08/04/2007

Motorcyclists roar in for rally

Annual event draws thousands to small city

BY JAMES COOK

jcook@record-eagle.com

STURGIS, S.D. — For a week each year, the small city of Sturgis, S.D., becomes a sprawling metropolis.

The town of 6,442 residents becomes a major city of about 600,000 motorcycle enthusiasts as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally thunders into town.

Imagine the National Cherry Festival — times five or six — in a town less than one-quarter the size of Traverse City.

The city puts up temporary stop lights at intersections and residents rent out their yards for camping space.

And don't plan on getting much sleep.

Somehow, after staying up into the wee hours of the night, bikers — or at least a "vocal” minority of them — seem to be up and revving their engines at 8 a.m.

"We didn't come here to sleep,” said 40-year-old Mark Leinonen of Traverse City. "We've been partying until 3 or 4 every night, so that doesn't help. Don't plan on sleeping if you come to the (Buffalo) Chip.”

The Buffalo Chip is one of the main campgrounds at the rally, with thousands congregated each day over many acres of mostly tree-less landscape, with an amphitheater in the middle for nightly concerts.

The 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is Aug. 6-12.

"It's a lot cleaner,” said 43-year-old Traverse City resident Jamie Pobuda, who attends the rally with her husband, Gary. "They've improved it quite a bit. They've been putting money into it.”

The Pobudas have been going to the rally yearly since 2002, and one addition to the Chip they appreciate is the large pond of chilled, circulating water.

"On the really, really hot days, we'll ride down and jump in, ride down an jump in,” said Jamie Pobuda. "Over and over.”

The Pobudas, Leinonen and 42-year-old Scott Kamps of Leland all camped together last year.

A rivalry of sorts is brewing between campgrounds in Sturgis, as loud music entwines with loud pipes in the weeklong party.

The Buffalo Chip, which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year and bills itself as the "legendary” Buffalo Chip, is getting some stiff competition from the new Rock'n the Rally, which booked musical acts such as Nickelback, Tom Petty, Keith Urban, Big And Rich, Steppenwolf and Sammy Hagar in its first year last summer.

The Chip has offered concerts for years. The cost of the shows — last year featured such acts as Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, Alice In Chains, Buckcherry, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gretchen Wilson and Alice Cooper — are free for Chip campers, or tickets can be purchased to individual shows.

The rally is not for the faint of heart or the timid. There were 259 DUI arrests during the week of the 2006 rally, five fatalities and 35 felony drug arrests.

In 2005, 448 people were jailed during the rally, 17 on felony drug counts (that number is down from 56 in 2000) and local emergency rooms received 317 visitors during the week.

Despite those numbers, most bikers think of it as a massive gathering of family.

"We come here because we met four other couples and get together and party,” said 36-year-old Kirk Bradley of Fairfield, Ohio. "We all live in different states and this is the only time we see each other.”

"It's a lot of people doing something they enjoy,” said Sonya Bales, 35, of Pinckney. "To me, it's almost like a family reunion in Sturgis.”

A little advice: South Dakota (and neighboring Wyoming) has a law against motorcycle handlebar grips being above the rider's shoulders, but helmets are not required for riders over 18. South Dakota also does not restrict the use of radar detectors.

Other advice for first-timers is to bring as much of your gear with you as possible. Many bikers come only with their bike and purchase camping equipment when they arrive in Sturgis, so a lot of the stores are picked clean of many camping staples.

"Probably the number one thing is to bring a canopy, because you're going to need the shade,” Kamps said.

Most bikers take trips during the day to see tourist spots such as the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and Devil's Tower.

The group of bikers from Traverse City said they put about 150 miles on their bikes every day going to various locales.

"It's so breathtaking,” said Susan Brasells, 43, who from Dartmouth, Mass., for her first rally last year. "The sunsets are beautiful. It's just amazing. I never thought it would be like this.”