Once again, the roar and rumble of motorcycles fell upon a sleepy little north Mississippi town this summer – Sturgis, Miss., site of the tenth annual Sturgis South Motorcycle Rally. Motorcycle owners and enthusiasts bombard the town over the three-day event. Some even come a week in advance to the rally.
“I’ve been coming here for five years and always love to ride. I take three days of vacation every year to come here it’s sort of a mini vacation for me,” Florence, Miss. native Vernon Black said.
Throughout the town campers of all shapes and sizes, along with tents and whatever else folks can sleep in, are strewn about.
What is the attraction to this sleepy Mississippi hamlet? The name.
Sturgis, Miss. happens to share the same name of the infamous South Dakota town that is home to the oldest and largest bike rally. So, a few years ago a group of friends that rode motorcycles together decided to start a “little Sturgis” motorcycle rally, hoping those folks who couldn’t make the trek to South Dakota would come to Sturgis, Miss. instead.
The rally grew quickly. 800 people attended the event in 1997, with that number increasing to 35,000 just eight years later.
This year the tradition continued.
Motorcycles of nearly every imaginable shape, size and color were parked along the main street of the town. All the while, cars, trucks and motorcycles cruised up and down the street. Even one rider was wearing a Viking-esque motorcycle helmet complete with actual horns extending out.
“We have riders from all over the country come here,” rally entertainment director Donny Hanson said. “We get a lot of folks from Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas, but we get folks from as far away as Texas and from up north.”
Vendors selling everything from hot dogs and funnel cakes to leather chaps and motorcycle parts neatly lined along the sidewalks and lawns of Sturgis.
A group of students from MSU also had a booth at the rally. MSU’s National Association of Industrial Technology chapter was present with their ten-foot tall cowbell at the rally selling MSU ice cream and cold water for rally attendees in the heat.
The club was also selling a T-shirt featuring a cowbell on the front and the saying “I got my bell rung at Sturgis.”
Airbrush artists and Light Emitting Diode installers were ready and willing to customize the bikes.
“I love it here,” Donna Snow of Philadelphia, Miss. said. “I’ve been coming for quite a few years, but I just got a motorcycle and wanted to really come.”
Despite the stifling Mississippi heat bikers were out in their black leather best showing off the chrome and paint of their motorcycles.
Meanwhile, young boys looked on with hungry eyes.
Of the events planned for the weekend there was a Friday night “dinner ride.” Riders left Sturgis for Village Cycle Center in Starkville and then onto Columbus for dinner and finally back to Sturgis. Unfortunately, a late afternoon summer shower caught the riders off guard.
“The dinner ride went well even though we did get a little wet,” Sturgis mayor Scott Smith said.
Another attraction to the festival was the entertainment. This year’s lineup was pretty impressive.
“We decided to add a band on Thursday night since so many people were getting here on Thursday and it would be a nice kick off to the festival,” said Smith.
Friday’s lineup was made up of a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band (a must have at a motorcycle rally), local act Chase McGinnis and country band The Outlaws. Saturday hosted local-act-gone-big Crossin’ Dixon followed by country artists Trick Pony and Sawyer Brown.
Saturday night’s acts managed to draw a good crowd despite rain that afternoon.
“The concert went well considering we had an hour and a half of rain before the concert,” Hanson said.
Crossin’ Dixon, who hail from this area, were welcomed by a joyous albeit soggy crowd.
“I grew up about two miles down the road from here,” Crossin’ Dixon lead singer Jason Miller said, “and it’s sure good to be home,”
The band tore through their set as hard and fast as a biker on speed and showcased originals such as their single “Guitar Slinger” and “Nineteen.”
“I like Crossin’ Dixon, we’re impressed with how big the festival has gotten,” said Cody Johnson of Indianola, Miss. about the concert.
Country music talent Trick Pony then took the stage followed by Sawyer Brown.
The hometown feel of the rally was continued by the concert being held on the town’s baseball field.
Although this year’s rally was impressive, extreme heat, rain and even people’s pocketbooks kept rally attendance low.
“From Daytona Beach to South Dakota, everyone’s attendance is down,” Smith said.
“I think the economy has a lot to do with it. Folks don’t have the money to spend like they did.”
Organizers of the rally will not exactly know how many people attended the festival until money, registration forms and receipts have been totaled.
“We’ll have a better idea of attendance once we go over armband sales and registration forms,” Hanson said.
This year’s attendance can impact next year’s rally as far as how many big name acts and other attractions the rally can obtain.
“The more people that come this year, the better we can do next year,” said Hanson.