye on the future while throwing over-the-top parties for the bikers all over the world at the notorious Roadhouse and Hideaway Grills Blitzen and the other reindeer bailed on Santa so he was alone for the Cave Creek biker bash. We saw him later that night at the Roadhouse, drowning his sorrows at the dessert bar. Arizona builders, friends and family came out to help the Hideaway crew ward off Scrooge, the Grinch, and any sign of Bah Humbug attitudes HIDEAWAY CHRISTMAS PARTY Bike builders' Christmas Party Keepin' up with the Whos