Bikers steer clear of Myrtle Beach city limits

Off the Wire
Rally & Event News

Festivalgoers and motorcycle riders mostly kept to their own separate events Saturday as the Cruisin' the Coast spring bike rally kicked off.

Most motorcycle riders gathered beyond the city limits of Myrtle Beach, while some families took in the sun at the Cinco de Mayo festival downtown.

Crusin' the Coast rally ramp up on Saturday in the Grand Strand.
SC State Trooper Terry Sarvis directs traffic in front of the original SBB in Murrells Inlet. Photo by Tom Murray tmurray@thesunnews.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In 2008, the Myrtle Beach City Council voted in ordinances to curb the bike rallies and by last year many of the more than 300,000 bikers were avoiding the city.

Myrtle Beach residents Corrina and Ray Hutcherson were at the festival with their two sons and said they welcomed the opportunity to get out in the sun without having to worry about the traffic from the rallies that they would have had to contend with in years past.

The couple used to stock up on groceries before the bike rallies and use the weekends while bikers were in town to catch up on yard work, avoiding the crowds, he said.

"We've definitely gotten out more," Corrina Hutcherson said.

"There are a few bikes but things are not as congested," Ray Hutcherson added.

The added traffic never bothered Octavia Journiette from Pittsburgh, who visits Myrtle Beach with her family every year for a long weekend over Mother's Day.

Journiette was at the Cinco de Mayo festival and said that even though she's not a biker, coming down during the bike rally has always had an appeal. The kids always looked forward to seeing all the different motorcycles, she said.

"How do you start a tradition and don't continue it?" Journiette asked, but added that she will continue coming to the Myrtle Beach despite the rally changes.

Several bikers said that if Myrtle Beach isn't going to be biker friendly, they will not spend any money in the city.

Butch Thomas avoids even driving through the city and will drive around Myrtle Beach, taking S.C. 544 and S.C. 31, if he is going north of the city.

"They don't want my money; you can bet I'm not going up there," said Thomas, who has been attending the bike rallies for about 15 years.

Sherry Lesley said that the city's attempt to attract visitors with festivals and other events won't work and she has no intention of going to any of them. The reduced number of people at the rally means fewer vendors and fewer bikes to look at, she said.

"It's just not as welcoming as it used to be," Lesley said. "It used to be you could ride anywhere."

So far the crowd seems bigger than it was at this time last year, she said, and with a decision by the S.C. Supreme Court on the Myrtle Beach helmet law still pending, there is some hope.

Tim Teach, who retired to Myrtle Beach about three years ago after years of coming to the bike rallies, said he is sad to see the damage to city businesses as a result of the bike rally changes.

He has no plans to check out any of the festivals the city has planned this May in part to try to attract additional tourists lost when the rally rules went through.

"I'm not going to go to them. I have no interest in going them," Teach said. "I'd rather spend the week looking at bikes."

For Victor Crelia of Fredericksburg, Va., who last came to the area for the rally in 2001, the chance to meet people and check out all the bikes is worth the trip despite the changes.

"It's kind of moved outside the city," he said. "[But] everything's still here, it's a good time."
Contact ADVA SALDINGER at 626-0317.

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