Constituents should prepare for consequences of rallies ban

In June, Myrtle Beach City Council raised taxes to fund programs meant to end the Grand Strand’s two May motorcycle rallies, the Harley-Davidson rally in Myrtle Beach and Bikefest in Atlantic Beach.

A week ago, Horry County Council moved one step closer toward restricting where vendors can be during those rallies.

Are the rallies still on for this year? It seems to depend on who you ask.

According to the Web site myrtlebeachrallies.com, which bills itself as the official source for all Myrtle Beach area bike week events for the past decade, the Myrtle Beach event is on “and planned for May 7-17 ... Due to all the publicity and anti-biker sentiment in the media we suspect that the rally for 2009 will be an even stronger rally.”

It appears many vendors are planning to participate, too. That’s why Don Perry, one of the owners of the Lakewood Camping Resort, which has hosted vendors in the past, told Horry County Council it’s unfair to change the rules so close to the rallies, according to a report in The Sun News.

Like the members of Myrtle Beach City Council, the members of Horry County Council must answer to their constituents. And most of their constituents are pushing for an end to the rallies, which have been decades-long traditions, because of the noise, increased traffic and rowdiness they bring.

Those constituents, though, should be prepared for any consequences brought by the end of the rallies.

Biker groups claim an end to the rallies would exacerbate the area’s faltering economy, which was further damaged by the failure of the Hard Rock Theme Park that closed less than a year after opening.

The rallies do have a ripple effect on the state’s economy. In fact, many bikers at least stop to refuel in the Pee Dee on their way to the beach.

The bikers’ dollars not only flow into city and county coffers and the cash registers of local businesses, but also to charitable organizations, which are seeing their donations dwindle as more and more people seek their help. For example, one charity auction during last year’s Myrtle Beach rally raised $6,054 for the American Red Cross, according to myrtlebeachrallies.com.

Biker groups also contend that anti-rally efforts are discriminatory. They could easily argue that wild spring breakers are just as, if not more, destructive to the quality of life in the Grand Strand.

Not all spring breakers get out of control on the Grand Strand, just as not all bikers meet the hell-raising stereotype. No one disputes the idea that criminals aren’t wanted in any community.

But the government bodies along the Grand Strand are making it known on behalf of the people they serve that bikers aren’t welcome. If they come for the rallies anyway, they will make the experience as unpleasant as possible and discourage them from returning in the future.

A move to ban any particular group of people from a community, however, could backfire as loudly as the motorcycles the bikers ride into town year after year.