FAYETTEVILLE — Rain thinned crowds Saturday, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of those who attended Fayetteville’s first Bikes, Babes & Bling rally.
“Rain is normal,” said Kay Spence, owner of Hippie Chicks Beading. “I don’t think I’ve been to a rally when it hasn’t rained.”
The rally, which started Thursday and ended Saturday, was organized under the umbrella of the established Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival. The event was paid for through a $20,000 grant from the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission.
Coleson Burns, one of the lead organizers of the rally, said drizzly conditions hadn’t canceled any festival events as of late Saturday afternoon.
“A few vendors packed up and left early because they were getting too soggy, but I think the rain is starting to let up,” he said. “There are still people walking through the vendor area and we haven’t had to cancel any events. As of now, we’re just playing it by ear.”
Spence, who traveled to Fayetteville from Greers Ferry, said she was surprised to find a motorcycle rally geared toward women.
“Whenever I go to biker stores, the men who work there usually ignore me because I’m a woman,” she said. “I remember one time when I wanted to buy a motorcycle and the salesman said, ‘You won’t be able to hold that bike up by yourself.’”
Despite the prejudice she’s felt in the past, Spence said she’s beginning to see a change in the way women are treated. Festivals such as Bikes, Babes & Bling prove women are just as capable of owning motorcycles as men, she said.
“Years ago, motorcycle rallies only catered toward men,” she said. “But I think things are beginning to turn around. Some women prefer to ride behind a man, but I’m not one of them. I want to be in control. If a man can drive a bike, then why can’t a woman?”
The rally featured various attractions specifically geared toward women including, hairstylists, manicurists, jewelry and clothing.
“Our goal was to host a rally that the ladies could call their own,” Burns said. “It gives them a sense of entitlement.”
Wanda Odle of Pryor, Okla., made this year’s rally a family affair by attending Saturday’s rally with her husband, children and granddaughter.
“We drove all the way here in the rain because we wanted to see what this was all about,” she said.
Though she’s grown accustomed to riding behind her husband, the 66-year-old said she recently started driving her own motorcycle. The couple recently rode more than 3,000 miles together and are now preparing for a ride to San Antonio.
“We watch out for each other and he allows for my inexperience,” Odle said. “It’s never too late to try something new, no matter how old you are.”
Like Bikes, Blues & BBQ, the rally is intended as a fundraiser for local charities that aid women or children.
Burns said he won’t know how many people attended the festival for another couple of weeks.
“That’s been the question of the week,” he said. “We’ll try to find out through the amount of trash generated and through beer sales. We’ll give everyone about two weeks after the rally to recuperate and then we’ll discuss what worked and what didn’t. It’s only going to get bigger and better.”
The venue for Bikes, Babes & Bling was in the Walton Arts Center parking lot at Dickson Street and West Avenue, which was where the main music stage, vendors and beer garden were located.
Though the rally was nowhere near as big as Bikes, Babes & BBQ, Burns said that was never the intention.
“Although this was put on by Bikes, Babes & BBQ, we have to remember that even in their first year they didn’t have close to this kind of turnout,” he said. “Part of our goal was to stimulate the economy during this time of the year, which is usually slow. We’re happy with the turnout we’ve had.”