TMMR Events

The Tennessee Motorcycles & Music Revival (TMMR) 2025 ranks at the top of the list for motorcycle rallies we’ve experienced.  It is a family-friendly environment.  Loretta Lynn’s Ranch is amazing for this type of event.  The river, the hills, and trees offer the perfect outdoor setting.  Everyone we encountered was friendly.  Everyone was there to have. Great time with music and motorcycles.

Some notable rally events we witnessed were:

- Charity Rubber Duck Race.  Ducks were numbered and released in the creek.  The ducks raced down the current to a designated finish line.  Someone scooped up the first duck to check the number to declare the winner.  About a dozen folks with fishing nets captured all the rubber ducks as they passed the finish line.

- Hill Climb.  The Ranch has a designated hill to host the famous hill climb.  Picture-perfect location with old grain silos across the road where visitors park in the grass.  We saw motorcycles of all types - dirt bikes and full dressers (touring bikes) race up the hill.  There were a few riders that were probably 12 years old who raced up the hill competing with the gray-bearded riders. 

- Belly Flop Contest.  There is a pool near Honky Tonk Central camping area.  The pool had guys and gals of all ages competing in the belly flop contest, splashing as they landed chest-first in the pool.

- Dirt Track Race.  This was awesome to watch as bikes raced around the track and through the dust.

- Slow Race.  These are always fun to watch.  All ages and all types of motorcycles.  This one was elimination.  Winners kept circling the track to race again until the slowest rider was remaining.

- Classic Motorcycle Bike Show. I always get excited admiring the details of classic bikes with unique assessors and their paint.

- Burn out contest. Exciting.  Bring ear plugs and stay down wind from the smoke!

- Kick Start Contest. This one was interesting.  Need to know “how” to kick start a bike to win. It is more than just kicking the pedal!

- Parade of bikes through the camp.  This happened a few times I think. I saw a lot of young riders on their small bikes enjoying the attention.

- Cage of Death.  I think there were two motorcycles and a person inside the round cage.  The motorcycles were orbiting the person standing in the middle. 

- Bands.  It impressed me that the Pledge Of Allegiance and the National Anthem were played each night during opening ceremonies before the bands performed. 

This was a family friendly music and motorcycle event.  Brad and I felt like it was definitely a revival - we enjoyed it and consider the rally the best we’ve attended!

Black Widow

I arrived at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch a day or two before the events started.  I set up my hammock next to the river.  I put my rain tarp up over my hammock for shade.  I was relaxing in my hammock when a woman parked down the river from my campsite.  She drove a small car and parked where the gravel meets the grass.  She was obviously  much older than I.  She displayed a handicap tag from her vehicle.  I saw her pull a new tent out of its box.  I know tents can be a challenge to set up for the first time.  It is a good idea to practice setting up the tent at home.  I watched her efforts figuring out the new tent for a minute or two.  Then I went over to introduce myself.  She welcomed my assistance setting up her tent.  Together we made the task much easier.  It was a large tent and I could not imagine setting it up alone.

I discovered that this woman has been attending TMMR for several years.  She was here last year, and her friend had been killed in an unfortunate freak accident.  A motorcycle was traveling through the vendor area.  Her friend and she were crossing the street.  The motorcycle struck her friend.  Her friend hit her head on the pavement and later died from the head injury.  The woman telling me the story was walking next to her friend when she was struck by the motorcycle.  It was a difficult thing to experience.  So the woman decided to come to the TMMR event this year to honor her late friend.  She rented a golf cart to get safely around the venue.  The golf cart was a great idea.  She had a seat at all the events.  The cart could be parked in prime spots to view the events.    

As the conversation continues, I discover this woman went on a cruise last fall.  This is the same year as the unfortunate accident.  It was her and a different girlfriend on the cruise.  While the ship was underway, her friend passed away.  This was just a few months after the motorcycle accident that claimed her other friend.  I decided to keep my distance from this woman who was now referred to as the Black Widow.  I say that lightheartedly.  She was a nice woman honoring her friend.  I remember mornings sitting in the creek sipping my coffee.  I look downstream and see her tent perched on the riverbank.  The door to her tent opens.  She’d step outside and give me a wave before starting her morning routine.  I’d wave back.