Members of the Carolina Knight Riders said they have been promoting and hosting bike fest since 1980, and they aren't going to stop now.
Carolina Knight Rider Earl Chestnut said he and the other members of the motorcycle club are the original founders of the Memorial Weekend bike fest.
EOC BIKE WEEK REPORT
Click here to read Saturday's bike week report issued by the Horry County Emergency Operation s Center.
Chestnut said while the drag strip on Highway 90 is the home base for the motorcycle club, no matter where motorcycle riders take the bike fest, the event will always belong to them. "This year, you know you got a lot of controversy, just like last year, but more this year, you got the city of Myrtle Beach saying there's no more bike rallies, which you know, the city of Myrtle Beach never promoted, never hosted any bike rallies.
Carolina Knight Riders are the founders, it was founded on Atlantic Beach and for the city to you know advertise and promote that the rallies are over, I think it's unfair to the business owners and the Carolina Knight Riders, so that was distasteful for this year.”
Chestnut said everybody is welcome to come to the drag strip where they will find rally activities that are safe, fun, and family-friendly. He said the original intentions behind the weekend were for than just motorcycle riding and partying.
"That's the club's coming down, celebrating, networking, taking information back to their communities where they can help better there communities in different ways and also having a family event.”
Chestnut said despite what is happening in Myrtle Beach, he and other members will continue to tell motorcycle riders to come to the Grand Strand, the rally is on.
“We want these young riders as well as these spring breakers that come down that what this event is really about and not to bring the negativity and come down and break the laws and stuff that's been going on in the past, because we don't condone that, we definitely condone a positive atmosphere so that clubs and stuff can come down and network and get back to the basics of what Memorial Day weekend bike fest was really about."
Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea told News13 when it comes to statement like Chestnut’s, city leaders are not talking about stopping the rally in other towns and cities. In Myrtle Beach, Kruea said the Atlantic Beach Memorial Weekend bike fest had become a Myrtle Beach event, the city doesn't want it, and the rallies in Myrtle Beach are over. Kruea said the city welcomes bikers this week, as it did during Harley-Davidson week, if they follow the rules.
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