Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

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photo credit: sturgis07
When an event promises to almost double the population of a state, even if it is temporary, there must be something very important about said event. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally boasts the ability to draw over 500,000 visitors to South Dakota, a state with only 782,000 residents. They flock to the town of Sturgis which has even fewer residents – only 6,700 year-round – in order to experience the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the largest and most unique event of its kind in the world. As the organizers themselves would proudly proclaim, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may not be the oldest event of its kind, but it certainly is on the most massive scale and promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience that even motorcycle neophytes should see for themselves. 2008’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Marks the 68th incarnation of the event, an amount of time that has only given the event room to grow.

The very first Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was held on August 14, 1938 by the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club, the same organization that owns and operates the tracks to this very day. Although it may be hard to imagine from the grand scale of today’s event, the first rally had a small number of participants and a slightly larger audience. Clarence Hoel is credited with the creation of this event, whose interest in motorcycles was piqued in 1936 when he purchased an Indian Motorcycle franchise and founded the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club that same year. As with many annual events whose roots are in a time before World War II, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has been held every year except 1942 due to gas rationing. Over the next several decades, the amount of visitors coming to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally began to increase, and the rally itself had many developments, such as the evolution to a five-day event and the growth of the event to a spectacle that draws hundreds of thousands of people. Much of the success of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is said to be derived from the beautiful area in which Sturgis is located, the town nestled in South Dakota’s Black Hills. Aside from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and the associated events, visitors can indulge in scenic views in and around the area, and they are certainly encouraged to do so.

photo credit: sturgis07
Visitors to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally are also encouraged to do a variety of other things in order to have the best time possible at the event. First and foremost is that visitors should try to take a week off from work in order to enjoy everything there is to offer in the area. A guidebook containing a plethora of information about the nuances of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is available, the gist of which being that if you are not able to set aside enough time to enjoy the better part of the rally, you will miss out on a lot. Events take place all over Sturgis as part of the festivities and since you cannot be in several places at the same time, it is important to know what is out there. Some of these include: The Marine Corps JROTC Breakfast, the Ford Experience Tour, the Boss Hoss Bike and Trike Demo Rides, the Thunder Road Vendor Showcase, and much more. Many of these events are held in different parts of the city, so make sure you have a map so that you can get around without getting lost.

photo credit: haley7
Because of the grand scale of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, many traditions have come about that encapsulate the spirit of the rally in such a way to make certain events a must-see. The 6th Annual Sturgis Mayor Ride gives riders an opportunity to visit Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park in the company of the Mayor of Sturgis and other fellow riders. Participants in the 6th Annual Sturgis Mayor Ride receive several special benefits that the thousands of other visitors to the rally do not, including a limited edition 2008 tour T-shirt, a limited edition Sturgis Mayor Ride pin, and other collectibles that are only available this year. Lunch is also hosted by the Sturgis Mayor in the Custer State Park at the State Game Lodge, but participants must be 21 or older in order to get in. Proceeds from the Mayor Ride go to the local fire department, so it is an ideal way to have a unique, great time while helping out the community. Whether or not you decide to participate in the Mayor Ride, though, there are plenty of other things to do in and around Sturgis during the rally.

photo credit: haley7
Another fun thing to do during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is to participate in the Sturgis Brick Project. This project allows you to help revitalize Sturgis and ensure that the motorcycle rally will thrive for years to come by ordering a brick that is to be engraved with a personalized message and then set in Main Street in order to immortalize whatever message you engrave on the brick. Whether it is a message in remembrance of a deceased loved one or one that details what a fun time the family had at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, the engraving the brick is yours to customize. Proceeds go toward Sturgis’s effort to preserve the surrounding area and to beautify the town in order to create a better environment for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Regardless of whether or not you participate in the Sturgis Brick Project, though, you can be certain that a trip to Sturgis will be remembered within the family for years to come.

A great way to make sure that you know everything about the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is to visit SturgisRallySite.com, a website devoted to selling the comprehensive guide to the event. It contains tons of information on everything from shortcuts that only the locals know to safety tips for when you have been drinking too much. Such a guide can be the perfect way to make sure that you do not miss anything in Sturgis and the motorcycle rally and that you leave the town safe and sound with your body and bike intact. There are plenty of people out there that do not enjoy things unless they have the inside scoop and know the ins and outs of it, and for those people, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Guide is precisely what they need, since the information contained within promises to make even the most casual visitor to Sturgis feel like a grizzled local.

A visit to the Black Hills of South Dakota is extraordinary in and of itself, with many opportunities to enjoy nature through camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, and whatever else one can think of doing in the beautiful wilderness. But the hundreds of thousands of people who visit Sturgis, South Dakota every August have another thing on their mind: motorcycles. They will certainly be satisfied as well, as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is the largest and most unique event of its kind in the entire world and it is proud to let you know about that as well. So if you have even a passing interest in motorcycles and having a great time, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is exactly what the doctor prescribed.

Tags: Regional //