Police, Organizers and Bikers Say They're Ready For Bikes Blues & BBQ Rally

Northwest Arkansas is bracing for the arrival of tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts this week and law enforcement officials and organizers say they expect the entire event to be less rowdy than a typical Razorback home football game.

The annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ Motorcycle Rally runs Wednesday through Saturday, drawing locals and visitors from across the country with music, food, contests and the roar of thousands of motorcycles. Fayetteville's Dickson Street is the rally's heart, but Springdale and Benton County also will host events this year. Organizers said 300,000 people attended last year, making it one of the largest rallies in the country.

Rallies elsewhere can bring a surge of traffic accidents and occasional violence to their host cities, sometimes tapping into a volatile mix of a few territorial motorcycle clubs. But as Fayetteville's event enters its 15th year, residents and officials said the rally largely has earned and kept its family friendly reputation.

"We probably make more arrests on a football game weekend than we do for the entire event," said Sgt. Craig Stout with Fayetteville Police, adding arrests are more often of local people than of visitors. "We're not anticipating any problems. It's always been fairly low-key."

The Fayetteville department still spends weeks preparing for the event, reaching out to rally organizers, area businesses and other law enforcement, Stout said. The Washington County Sheriff's Office, University of Arkansas police and members of other agencies step in to help with an increased, conspicuous presence.

"Our mission is the same, to keep people safe," said Sheriff Tim Helder, who echoed his counterparts in saying the event brings little trouble for his deputies.

Fifteen years on, much of the preparation has become routine, said Joe Giles, director of Bikes, Blues & BBQ. The organization pays for police and fire overtime and hires some private security for its venues as well.

"The general plan is in place, and it just takes minor tweaks to it," Giles said Wednesday in his office near the Fayetteville square, adding that for him, preparation is year-round. Details such as parking tags and VIP packages were all that remained to be settled, he said.

Many rally attendees will be members of the nation's hundreds of motorcycle clubs. The clubs are a diverse bunch, ranging from religious associations and Harley-Davidson owners to the outlaw groups, such as the rival Hells Angels and Outlaws declaring themselves under no law but their own.

Four people were stabbed and beaten in a confrontation between Hells Angels and a rival group in Eureka Springs in the summer of 2007, the most recent club-related violence in the area. The injuries weren't life-threatening. No similar club-related assaults have occurred during Fayetteville's rally.

Such a large crowd always brings a chance of fights, Giles and Stout said. Both agreed they weren't worried about motorcycle clubs of any stripes. Bikes, Blues & BBQ is "more of a festival than a rally" and simply isn't made to be wild, Giles said. Fairly well-off enthusiasts and bike owners between 35 and 60 are the major demographic, he said.

"A lot of our members will take a vacation during Bikes, Blues & BBQ just so they can head down to Dickson Street and participate," said Lisa Vail, director of the Pig Trail Chapter of the Harley Owners Group in Rogers. Many of the group's 300 members also help out at the Harley-Davidson store in Rogers during the rally, the shop's busiest time of the year.

"It will be three days of complete craziness," Vail said, but she doesn't expect the craziness to get out of hand. "We don't have to worry about the things, say, you would at Daytona (Beach, Fla.), at Bike Week. Us old people go to bed a little earlier."

Dickson Street businesses aren't worried about security, either, said Joe Fennel, president of the Dickson Street Merchants Association.

"The main thing is you've got to get your staff ready to go. It's four days of all they can handle and having a good time, I know that," said Fennel, who owns Bordinos and Jose's Mexican Restaurant. "You can't be concerned about something that's not a concern. What's real is you're going to be really busy."

Early this year, some local club members expressed unease about the 3-Fold Mob club in Bentonville, Giles said. The group is a chapter of the Iron Order, which has a reputation among motorcycle clubs for provoking violence, according to The Aging Rebel, a prominent motorcycle club news blog.

Members of the Iron Order in Florida were accused last July of killing a member of the Black Pistons, a club tied to the Outlaws, further souring their standing among other clubs. No charges have been filed in the death of Zach Tipton.

"The way they conduct themselves and the way they start trouble -- none of us need any of that," said Glenn Dergstrom, chairman of the Arkansas Confederation of Motorcyclists. "It just seems that's their motive, to aggravate a situation."

Dergstrom plans to attend the rally with his fellow club members anyway, he said. They help each other stay sober and fundraise for a local family crisis center, he said. But he has told his members to stick together and avoid the Iron Order, he added.

"There ain't none of these clubs around here that I know of that are out looking for trouble," Dergstrom said. "We're going to go enjoy ourselves no matter what. We're just going to be on our toes."

The 3-Fold Mob's president didn't respond to phone calls last week requesting comment, and the group took down its Facebook page shortly after a message requesting comment was posted.

Giles said nothing substantial had come of some clubs' concerns, adding the police, deputies and other security will respond to any emergency.

"Things do look good going in," Giles said. "Right now, my biggest worry is the weather."

The National Weather Service and other forecasting services Friday afternoon forecast sunny skies throughout this week, with highs about 80 degrees.

NW News on 09/21/2014