Marcus Dairy In Danbury Shutting Down

[x635 4,066]

I knew it was only a matter of time......

Bikers saying farewell to a longtime hangout

By MARCELA ROJAS

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: October 31, 2007)

DANBURY, Conn.

A thundering herd of chrome, steel and leather travel along Interstate 84, turning off Exit 3 and sighting the white silos that signal mecca, a motorcycle heaven for those in the know of all things two-wheeled.

Marcus Dairy Bar, a family restaurant and milk distributor on Sugar Hollow Road, has long been synonymous with motorcycles. For decades, bikers have converged upon this slice of Americana to share breakfast, kick tires and, most importantly, determine which roadway to conquer that day. The Sunday morning ritual draws up to 1,000 motorcyclists each week and is considered the largest regular gathering of riders in the East and perhaps -some argue - the nation.

"The best people you'll ever meet are right here. It's a brotherhood," said Somers resident Brian Townsend, a Westchester County Airport aircraft handler. "You come here and look at all the different bikes and people. You got doctors, lawyers, ditch diggers. Anybody. It doesn't matter."

Townsend, 40, relaxed on his Honda Shadow surrounded by a sea of American flags and tricked-out choppers lined up in the parking lot of the dairy at this month's Cycle Sunday, a twice-annual charitable event that started in the 1980s. On this unseasonably warm day, more than 4,000 riders from the tri-state region and beyond, and some 50 vendors, came out for a day of live music, food and camaraderie. Since 1991, the show has raised nearly $600,000 for local charities.

But amid the rockin' festivities, one thought hung heavy in the air: Was this their last Cycle Sunday?

A 'bittersweet' send-off

It's no secret to the bikers who frequent Marcus Dairy that the treasured landmark will soon shutter and later re-emerge into a shopping destination. But the details of this transaction and whether or not they will be allowed to return are less clear.

"It's the end of an era," said Ed Faitakes, 37, of Southeast, a business development director. "It's unfortunate if it turns out that we can't come back here anymore. Where else are we going to go? It's tradition. Everybody knows to come here."

The owners of Marcus Dairy recently announced it will be razed in the spring or summer, pending permit approvals. The dairy's milk distribution warehouse will relocate to a yet-to-be determined site, either in Dutchess County or Connecticut, fourth-generation owner Sean Marcus said. The restaurant component will be rebuilt at the same location, but with its reincarnation will come 91,000 square feet of retail.

"Hopefully, when we reopen in 2009, they (the bikers) will come back because we're all tied together," said Marcus, also an avid rider.

Some riders, though, aren't so sure the new stores will tolerate the large assembly, not to mention their loud pipes.

"This environment, the free open space, is part of the culture. You can't reproduce that," said Frank Spataro, 35, of Yonkers, president of STAR Touring & Riding, a Westchester motorcycle club. "It's unfortunate that things are changing for retail space when you have a giant mall next door."

The fate of the Cycle Sunday show is more uncertain. This year's event may have been the last before the closure, officials said.

"We don't know what will happen with our Cycle Sunday," said Marcus. "Time will tell."

The impetus behind the Marcus Dairy shake-up started when it closed its milk processing plant in 2005. The owners found they could no longer compete in a market controlled by dairy conglomerates, Marcus said. The realization they could run the distribution center elsewhere at a fraction of the cost coupled with their prime real estate value ultimately drove the decision, Marcus said.

Marcus Dairy sits on 10 acres and is the last holdout in an area that in the past 10 years has sprouted a number of national chains, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Pier 1, Red Lobster and Toys "R" Us. The Danbury Fair Mall arrived in the late 1980s.

"Some people will see us as a bunch of sellouts and I understand that sentiment completely. But at the same time, it is what it is," said Marcus, 38. "This used to be an industrial area, with just us and an airport. Times have changed."

From milk to motorcycles

Marcus Dairy was formed in the early 1900s as a small farm in Sharon, Conn. The operation grew to include the milk plant and eatery, which was opened at its present location in 1947. By the 1960s, a small contingent of bikers began appearing at the dairy bar on Sunday mornings. During that time, motorcyclists were viewed as social outlaws.

"What I hear from the old-timers is that my grandfather did not discriminate," recalled Marcus, adding that accommodations were made for helmets and gear.

By the early 1980s, the dairy's popularity among the biker set was cemented. It was around that time that the late billionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes made frequent pit stops to the popular hog spot. Paul Rotello, a longtime Marcus Dairy employee who serves as public announcer at the various events there, remembered when Forbes showed up with a fleet of Harleys on a particularly rainy and foggy day when only the most accomplished of riders venture out.

"That told us that maybe we had something," Rotello said. "We knew that back in the '80s, it was hot. By 2000, it was out of hand."

At its peak, Marcus Dairy attracted more than 12,000 bikers to its April 2003 Cycle Sunday show. Such formidable gatherings caused road closings and a crackdown by the city of Danbury.

Over the years, Marcus Dairy has had its share of celebrity sightings. Forbes brought Elizabeth Taylor and Cher to the Sunday scene, Rotello said. Former New York Yankees star Bernie Williams and actress-rapper Queen Latifah have also made appearances.

"It's a motorcycling institution," said Nyack resident Mike Kalan. "It's strategically located at a crossroads. It became famous through no fault of its own."

Kalan said he was introduced to the dairy in 1988, when he first joined the Ramapo Motorcycle Club. Now, the former publisher and editor of the defunct City Cycle Motorcycle magazine said, he is working to capture that magic in a book he is writing called "Milk and Motorcycles."

A rebel farewell

There are at least a few dozen Sundays left before Marcus Dairy expects to close its doors. Bikers said they intend to continue the tradition as long as they can, stopping there first for some pancakes and bacon before heading out to experience the freedom of the open road. The dairy, for most of these road warriors, is a staging area for making travel arrangements that sometimes stretch for 300 miles in a day.

"It's good to have an understanding wife that you can call and say, 'Honey, I'm in New Hampshire. I'll be home in four hours,' '' Faitakes said.

As these bikers scatter to the four corners, it is not only the wind that will carry them forward, but the knowledge that Marcus Dairy will always be looking out for them.

"You wake up on a Sunday morning and decide to ride to the dairy. It's a very pure event. That is something that virtually happens nowhere else," Marcus said. "What's most important to us is preserving our Sunday morning crowd."

http://www.nyjournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...EWS01/710310360

[DR104 141]

Frist the Danbury fair!!! now Marcus Dairy

[SageVigiles 1,194]

The Danbury Fair isn't gone, it just turned into a horrible carnival that is a haven for problems of a criminal nature. I cannot comment on the specifics, but any of you who live in the Danbury area should remember an ALLEGED scandal that occured last summer.