It is so on! The hundreds-of-thousands of leather-clad bikers are saying regarding the 2020 Sturgis Bike rally that is still expected to proceed this August in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Could the current coronavirus outbreak put a damper on the party? We don’t think a virus is going to hold a few bikers back. AMERiders has the story.
For ten days every August, the sleepy little town of Sturgis, South Dakota, roars to life with the rumble of exhaust as the entire region is inundated with hundreds-of-thousands of leather-clad bikers. This year the (80th) 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is scheduled for August 7 through August 16, Amidst COVID-19.
Director of the rally and events, Jerry Cole, expects that this year’s rally will proceed as usual. Cole says that while things are still uncertain, the rally is still almost five months out and he’s optimistic that things will get better before then. With that in mind, he and his staff are still planning for the event as they always have. He’s not ignoring the threat, however. Cole and his team are staying up to date with regards to the virus and are in contact with the state health authority and the governor’s office.
“We’re hoping that things will get under control, and we will go from there. If things change, we will let people know,” Says Cole.
“We’re 100 % on planning the rally,” said Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen at a news briefing at Sturgis’ City Hall on March 25th. He went on to say that with the rally five months away, he hopes that the virus will have run much of its course by then. The city council has said it would make an official decision in mid-June on whether to go forward with hosting the event.
That’s good news, considering that this year is the 80th Sturgis Rally so it promises to be bigger than usual as banner years usually are. People travel from all over the world to participate in the wild party that is Sturgis.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was founded by the Jackpine Gypsies motorcycle club in 1938, and has been held every year except for when it was put on hiatus for a couple of years during World War Two. While for years, it was exclusive to American made bikes like Harleys and Indians, these days, all bikes are welcome.
In April the Sturgis Rally posted the City of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Consideration Protocols which shows just how much the city relies on the rally.
The legendary Buffalo Chip has already booked big name acts like Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, and the very last show for classic rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Meanwhile, the Iron Horse Saloon offers nightly free concerts featuring bands such as Skillet, Fozzy, and Killswitch Engage. While the Full Throttle Saloon hasn’t named much more than Jackyl, you can expect them to have some amazing acts as well. Considering that it’s only March, you can count on more bands being announced between now and August.
~And as always…
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
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Let AMERiders keep you up to date with information on the 2020 Sturgis Bike Rally.
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