Flood Run from the beginning
1966-present
Flood Run all started back when a group of bikers made the run down river to Winona to help sandbag for the 1965 flood, The next year the Mayor of Winona invited those bikers to come down for free beer and food that the city was putting on for all the volunteers that came and helped sandbag the previous year.
The next spring those bikers made their first "Flood Run" down the iconic scenic drive along the Mississippi River stopping at Harbor Bar, making it the first official stop along the way to Winona. And they stopped every year after that since.
"Back in those days bikers were looked upon as unsavory characters and not always welcome in every bar or restaurant". And as Brad tells of his memories of those first flood runs he says his Mom-(Marilyn Graw) welcomed the bikers on those first runs when other's closed their doors and wouldn't serve them. Even after some Flood Runs, trouble followed.
Every year more riders would join the ride and the group of riders going on the "Flood Run" stopping would get bigger every year.
One year 40-50 years ago when I was about 10-12 years old a bad group of bikers came through this area for a "Flood Run," the police called his mom to warn her to close as the group had torn up several bars on their way through other town’s on way to Winona and were making a mess out of a bar in Red Wing. My Mom quickly put up a sign closed for family emergency and locked the doors. My Parents and I watched them pull up all in single file. It was the first time Brad had seen bikes modified into Choppers. They drove up to the door with the closed for family emergency sign on the door that mom quickly put up. They drove through the parking lot after seeing it was closed and headed out without any trouble. All the while my Mom was watching from her house next door she sat on the phone to the cops with her binoculars and dad holding on to his shotgun just in case there was trouble. They drove out without incident and that group went on to tear up Vieth's Bar in Hager City after that, They didn’t pay at any place they stopped and at Vieth’s they ransacked the little grocery store as well as throwing everything on the floor and making a mess they pushed the owner down (My grandpa's best friend) they took the money out of the cash register and left the place in shambles..
That never deterred Marilyn and she alway's welcomed and accepted bikers in her bar even back in the day when they weren’t thought of as upstanding citizens like today.
On the following years runs. the police would escort the flood Runners through town and escort them to the biridge to send them over to Wisconsin. They didnt want this run in Minnesota and pushed it over the bridge to Wisconsin not making it welcome to the bikers to stop in Red Wing and trying to avoid trouble in their town on those first years. They would call up my mom and ask her to close as they didn't want these bikers going through their town every year and they asked Mom to stop encouraging. attracting, and promoting this run. They wanted to stop it from happening. My mom as well as a few other bars along the route defied the cops and started doing more to attract them to stop at Harbor Bar. She started to prepare food to feed those hungry riders along the route. After that the run started to get bigger and bigger every year to become one of the biggest motorcycle runs in America.
I worked every "Flood Run" growing up as a kid helping my Mom deal with the crowds that would grow from a dozen guys those first couple of years and witnessed it grow to now be the 3rd biggest motorcycle run in the country with thousands of bikers stopping on their way along the river. With thousands of bikers stopping at Harbor Bar along the route every year.
Harbor Bar has been proud to be a major stop and sponsor along the route since the very beginning and no other establishment along the route can taught that claim!
At first there never was an official event or route until In 2005 a group of bikers started a charity ride for Gillette Children's Hospital and it continues to raise funds for the kids every year still today. It just grew from that groups first ride and every year and it would get bigger and bigger to become one of the top major biker events in the USA.
Come join us for the annual “Flood Run” which now goes on twice per year bringing bikers together from all over the country.
Harbor Bar known for it’s famous “Dirty Banana"-daiquiri’s has people coming from all over just to have one of these special house drinks served with real bananas and has become a ritual for bikers to drive several hours just for Harbor Bar’s Dirty Banana Drink.
Harbor Bar has always had "Live music" during the runs and will continue to provide live music on the Flood Runs
Their "Food Shack" will be serving up their famous "Dirty Banana Daiquiri's & “Pork Belly Taco’s” and other goodies for some great food & drinks served fast so you can get back on the road for the run.
Make a weekend of it and camp on Harbor Bar grounds, vendors sites, and tent sites available and Rv sites at Freedom Island Camping next door.
Many other great Bar’s and Restaurants along the route are always ready with a smile to greet the thousands of bikers who take to the route that weekend between the Twin Cities and Winona jumping on at the few river crossings along there way.
This has been a big event for all the establishments up and down the river who together have welcomed and catered to the bikers with several of events of their own every run and making it such a great event all along the river. Maiden Rock has vendors and camping in the park. Prescott Welcomes many as a river crossing and meet up place along the northern route as well as Red Wing, Wabasha, and Winona, river crossings become congregation spots where bikers can meet up and join along the scenic route said to be one of the "Top Ten Scenic Drives in America".
The ‘Flood Run” has become a major motorcycling and tourist event for the whole country and has had attendance of upwards of 50,000 on some years. We would like to invite you to join us on the next run!
Ride safe and have fun!
Take to the road!
Get some wind therapy!
Ride to Live!
Live to Ride!
Be Safe
Watch out for Bikers
Share the Road!
