MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WMBF) – Rain put a bit of a damper on the first afternoon of the fall bike rally in Murrells Inlet, but before the rain, many people showed up.
For the first day of the week-long event, it appeared more people showed up for the fall rally compared to the rescheduled spring bike rally that took place in July.
One group of friends came from Clover, South Carolina. Sara Sipe is part of a group who worship at a “biker church.”
Sipe said she hasn’t been to the area in around 15 years, and she’s enjoyed her time so far.
“The atmosphere’s great,” Sipe said. “The fellowship with all the bikers is great. Love meeting new people. You come down here and it’s like you know everybody. You don’t know them from Adam, but you feel like you know them.”
Many bike rallies nationwide have caused concern over them being potential coronavirus spreading events.
A rally held earlier this year in Sturgis, South Dakota brought in thousands of bikers from all over the country.
For the first day of the week-long event, it appeared more people showed up for the fall rally compared to the rescheduled spring bike rally that took place in July.
One group of friends came from Clover, South Carolina. Sara Sipe is part of a group who worship at a “biker church.”
Sipe said she hasn’t been to the area in around 15 years, and she’s enjoyed her time so far.
“The atmosphere’s great,” Sipe said. “The fellowship with all the bikers is great. Love meeting new people. You come down here and it’s like you know everybody. You don’t know them from Adam, but you feel like you know them.”
Many bike rallies nationwide have caused concern over them being potential coronavirus spreading events.
A rally held earlier this year in Sturgis, South Dakota brought in thousands of bikers from all over the country.
Locally, SBB, a popular biker bar in Murrells Inlet, is in jeopardy of losing its alcohol license. Documents from the Department of Revenue showed the bar violated the governor’s order when it hosted several live events in July, including a Bone Thugs-and-Harmony concert. During that time, the governor had an executive order in place that prohibited concert venues and nightclubs from being open.
Many people criticized some bikers for not wearing masks or socially distancing.
Based on observations Monday, not a lot of people were wearing masks in Murrells Inlet.
Sipe said she isn’t too worried about COVID-19.
“I know the virus is real, but I’m not over concerned about it,” she said. “I feel like I’m fine without a mask. If someone’s around me that objects to me not wearing a mask, maybe they should go a different way.”
Sipe also said she doesn’t think people should automatically assume bikers are bad people because some of them don’t choose to wear masks.
“Anywhere you go, you’re going to have trouble with a few here or a few there, but most bikers are loving people,” she said. “They’ll stop on the side of the road and help a stranger in a heartbeat.”
The bike rally goes until the end of the week.
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Source: WMBF News