Micmac Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Heritage Bike Rally canceled Lynyrd Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker Band were in. Tens of thousands of bikers were coming. But the fifth-annual Heritage Motorcycle Rally in Ladson was canceled this week, because it couldn't line up any insurance executives to join in the festivities. Underwriters declined to cover the 10 days of concerts, bike-building competitions and riding shows scheduled for April 13 to 22, according to organizer David Harvey. "This is not the bridge run, this is not the tennis competition, this is not the Summerville Flowertown Festival," Harvey said. "It doesn't matter if these people make $150,000 a year. What mattered is that there are people in the motorcycle community that don't know how to act." Rally organizers made the decision to cancel the event Tuesday and started notifying local businesses Wednesday. Those who already bought tickets, including $100 10-day passes, will receive refunds. The Ladson event is required to carry $1 million in general liability and $5 million to cover alcohol-related damage, Harvey said. In the first four years that the event was held, the rally's insurance costs skyrocketed from $26,000 to $87,000, he said. Last year, the opening day kickoff was delayed because organizers did not secure a policy until late afternoon. An assault at the 2006 rally and a subsequent lawsuit scared off already skittish insurers. Harvey also said rifts are spreading between Lowcountry biking clubs and motorcycle-related businesses. "I'm here trying to do a family event and make it safe. And I don't have a warm, fuzzy feeling anymore," he said. "If I believed for one minute that everyone around here in the motorcycle community was going to play nice, we wouldn't have canceled this show." The cancellation is a major blow for nearby businesses and vendors who paid between $650 to $4,000 to sell food and merchandise at the rally. "It's definitely not good for us," said April Aminee, a bartender at Thee Deck Pub & Grill in Ladson. "We were slammed last year. We got a really, really big crowd." From the start, the event drew scrutiny from law enforcement. Before the inaugural rally, the city of Charleston passed an ordinance barring motorcycle riders from revving their engines. But the annual gathering gained traction with bikers. Some 74,000 people came through the gates last year for the rally and to see headline acts, including Kid Rock. Organizers expected to pull in more than 150,000 people to Exchange Park Fairgrounds next month with a bill that included Lynyrd Skynyrd, Smashmouth and REO Speedwagon. Now, they are bracing for the possibility of lawsuits, not crowds. Rally investors have already spent $421,000 and owe an additional $181,000. Ticketholders will be paid back first and vendors will be at the bottom of the list. Bands who agreed to play at the rally but did not collect a deposit will be out of luck, Harvey said. Harvey, who owns a roofing company and the Kick'n Horse Saloon in Awendaw, said the event has never been a financial success. It lost about $300,000 in each of its first two years, and its backers finished $800,000 in the hole last year, when rainstorms coincided with some of the marquee performances. Clear Channel Communications, which had exclusive rights to promote the Heritage rally through its local radio stations, has been giving away tickets and devoting a lot of airtime to the event. Local executives for the Texas-based company could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Harvey said that the rally's backers had planned to spend $2.8 million but could not responsibly commit more funds without insurance coverage. "It is about when is enough enough," Harvey said. "I think I've made the best decision I can make." Economic impact The cancellation of the Heritage Motorcycle Rally means the loss of admission revenue and on-site retail sales, as well as the taxes from those revenue sources. Some of the thousands of attendees would have forked over $100 for a 10-day pass. Daily tickets were priced from $5-$40. The ripple effect will likely be felt by area hotels, restaurants, retailers and tourist attractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 (edited) yep...it was announced last week. The local bars and hotels are still pushing for a Charleston Bike Week just without the centralized organization in fair grounds that required an insurance policy. THey are trying to get it so everyone shows up....attends parties at teh local bars...rides in the country and only thing missing would be vendors. It was the only place that had a single point like that to meet with a cover charge...which helped some things but hindered it in long run. I have people still coming down to ride and party....Iwill be riding a couple days and partying........with or without fairgrounds as ground zero. The assault last year was some drunk ass punk at concert mouthing off to the wrong people and they fnally had enough and stomped him in the mud a little bit. He deserved every kick and punch he got......i bet there were 10 thousand people at that concert in the rain and heat and mud and he was only assault. Some may say nobody deserves an ass kicking like he did but I can tell you there was one or two near me during the concert that I came very close to kicking in the ass. The problem was you had young punks or people not accustomed to the motorcycle culture.....all thrown together drunk and hot and bothered partying and listening to music....and some guy gets Budweiser Balls and thinks he can kick everyones ass. Some people that ride are not lawyers and doctors and business owners and have no problem with a night in jail to get you to shut your fucking mouth so they can enjoy the music. So they did ....and he did...shut his mouth that is...even though it was swollen and bleeding. Heritage Rally was growing and getting critical acclaim on tv and the rags...and had largest purse for Bike Build Off ever this year...