HOLLIDAYSBURG - Word about Roar in the Mountains motorcycle rally spread to a daredevil as she swung from rally to rally, city to city, state to state.
She wanted to work at the rally at American Legion Memorial Park in Hollidaysburg, and rally coordinator Ken Knisely contracted her to be the "wow" factor Roar hasn't had in its history.
"It's something we don't see around here," Knisely said.
Una Mimnagh of Hershey claims her act, the "Una Motorcycle Thrill Show," is one of, if not the only, female daredevil duos in the country.
Mimnagh's partner, Sara Young of Hershey, drives a Suzuki on a steel wire the diameter of a quarter as Mimnagh performs aerial stunts on a trapeze connected to the bottom of the motorcycle.
With hardware loosely connecting the bike's wheels to the wire stretched 200 feet from one side to the other, the daredevils spin the motorcycle upside down, flipping Mimnaugh above the wire.
"This is a big beautiful rally. I wanted to work Roar in the Mountain," Mimnagh said.
As she hangs from the trapeze, Mimnagh said her weight provides a low center of gravity for the motorcycle, assisting Young as she focuses on balancing the machine.
Young cranked a socket wrench while assembling two industry-standard metal stage trusses standing three stories high and 200 feet apart on Thursday in the rain.
Mimnagh, who works rallies year-round in addition to teaching aerial acts in Brooklyn, said she appreciates that bikers notice the behind-the-scenes work.
"Bikers are hard-working people. They know someone has to haul the equipment in a truck, set it up - they appreciate that."
Mirror Staff Writer Russ O'Reilly is at 946-7435.
