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Simpsonville Police Chief Charles Reece said the city would deploy extra patrols at Heritage Park and in the city during a motorcycle rally next month.
Reece, a biker himself, didn’t expect extra traffic hassles but warned drivers to pay attention.
“The most dangerous thing for bikers is that people just don’t pay attention,” Reece said. “Slow down, take one more minute and look twice.”
The rally would be contained to the park, with bikers parking up to 5,000 inside the park, Reece said. Hog heaven is coming to Heritage Park in Simpsonville.
Thousands of motorcycles are expected to roll into Simpsonville June 4-5 for the new two-day rally.
The Southern Throttle Motorcycle Rally is being organized by Greenville event-management company Epic Events, which has promoted the event across the Southeast.
It’s the first of what event organizer Beth Brown hopes will become an annual Upstate rally.
“I ride a Harley, and I have a passion for motorcycles and was kind of disappointed with what’s going on in Myrtle Beach with them running the bikers out of Myrtle Beach, and I pretty much just wanted to keep the riders in our state,” Brown said.
Brown said that through the years area bikers had talked about hosting a rally in the Greenville area because “it’s such a great place to ride” with nearby mountains and a vibrant city.
Brown decided to make it happen. She considered several locations before settling on Heritage Park, and the city was “all for it,” she said.
Riders will start rolling in Friday to events that will be held at the park and at Harley Davidson of Greenville, Brown said. Live music, bike games, best in show contests and dozens of venders will set up on the park grounds.
A separate concert with the Zac Brown Band will play at the Heritage Park Amphitheater June 4, coinciding with the rally.
Brown expects the rally, which is open to all types of bikes, to bring a revenue boost to both Simpsonville and Greenville County as bikers travel from out of state to attend.
“Depending on the weather and how it goes, they’ll start booking a year in advance to go to rallies,” Brown said.
Bikers will don the leather jackets and pants, rev the engines loud and cruise around the area, but Brown said today’s bikers are a different breed from the rough and tumble crowd of decades past.
You’re more likely to see a doctor or lawyer on a bike than a Hell’s Angel.
“You’re definitely talking a different class of people today owning a bike,” she said. “We just want to get together, have a good time, socialize, look at bikes and ride.”
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