Dealerships gearing up as riders arrive for Harley's 110th

Bikers arrive for Harley-Davidson 110th celebration

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee is gearing up for Harley-Davidson's big 110th anniversary celebration, and in Great Britain, a Harley rider is packing up his or her leathers and getting ready to fly to America, while here, riders from coast to coast are changing their work voicemail to say they're out on the open road, headed to a party that begins as soon as they get here!

Chaz Hastings of Milwaukee Harley-Davidson doesn't expect to sell a lot of bikes this week.

Gearing up for the Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary celebration

In fact, he's moved many of them out of the showroom, to make room for something that WILL sell during Harley's big 110th anniversary celebration: T-shirts.

"We're building a temporary wall. This will be a T-shirt wall. We're going to put it up and sell 20,000 T-shirts, and I hope there's one left for me," Hastings told FOX6 News.

Milwaukee Harley-Davidson is one of four dealerships in the Milwaukee metro area that is planning on hosting a series of events commemorating Harley's 110th anniversary.

The mud wrestling ring is getting ready for action, as the dealership plans to stay open 24 hours a day when bikers arrive later this week.

In Thiensville, Suburban Harley-Davidson knows the drill as well. Bikers want fun and they want to be fed.

"I'm excited to get our food vendor mall. Barbecue -- even Asian! We're getting it all. Great food and good music," Todd Berlin said.

If you're bikeless, you are still more than welcome at any of the parties.

"We want to target people who don't have bikes, who just want to be a part of it," Berlin said.

Meanwhile, on the city's East Side, a sign on Brady Street welcomes riders to Milwaukee, setting the tone for the big anniversary celebration.

At the Wisconsin State Fair RV Park, riders were already claiming their spots on Sunday, August 25th -- days before any official events kick off.

Tyler McClury and his family rode up from Iowa. On Sunday night, they planned to take their Harleys on the car ferry to Michigan, and from there, they'll ride back to Milwaukee in time for the celebration.