MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – Organizers for the Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally want residents and out-of-town bikers to know, their bike rally event will be taking place along the Grand Strand next week.
The confusion about whether the Spring Bike Rally was still “revving up” started Monday night, after the Atlantic Beach Town Council cancelled their annual Atlantic Beach Bikefest for 2020, citing safety concerns about the pandemic.
This had some people wondering if the Spring Bike Rally, which is expected to go from Monday, July 13, until Sunday, July 19, was going to be cancelled.
Sonny Copeland, one of the organizers for the Spring Bike Rally, said: “absolutely not.”
Copeland said despite what organizers for other events may choose to do, the Spring Bike Rally is gearing up to “ride off” on Monday and he’s confident those participating in the event will be prioritizing safety, wherever they go.
“As far as this virus, if people are smart enough to ride a motorcycle, handle a motorcycle and have a family, they are smart enough to take care of themselves and take care of their family,” Copeland said. “And if you are a rider, you’re not going to do anything that’s going to endanger your life. So yes, I think having bike week is not going to be an issue.”
Due to coronavirus concerns, the Spring Bike Rally was moved from May to July, allowing Horry County to approve temporary vendor permits that coincide with the rally dates.
Councilmember Johnny Vaught said, right now, it’s hard to know how many bikers and families will be attending the rally.
“You’re not going to see the thousands and thousands of bikers that you would see around a Memorial Day weekend,” Vaught said. “But I think the attendance will be relatively low [compared to years past] because of all the confusion the pandemic has created.”
Councilmember Gary Loftus agrees, stating it’s hard to know for sure what the turnout will be because of the pandemic.
“[Bikers], they’ll be here,” Loftus said. “There will be more than a normal summer weekend but I don’t predict a heavy influx.”
Vaught said anyone not comfortable going to the bike event because of the pandemic has the option of whether to attend the rally or not.
“A lot of people are still really scared about the pandemic and they’re worried about coming,” Vaught said. “I think you’ll see [people] coming anyway.”
Local bars and restaurants supporting the Spring Bike Rally in Murrells Inlet said they’re anticipating lots of bikers in the coming days to pour into the Grand Strand
Tina Stanton, a retail manager at one of the popular spots for the spring rally, said the Spring Bike Rally is a big deal for vendors and businesses across the Grand Strand, trying to keep the rally tradition alive during the pandemic. A tradition Stanton wants people to know, isn’t cancelled.
“It’s our single largest event of the year,” Stanton said. “We know we’re not alone in that. We employ over 100 people every year for this week. Our phone has been ringing off the hook. We have been planning as if it’s going to be a regular Spring Bike Rally. We know a lot of people had questions in May. We’ve done our best with Horry County Council and other businesses to spread the word that the rally is on and hopefully everyone got the message.”
For any additional questions about the Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally event, contact the rally organizers on the event’s Facebook page.
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Source: WMBF News by Jennifer Roberts