HOW WE SEE IT: Music Venue Intensifies Rogers Rumble

Ever heard of the “haves” and the “have nots”?

Northwest Arkansas has a variation of that familiar evaluation: the “roars” and the “roar nots.”

This explains the love-hate relationship the region - and Fayetteville in particular - has with the annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ festival that draws thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts. Their two-wheeled vehicles (and sometimes three) aren’t just a means of transportation; they are also the attraction.

Showing off one’s ride and gazing appreciatively at the details of another rider’s bike create the venue, at which beer, food and T-shirts can also be sold.

But the “roar nots” are the folks who don’t have motorcycles and whose tolerance for them expires once more them gather in one place.

The most recent evidence of this 13-yearold Northwest Arkansas dynamic arose last week in Rogers, which gets its share of motorcycle mania when the crowd rumbles into the region every September.

Rogers is home to one of Arkansas’ few Harley-Davidson retailers, making it a mecca for adherents to that brand as they visit the rally in Fayetteville.

As any good business does, Pig Trail Harley-Davidson looks for opportunities to build a customer base and sell more products and services.

Bikes, Blues & BBQ is opportunity writ large. In the roars vs. roars not world, however, the company’s opportunity might be their neighbors’ annoyance.

Here’s what’s up: The motorcycle dealership envisions opening a restaurant at 2407 W.

Hudson Road, perhaps following the same path as “American Chopper’s” Paul Teutul Sr. What they asked Rogers to allow now is the creation of an outdoor music stage with associated food service and beer sales. The outdoor area would be fenced off to meet Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration requirements. The venue would be open Wednesday for bikers night and two Saturdays a month with regional bands. The venue would be open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Neighbor and business operator Mark Rockwell of Rockwell Farms Nursery predicts problems when music is added to the roar.

“We’re right across the street from the dealership.

I don’t want to complain, but when Bikes, Blues & BBQ is in town we have to nearly shut down because of the noise. I have to shout at a customer to sell a pansy,” Rockwell said.

Pig Trail general sales manager Frank Hardman said the company isn’t interested in opening a bar.

“We just want to get bikers to stay longer in Rogers rather than going to Fayetteville. This will have a positive economic impact in our area,” Hardman said.

And his business, of course.

That stretch of Hudson Road is quite busy, but planners voted to give Pig Trail the conditional use permit necessary for the effort. Planning Commission Chairman Mark Myers said he supported the venue, but warned the conditional use permit could easily be pulled if the venture becomes a nuisance.

We hope it doesn’t. Surrounding neighbors or businesses will hopefully find some benefit to Pig Trail’s move. The dealership will have to work hard to make sure it’s a good neighbor day in and day out. If not, the city should be aggressive in yanking its permission back.

Northwest Arkansas’ handling of the annual influx of motorcycle enthusiasts is quite the balancing act, whether it’s noise or public safety. Rogers will need to monitor this business operation closely to make sure it works not just for Pig Trail, but for the community.

Opinion, Pages 5 on 02/27/2013

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