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Sunday, June 20, 2010

'Biker Chicz' Filming Starts

By Bea Lewis

Laconia Citizen

June 20, 2010

LACONIA — Eight members of a Boston-area, all-female motorcycle club called the East Coast Biker Chicks soon will be featured in a new television series.

Filming for the "Biker Chicz" docu-reality series started Saturday during Laconia Motorcycle Week in the city and will continue in eastern Massachusetts throughout the summer.

"Biker Chicz" will focus on the positive aspects of the Harley-Davidson biker lifestyle and is being produced by an Oklahoma production company, Blockhead City Entertainment.

"Our intention is to produce a happy, feel-good television series that will be enjoyable to watch, and realistically capture the true nature of bikers, their spirit and the Harley lifestyle — this series will be just the opposite of what you see in shows like Sons of Anarchy and Gangland," said Executive Producer Edward Winterhalder.

Winterhalder, a biker personality, author and the creator of the "Biker Chicz" TV series, has been riding Harleys since 1974. His books about the biker lifestyle are published in multiple languages and sold worldwide.

"Because I have lived the biker lifestyle myself for more than thirty-five years, I feel confident that I can accurately capture for TV what really goes on in the life of a biker on a day-to-day basis," he said.

Louisa "Lucky" Belcamino, the founder and current president of the East Coast Biker Chicks, said she is excited to be a part of the project.

"Thank God someone is finally going to show the world that bikers are ordinary people from all walks of life; regular people that have families and jobs, who enjoy riding Harleys in their spare time and giving back to the communities in which they live when they can," Belcamino said.

Another Harley rider featured in the "Biker Chicz" TV series, Annie Concemi, who was recently profiled on TLC's series, "What Not To Wear," was adamant when she said, "Everyone I know is sick and tired of all of the negative television these days, where everyone argues and fights for sixty minutes — 'Biker Chicz' will be a breath of fresh air as far as I am concerned."

Belcamino, the owner of a part-time catering business, is also no stranger to the limelight. Three years ago, she placed 12th in the woman's no limit hold 'em World Poker Finals at Foxwoods.

She said her love of motorcycles started when she was a kid when she rode minibikes and would frequently wreck in her efforts to go faster.

While she suffered some scrapes and bruises, she was never seriously hurt and credits those early days with helping her to become a confident and skillful motorcycle rider.

"I'm really kind of overwhelmed. It's just little old me from Redding, Mass.,"she said of being the star of a television series.

Eighteen members of the club, which is now 150 members strong and has chapters in three states, rode up to Laconia to participate in filming on Saturday, including a stop at Laconia Harley-Davidson in neighboring Meredith.

Belcamino said a growing number of women are giving up the back seat on bikes and doing the driving for themselves, noting Harley-Davidson has reported a 25 percent spike in women buying motorcycles in just the past decade.

"Women have progressed into their own individualism," she said. "It's about the sisterhood and the camaraderie," she said.

"It's empowering to be able to ride," said Ann Cote, director of East Coast Biker Chicks Maine chapter.

A resident of Falmouth, Maine, Cote said, the growing number of women riders is an untapped market.

"I like the camaraderie and the air in your hair," said club member Jodi Kaskiewicz of Danville, who rode to the event with her wife, Joan, an accountant who serves as the treasurer for the Boston and Maine chapters.