By Julian MITCHELL, intern

Joe’s Minibike Reunion returns for its seventh year at Crescenta Valley Park, showcasing all types of bikes from classic builds to racing models.

On Saturday, Oct. 13 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the minibike showcase will be open to the public and, as always, will be free for spectators to attend.

“We like to keep it free,” said Joe Sebergandio, the orchestrator of the event as well as its namesake. “We’re proud to be able to help the community and offer it for free.”

The event will be sponsored once again by Pioneer Car Audio, one of the event’s original sponsors. In addition to sponsoring the event, Pioneer will be giving away equipment to attendees.

An additional sponsor is Campbell’s Automotive Repair Service, which will be offering $5 vouchers to participants who pay the $25 entry fee to showcase their minibike.

One of the things Sebergandio is most excited about this year is the consumer launch of the Honda Monkey. According to Sebergandio, the Monkey is the “re-birth” of an old Honda bike, the Honda Z-50.

“This is the first event in the world that the Monkey will be at,” said Sebergandio. “We feel this just helps to elevate our event even more.”

The event has started to gain national recognition, attracting participants from across the United States and even some from Canada. Sebergandio has also seen boosts in attendance and awareness in the event due to his podcast, Joe’s Minibike Reunion Podcast. The podcast started out as a way to promote the event locally, but now boasts thousands of listeners across the United States.

“We take every opportunity to promote beautiful La Crescenta,” said Sebergandio.

Minibikes, according to Sebergandio, are one of the more affordable motorsport hobbies to get into. Completed bikes without their engines, known as a rolling frame, can range between $100 and $300. After that, the engine needs to be strapped in. For those who know where to look, engines can be as cheap as $99, according to Sebergandio.

Sebergandio uses his platform to help people from all over get into the hobby. He said that minibikes can be a great way to show kids the “feeling of pride and accomplishment” in building something themselves, not to mention how fun they can be.

“There are two types of kids in this world: ones with minibikes, and ones who’s parents were too smart,” said Sebergandio. “I’d rather be the former.”

The event is expected to host over 150 minibikes and over 1500 spectators. For more information on the event, visit http://joesminibikereunion.net/or the official Facebook page.

  Julian MITCHELL