Rally off to a slow start

The roar of thunder rolled in for the 83rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in more ways than one this year. For with the bikers came an abundance of rain and cooler temperatures. 

Per the Hill City Climate Station records, 2022 rally temperatures ranged from 97 to 77 degrees, dropping as low as 67 the day it rained 0.4 inches. All told, there was 0.52 inches of rain during the rally. 

This year August temperatures started in the mid 80s but dropped into the 60s at the beginning of the rally. Hill City also received 0.79 inches of rain between Aug. 4 and the morning of Aug. 7.

According to Bret Mattice with the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), the vehicle count in Sturgis Friday, Aug. 4 was down 13.4 percent from the previous five year average with a total of 45,652 vehicles entering. 

Meanwhile, although the first Saturday of the rally is usually a great day for businesses, it was deemed an okay day for some and a bust for others. 

Over at the Keystone Senior Center, Jon Veltman said the Biker Breakfast went well. Around 100 people came, everyone enjoyed the food and several came back for seconds. The event raised nearly $700, which will benefit the senior center. 

Even so, Veltman said, “I think the rainy weather hurt us on Saturday. Not many bikers were out and about.”

Nevertheless, “We will plan on doing this next year again, and hopefully we can put together a two day breakfast,” said Veltman.

Although numbers seemed below average, Keystone chamber director Robin Pladson said there were loads of people in Keystone on Saturday but many stayed to get out of the rain. Visitors have been asking what to do indoors, and Pladson is providing them with a list of options. 

“We’re looking forward to nicer days and lots of people,” said Pladson.

At HippieRockStar Boutique Wine & Beer Bar, Shawn Burkett said, “The first two days, Friday and Saturday, were a bust because it was pouring rain and cold.” 

“This is probably the coldest rally I’ve seen for a long time,” said Burkett. “Now people are coming out, but so far it’s slow.” 

Burkett is hoping the rest of the week will be better. 

Numbers were indeed down on Saturday with a 37.3 percent decrease from the five year average according to the SDDOT. Only 38,126 vehicles entered Sturgis that day compared to last year’s 62,199.

More bikes came out Sunday along with the sunshine for the biggest day of the rally thus far. According to the SDDOT, 60,586 vehicles entered Sturgis that day, which is 4.4 percent up from the five year average. 

Judy Walker at Stage Stop Leather & Gifts agreed that Sunday was the best day so far. During the rally, she has met a lot of nice people from different walks of life. Along with that, Walker said, “There's always certain ones that come in every year so we get to reminisce with them.”

Walker expects to have more good days coming up. 

Over at the Red Garter Saloon in Keystone, Lisa Schaffer said, “It’s going great for us. We are the hotspot for the Southern Hills. We’ve been in business for 53 years. We have a lot of regular.” 

So even though this is the worst weather Shaffer can remember in 20 years, things are going well at the restaurant. 

For the Hill City Senior Citizen’s rally breakfast, Dale Householder said, “We’re not reaching the numbers we’d hoped for. We’re slow, but we’ve had an excellent crowd.” 

The slowness was credited to the weather, but Householder considered the event to be a success and said, “We’re all having fun.”

Community coordinator Christy Derynck added that there is still time for things to pick up before the end of the rally. 

On the vendor front, there were mixed results due to the weather. 

Stevie Cummins, owner of Jewel of the West, had a vendor booth at the Rally Rev Up taking place at the Diamond Spur Events Center. This Cummins said was a wonderful opportunity with a great setup, but unfortunately traffic was lighter due to the weather. 

“It was nice to give something like that a try. We had lighter traffic than we’d hoped due to weather, but learned a lot and hope this is a stepping stone to make next year better,” said Cummins. 

Cummins added that Maja Marsh and Alicia Edsen were wonderful to work with and in planning the event graciously did not charge anyone for booth rent. 

“They did a beautiful job of putting a fun event together. I think it will be one of those things that you build it, and people start coming,” said Cummins. 

Meanwhile, Erin Burmeister, owner of Doc & Alice Boutique, had a pop-up shop in the conference room at Addie Camp General Store starting Aug. 4. Burmeister’s business used to be located in Hill City before moving to Rapid City five years ago. 

“It’s just so fun to be back in Hill City during rally time. This is probably the part that I miss the most,” said Burmeister. “It’s been a slower rally, but we've had really great buyers that have come in.” 

Although there was less traffic due to the weather, customers came in looking for something warm and more long-sleeved items sold than normal at this time of the year. 

“If we can make it work, we might stay as a pop-up shop here through the end of August,” said Burmeister. 

In her opinion, Hill City is fabulous in the summer and gets the best bikers.

Meanwhile, executive director of the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce Janet Wetovick-Bily said the bikers who are stopping at the Visitor Information Center either to escape the rain or stretch their legs are happy to be here. 

“They love engaging with our awesome team, and we love talking with them,” she said. “We’re excited to see our Rally friends. The impact on the entire state reaches far and wide, and we’ve seen the early arrival of motorcyclists from mid July on.

“Our businesses with their welcoming hospitality are essential to our goal: To bring our visitors to Hill City, to the Black Hills, to offer them information and resources so they can enjoy themselves safely while they are here and to provide such an amazing experience that they return year after year.” 

Monday, Aug’ 7 saw a drop in vehicles once again according to the SDDOT. 50,487 vehicles entered Sturgis which is 16.9 percent down from the five year average. 

Also, as of 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug’ 8, the Department of Public Safety reported two fatal accidents. In addition, non-injury accidents are up three from last year at 21, and injury accidents are up four from last year at 26. 

However, with the promised shift in the forecast, everyone hopes the rest of rally week will be a success.