Shiny And New

In a world where everything is as shiny as polished chrome, the thousands of riders at Bikes, Blues & BBQ are always looking for the thing that's shiniest and newest.

And the constant stream of new events is what event director Joe Giles believes keeps riders coming back to the annual rally, which this year begins Wednesday and continues through Sept. 27.

"You can only sit on the wall in front of the Walton Arts Center for so long before you want to do something else," Giles says.

One of this year's new events isn't so new at all. The rally's first Vintage Motorcycle Show, held in conjunction with the Ozark Vintage Motorcycle Association, takes place Sept. 27 at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. OVMA president James Wallace says he and other club members are preparing for 100 entries in the club's first BB&BBQ-related event. Weather will play a large part in attendance at the vintage show, he says. Even though the event takes place under more than 6,400 square feet of tented canopies, owners of the old bikes -- for his club's purposes, at least 25 years old -- don't like to expose the machines to any adverse elements, Wallace says.

But the event goes on rain or shine, as will the bulk of the dozens of events associated with the rally, which this year celebrates 15 years. As has happened in many of those years, finding new events and new venues was necessary to contain the still-growing crowd and remove some of the congestion from downtown Fayetteville. Arvest Ballpark becomes part of the rally's family this year for the first time, hosting not only the vintage motorcycle show but also the rally's car show. The car show, which in the past has taken place at the Northwest Arkansas Mall, is expected to draw around 350 vehicles. All that comes in addition to the new Northwest Arkansas Steak Cook-Off, also at Arvest Ballpark. Taking place on Sept. 27, the new event offers a people's choice award for appetizers in the afternoon hours and steak dinners starting in the early evening. Tickets for the steak dinners start at $15.

Steaks will find competition from several other outlets, including the People's Choice Barbecue Championship on Sept. 26 at the Washington County Fairgrounds, home to several rally events. The location offers the Bikes, Blues & BBQ saloon, with live music and drinks, and events such as lawnmower pulls, pig races, several performances by the Louisiana-based freak show Oh No Variety Show and the all-new tattoo expo, the latter of which will run for the duration of the rally.

But the heart of the rally remains on or near Dickson Street, including the main stage area, which takes over the parking lot at the southwest corner of Dickson Street and West Avenue. Inside that area are several food vendors and the primary stage for live music. Free performances from the likes of Mountain Sprout, Andy Frasco, Chubby Carrier and The Cate Brothers Band will take place during the rally.

Other highlights for this year's event include the Parade of Power on Sept. 27, the Fayetteville Firefighters' poker runs Sept. 26-27 and the bike show on the morning of Sept. 27 in the main stage area.

Giles says early indications lead him to expect additional growth in 2014. Out-of-state interest continues to grow, he says, particularly because the rally is celebrating 15 years.