$1,000,000 oh well....there will be another soon as someone else will figure out how to do it. I will be riding the thu fri and sat it was scheduled as i took off work...so if anyone comes down we can still get some bbq and some beer and do some riding......that wont change. give me a yell... Heritage Motorcycle Rally Website Charleston Bike Week....THE NEW RALLY Charleston Biker Bash........it will happen again just not centralized. Edited March 26, 2007 by Brock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micmac Posted March 26, 2007 Author Share Posted March 26, 2007 It sounded like a good gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 it was getting there....best part was there was plenty of places to ride and it was getting accepted locally..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 This is why I try to avoid the large gatherings. Too many people that don't deserve oxygen that think a beer is muscle. Fuck 'em all. I hate fuckin' crowds.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Sooo wait a minute.... beer doesn't make ya tuff.... fuck.... it was all I had... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalper38 Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 This is why I try to avoid the large gatherings.Too many people that don't deserve oxygen that think a beer is muscle. Fuck 'em all. I hate fuckin' crowds.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefin Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Sooo wait a minute.... beer doesn't make ya tuff.... fuck.... it was all I had... Next thing the will be tellin us is Tequila WILL NOT make you 10' tall & bullet proof ! I think someone is Bull Shitten us!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charger Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Next thing the will be tellin us is Tequila WILL NOT make you 10' tall & bullet proof !I think someone is Bull Shitten us!!!! makes my dick hard........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 makes my dick hard........ 1. Way more info than we needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCH Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Before the inaugural rally, the city of Charleston passed an ordinance barring motorcycle riders from revving their engines. Sounds like the dipshit city didn't really want them there anyway. Fuck 'em... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Heritage Bike Rally canceled Lynyrd Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker Band were in. Tens of thousands of bikers were coming. But the fifth-annual Heritage Motorcycle Rally in Ladson was canceled this week, because it couldn't line up any insurance executives to join in the festivities. Underwriters declined to cover the 10 days of concerts, bike-building competitions and riding shows scheduled for April 13 to 22, according to organizer David Harvey. "This is not the bridge run, this is not the tennis competition, this is not the Summerville Flowertown Festival," Harvey said. "It doesn't matter if these people make $150,000 a year. What mattered is that there are people in the motorcycle community that don't know how to act." Rally organizers made the decision to cancel the event Tuesday and started notifying local businesses Wednesday. Those who already bought tickets, including $100 10-day passes, will receive refunds. The Ladson event is required to carry $1 million in general liability and $5 million to cover alcohol-related damage, Harvey said. In the first four years that the event was held, the rally's insurance costs skyrocketed from $26,000 to $87,000, he said. Last year, the opening day kickoff was delayed because organizers did not secure a policy until late afternoon. An assault at the 2006 rally and a subsequent lawsuit scared off already skittish insurers. Harvey also said rifts are spreading between Lowcountry biking clubs and motorcycle-related businesses. "I'm here trying to do a family event and make it safe. And I don't have a warm, fuzzy feeling anymore," he said. "If I believed for one minute that everyone around here in the motorcycle community was going to play nice, we wouldn't have canceled this show." The cancellation is a major blow for nearby businesses and vendors who paid between $650 to $4,000 to sell food and merchandise at the rally. "It's definitely not good for us," said April Aminee, a bartender at Thee Deck Pub & Grill in Ladson. "We were slammed last year. We got a really, really big crowd." From the start, the event drew scrutiny from law enforcement. Before the inaugural rally, the city of Charleston passed an ordinance barring motorcycle riders from revving their engines. But the annual gathering gained traction with bikers. Some 74,000 people came through the gates last year for the rally and to see headline acts, including Kid Rock. Organizers expected to pull in more than 150,000 people to Exchange Park Fairgrounds next month with a bill that included Lynyrd Skynyrd, Smashmouth and REO Speedwagon. Now, they are bracing for the possibility of lawsuits, not crowds. Rally investors have already spent $421,000 and owe an additional $181,000. Ticketholders will be paid back first and vendors will be at the bottom of the list. Bands who agreed to play at the rally but did not collect a deposit will be out of luck, Harvey said. Harvey, who owns a roofing company and the Kick'n Horse Saloon in Awendaw, said the event has never been a financial success. It lost about $300,000 in each of its first two years, and its backers finished $800,000 in the hole last year, when rainstorms coincided with some of the marquee performances. Clear Channel Communications, which had exclusive rights to promote the Heritage rally through its local radio stations, has been giving away tickets and devoting a lot of airtime to the event. Local executives for the Texas-based company could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Harvey said that the rally's backers had planned to spend $2.8 million but could not responsibly commit more funds without insurance coverage. "It is about when is enough enough," Harvey said. "I think I've made the best decision I can make." Economic impact The cancellation of the Heritage Motorcycle Rally means the loss of admission revenue and on-site retail sales, as well as the taxes from those revenue sources. Some of the thousands of attendees would have forked over $100 for a 10-day pass. Daily tickets were priced from $5-$40. The ripple effect will likely be felt by area hotels, restaurants, retailers and tourist attractions. I just heard that Lynyrd Skynyrd was killed in a plane crash so the rally was cancelled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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