|
|
 |
|||||||
|
Will the ‘Horse’
ride again? Local businesses, out-of-state vendors
are betting their bottom mufflers that the annual motorcyle crowd will
return U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R.-Colo., founded the Iron Horse Rally 10 years ago as a way to interest riders in the region’s great motorcycle riding. Over time it has attracted as many as 25,000 participants. However, greater participation also has meant greater liability; six traffic deaths marred 2000’s rally and made the event’s future questionable. But rally organizers persevered, and Ignacio and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe hosted the Iron Horse again last year. However, the merits of the perennial “Best Chest” wet T-shirt contest, biker bull riding and regional riding were outweighed by an additional three deaths last year. On top of that, the tribe decided to increase the rate it charged for use of its events grounds from $40,000 with a $20,000 deposit to $150,000 and two $20,000 deposits. This higher price sent rally organizersscrambling for another location and, specifically, a permanent home for the beleaguered rally. However, an attempted land purchase north of Ignacio failed to materialize because of opposition from potential neighbors, and requests before the city of Durango and Durango Mountain Resort fell short for the same reason. Throughout negotiations, the eruption between rival gangs and resulting murders in Laughlin, Nev., weighed heavily on residents’ minds. Eventually, the rally board pulled its last pending request from the town of Silverton in mid-July, citing a lack of time to organize a quality event. However, it may take more than the
lack of an official event to squash the Iron “The folks are coming,”
says Bruce Moss, owner of Gateway Durango Moss’ company serves as the Durango Area Chamber Resort Association’s booking agent and manages a majority of lodging properties in Durango. He readily admits that he’s expecting a “full house” for Labor Day weekend. Fort Lewis College will be conducting orientation during the same weekend, and Moss says students and their parents are struggling to find lodging. “I’d say the majority of reservations are bikers,” he says. “It’s been tight ever since last year’s rally. We haven’t seen a multitude of cancellations.” Hearing the buzz A number of vendors also are hedging
their bets on an unofficial rally taking “I heard from quite a few people
at Sturgis that they were still coming to Bob Able, owner of Denver-based Frontier Leathers, will be setting up shop next door to American Eagle Leatherworks. Like Bovee, Able says he’s heard the buzz about Durango at Sturgis and other rallies. He’s also heard word from the 620 retailers he works with that the riders will be rolling back into Durango for Labor Day. “We’re hearing that there’s so many people still going even though there’s no event,” he says. “We decided to take a chance and put our tent back up at Albertsons.” Able admits that lately there has been
some bad press about Durango within the motorcycle world. Specifically,
he mentions an article in Southwest Scooter News encouraging riders
to spend their collective millions where they are appreciated. However,
Frontier Leather is still coming, and Able is sure his company will
be doing business. “The fact is, that’s a beautiful area,
and it’s a great place to ride
|
|
||||||||
|
 |
||||||||
|
|||||||||
The
sound of Harley Davidsons is expected to soon fill the Durango air,
soothing the anxious ears of local business people and putting local
police officers on guard. A number of early indicators are pointing
toward a Labor Day Weekend similar to last year’s, official Four
Corners Iron Horse Rally or not.