Few accidents, arrests noted at rally

FAYETTEVILLE — Fayetteville police responded to a few serious motorcycle accidents during this year's Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival, though none were fatal.

Sgt. Bill Phelan said five people were injured during two separate accidents on Razorback Road.

"The first accident happened on South Razorback during the first night of the festival," he said. "There's a section where the road jogs, but the driver missed it and went airborne. The other accident happened on Saturday when two motorcycles collided. One of the drivers lost control, went across the median and T-boned the other."

Phelan said police responded to a total of 29 motorcycle accidents during the four-day festival, which started Wednesday and ended Saturday. The 10th annual rally was expected to draw more than 400,000 visitors from across the country.

"I thought the festival went really smooth this year with minimal problems," Phelan said. "We had a few complaints,mostly about traffic and noise. Other than that, we didn't run into any major issues."

Police made 39 arrests during the event, most of which related to public intoxication and disorderly conduct. Additionally, officers issued 15 parking citations and 25 traffic citations or criminal summons for careless driving.

"We didn't have any reports of stolen motorcycles this year," Phelan said. "It was a pretty big problem last year. I think we even had a golf cart stolen that year. This year was much better."

Phelan said officers typically meet with area merchants prior to Bikes, Blues & BBQ to discuss safety issues and parking.

Underage drinking, public intoxication, noise complaints, disorderly conduct and driving while intoxicated are among the types of criminal activity usually encountered by police during the festival.

Fayetteville police provided added security for the rally through mutual aid agreements with the Springdale Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff 's Office. Bikes, Blues & BBQ also contracted with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, as well as the Fayetteville, Farmington and Lowell police departments, to provide approximately 60 extra officers for the event.