Apparently, things went well at the Smokeout.

From http://www.yourdailyjournal.com/page...home_news_lead


Bikers filled hotel rooms and crowded restaurants this past weekend, filling the pockets of Richmond County business owners and leaving smiles on their faces.

“Most of our rooms were bikers,” said Crystal Greene, assistant general manager of the Quality Inn and Suites in Rockingham. “They’re really nice, and were generous. Especially with the dragstrip here, just about every weekend we are booked up.”

Front Desk Manager Heather James at the new Holiday Inn Express in Rockingham said the bikers occupied about 70 percent of their rooms this weekend.

“They were a very nice group of people,” said James. She said she hasn’t had any issues with the bikers.
James said the bikers would often ask where to eat or shop, and James would list locations of interest to them. One of the restaurants she suggested was Fatz Cafe.
Sharon Willis, service manager at Fatz, said “We had a lot of bikers starting Thursday. Thursday, Friday and Saturday we were crazy busy. A lot of good people came through. They were just wonderful. And they tipped pretty good.”

Businesses that were closed over the weekend missed the chance to benefit from the influx of out-of-state dollars, like Hudson Brothers’ Deli.
“We did have some bikers during the week,” said Scott Singletary, a bartender at Hudson Brothers. “We didn’t have anybody here Saturday; we’re always closed. There’s probably a good chance we missed out on some business.”
Steve Earwood, Rockingham Dragstrip owner, said he was pleased with the outcome of the event.

“It went terrific,” said Earwood. “Everybody was kind. They even picked up their own trash. Imagine that; they know their way around a trash-bin! But it was a great event for our community.”

Earwood said the office is still working to tally the numbers from camping fees to sales, but said this is one of the top four events of the season, out of about 90 events during the year.

“It’s a very expensive event,” said Earwood. “From insurance to utilities. But it’s gratifying to me as a business owner in Richmond County. We had people from everywhere, Michigan, Oklahoma; about 98 percent were from out of town. So many people said they would come back next year and that they were going to bring somebody with them. People are passionate about this.”
Earwood was at the event for the duration, making sure things were going smoothly and looking for ways to improve the timing of his crews. He said there honestly wasn’t much to improve on.
“Overall, it went smoothly,” he said. “My crew worked 24 hours all weekend.”

Earwood was paying such close attention to the crowd on his property that he noticed an incognito celebrity.
“There was a man with a custom Harley with a girl on the back and another guy looked at his tattoos and said, ‘Hey, aren’t you..’ and before he could answer the guy put his finger to his lips and said, ‘Shh!’ and then I realized it was Kid Rock,” said Earwood. “He must have recognized him by his tattoos.”

 

Should forward this to the Myrtle Beach City Council.

 

They are already paying the price. Lots of $$ they are losing. Let another city enjoy the fruits of being open to bikers

 

The Smokeout moved to Rockingham, NC 2 years ago ( I think ) because the city of Salisbury, NC ran them off. And in Salisbury the problem was some city council members afraid of what "might" happen.

 

The smart ones cater to the dollars--the stupid ones run the riders out of town. There are a lot of people riding bikes with a substantial amount of disposable income now. Not like in the past. Some of the changes have been good. More money, more inclusion, more social acceptance, but always the same core group that set the example of the spirit.

 

Around here Holister ran off the Bikers, just down the road San Juan Bautista welcomes them with big banners on just about every bar and business....

 

Lots of towns are catching on that being biker friendly can be good for the local economy. I've especially noticed this in AR in the Ozarks. Lots of hotels and restaurants have signs welcoming bikes, motorcycle parking areas, etc. We even had several cops just flash their lights for us to slow down.