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Barber Vintage Festival returns

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Barber Motorsports Park will once again host its three-day yearly vintage motorcycle event in Leeds. The 11th Annual Barber Vintage Festival will take place at the park October 9-11. The weekend’s festivities attract people from all over the country and the world.

Kelly Stewart, communications manager at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, said last year’s attendance was over 60,000, and even more are expected to attend this year.

“We will have events in the museum, including the restoration level, which is normally closed to the public,” Stewart said. “There are so many motorcycles in the park. Literally, you look around and it’s motorcycles as far as you can see. It’s a wow kind of experience,” she said.

One of this year’s Vintage Fest participants is Shelby County resident Bobby Milstead. A former trainer in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for the state of Alabama, Milstead retired from the Southern Company after 36 years and has enjoyed volunteering his time as a historian docent at Barber for the past eight years. He said he loves being a part of this “hidden gem in Birmingham” and gives tours four to five times per month.

For this year’s Vintage Fest, Milstead will bring his Victory Cross Country Tour motorcycle, which he takes on long rides, and his Yamaha Super Tenere, which is made for adventure riding. An active rider for over 40 years, this year he has taken an 11-day road trip to Moab, Utah, and road trips to North Carolina and Tennessee. He plans to ride to the East Coast this fall. Milstead said the weekend is a great opportunity for anyone to come and enjoy.

“This event is a big deal for the motorcycling community,” Milstead said. “This park is world class, and this is a stellar event to attend. There’s something for everyone in the family, and the kids will love it. Even if you’re not interested in motorcycles, you can be entertained.”

This year will feature a special celebration of the life of New Zealand native John Britten, a mechanical engineer who designed a world-record-setting motorcycle with innovative features and materials. 2015 marks the 20th year since Britten’s passing, and his achievements will be celebrated at “An Evening with Britten” fundraiser dinner at the park on Friday night. On Saturday, there will be a showing of the film “1 Man’s Dream: The Britten Bike Story” at The Alabama Theatre at 6:30 p.m.

“There are only 10 Britten motorcycles in the world, and eight of them will be at Barber,” Milstead said. “Barber Museum has one in the collection, and the others are being shipped from all over the world. We are about to have the largest collection in once place.”

Vintage Fest will also feature the country’s largest swap meet, with more than 500 vendor spaces with motorcycles and parts with European, Japanese and American parts. Other attractions include the Wall of Death, which will showcase the century-old sport of board track racing, and the Ace Corner, which is a celebration of the machines and riders of London in the 1950s and 1960s. Vintage motocross racing will take place Saturday and Sunday. The Antique Motorcycle Club of America (AMCA) will have antique bike displays and parades on Friday and Saturday. Motorcycle Classics magazine will host a motorcycle show, and Lap of the Century will feature bikes built in 1915 and earlier. Other special events include the On the Edge Stunt Show and Globe of Death.

Stewart added, “People who love motorcycles come to the events because they want to be here. They are the happiest people to be around.”

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