|
 Stepping
in to step it up
While Southwest Scooter News
perceives a local climate that is nfriendly to motorcycles, numerous
local agencies and businesses are recoiling from drops in summer tourism
and say they are doing their best to provide visiting riders with a
good time.
“A lot of the business community is
stepping into the vacuum that was created when municipal and civic uthorities
let this event collapse under its own weight,” says Jeff Murray,
one of the owners of the recently opened Durango Harley Davidson.
Gateway Durango Reservations’ Moss concurs, “The community’s
been working really hard to see what we can do to put some activities
together.”
The Durango Area Chamber Resort Association has compiled a list of weekend
activities for motorcyclists, billing the weekend as “Ride Durango
Labor Day 2002.” Events include “open rides” to locales
ranging from Silverton and Mesa Verde to Chama, N.M.; a performance
by the Hardly Angels female motorcycle drill team and live music in
the evenings. The weekend also will feature the final installment of
the free Cascade Concert Series, Durango Mountain Resort’s Wildflower
Festival and the Harley Davidson Traveling Museum, among other things.
There’s hope that Durango can provide visiting riders with enough
activities to hold their attention.
“I hope with all these folks coming in we’re able to keep
them occupied so we don’t have any problems,” says Moss.
‘Disturbances are going to occur’
That sentiment is shared by members of the Durango Police Department.
Captain Dale Smith said that though there is still uncertainty about
Labor Day Weekend, the epartment is taking the exact same precautions
it took last year.
“We’re going to do what we’ve done in the past,”
he says. “We’re going to have extra officers on duty and
beef up in the evenings.”
He adds matter-of-factly, “Disturbances are going to occur.”
Smith says that while drinking and driving, and reckless behavior are
major concerns, the likely presence of motorcycle gangs tops the list.
“Gangs are always a concern for law enforcement agencies,”
he says. “We’ve
seen several gangs at this event in the past, and we’re anticipating
that we’ll see
a few of the motorcycle gangs this year.”
However, Smith is optimistic
for Labor Day Weekend. “We would hope if anyone comes here, they’d
be on their best behavior,” he says.
Able, of Frontier Leathers,
says Durango should not be concerned about the gang factor. He also
notes that people generally do not attend these gatherings for organized,
official events.
“A lot of the guys don’t
need events,” he says. “There are so many great places to
go from there, and a lot of us are just coming to ride.”
Whether “a lot” of
people will show up to ride remains to be seen. However, one thing’s
for certain. With Fort Lewis College’s orientation and a probable
unofficial motorcycle rally happening, it promises to be a busy and
businessfriendly
Labor Day Weekend.
Whether our visitors are twisting
the throttles on Sportsters or stepping on the pedal in Sport Utes will
be determined Aug. 30.
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