Published: June 27, 2009 12:40 am      

Donnie Iris plays hits at Point

Rocker Donnie Iris capped off a busy Friday for Thunder in the Valley, performing at Point Stadium with children under 12 admitted free.

“We blew out a couple of guitar amps because of the rain,” said Ryan Gindlesperger of Spin Wilde Productions, the event promoter.

After a brief rain shower, the show was expected to begin on time.

“We anticipate a big crowd being that Thunder in the Valley is a premier event,” Gindlesperger said of the motorcycle rally.

Terry Walls of Windber sat in the bleachers with Melissa George of Portage, listening to local rockers Who’s Your Daddy, the warmup band.

“I wanted to see the concert ... something different,” Walls said.

“I figured it will probably be a good show seeing that it’s somebody well known,” he said.

In Windber, the StarBoyz motorcycle stunt team was performing for a second year.

“It’s a good event, so we decided to come back,” said Kevin Marino, who co-founded the team.

This year, the crowd was bigger and the reaction from motorcycle enthusiasts was not unlike last year.

“They’re awesome,” Hollsopple resident Chris Kauffman said.

She sat on one of the barriers erected between the performers and the crowd. Her husband, Cliff, sat beside her. Both are motorcyclists who were impressed by the stunt team.

“It’s amazing what you can do on a bike,” Cliff said.

The stunt team from Akron, Ohio, did wheelies and filled a section of Graham Avenue with smoke from burning rubber. Some of the more heart-pumping stunts involved two people on one bike.

It all seemed routine for the the group, which has performed for more than 10 years.

“It was pretty cool, especially the burnout,” said Dakota Gipe, 10, who was one of the hundreds of spectators.

Mason Click, 14, of Windber said he owns a dirt bike but wasn't sure his parents would approve of him performing like the StarBoyz.

“They’d probably tell me I’m crazy,” he said.

After the stunt show, a team of Budweiser Clydesdales paraded past the crowd along Graham Avenue.

Handler Amy Trout explained that each horse eats nine or 10 pounds of grain and a 50-pound bale of hay and drinks about 30 gallons of water each day.

“The one thing about the Clydesdales is they appeal to every age group,” she said, marveling at the crowd.

“Look around. Everybody loves horses,” she said.