Motorcycle rally swamps Island
GALVESTON - Motorcycles clogged downtown Galveston on Friday, jammed parking spaces at nearly every restaurant on the Seawall and were parked two and three deep for blocks near the Pleasure Pier.
The horde of bikers that seemed to have taken over the island were among the 400,000 motorcycle enthusiasts expected to descend on the island for the 13th Lone Star Rally, which has grown to be one of the largest gatherings of motorcyclists in the nation.
"It is just astounding," said Ivette Wilhelm, spokeswoman for the Galveston Island Convention Center and Visitors Bureau. "I know that we see our hotels are booked solid."
The crowds may cause traffic congestion and extra noise for Galveston's 50,000 residents, but the revelers also bolster the local economy. Hotels are seeing a surge in occupancy. One restaurant reported revenue up 30 percent over last year.
Rob Nies, 49, of Bay City said he and his friends rented a house for the rally.
"I just like to see all the different bikes and all the different people," Nies said. "It doesn't matter what color or race, people can get together and have a good time."
The city closed the westbound lane of Seawall Boulevard from 19th Street to the Pleasure Pier at 25th Street to make way for vendors and their huge trucks, selling everything from motorcycle parts to legal services. A live band pumped out hard rock music as motorcycle fans strolled among the concessions, most with a beer in hand.
Downtown, the city restricted the Strand, the main street through the historical district, to motorcycles only. Parked motorcycles lined the median on 25th Street near the entrance to the strand and seemed to be stuffed into nearly every available parking place.
The festival includes daily car and bike shows, poker runs and a scavenger hunt, custom-bike makers, a cycle-centered marketplace and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial "Moving Wall."
Among the thousands of motorcyclists roaring through Galveston streets was Sam Simien, 49, from Lake Charles, La. Simien and his wife, Nicole, hop on his 2011 luxury Harley Street Glider and cruise to Galveston every year for the Lone Star Rally. "I just like watching the bikes," Simien said.
Money to burn
Most bikers are between 30 and 65, said Lone Star Rally spokeswoman Sharon Damante, an age when they have settled into a job that allows them to afford a motorcycle. That means most bikers have money to spend in Galveston on hotels and restaurants. Simien and his wife are staying at a bed and breakfast.
The rally also is a boon for tourism-related businesses like The Spot, a restaurant on Seawall Boulevard that on Friday appeared to be hemmed by a wall of parked motorcycles. "Lone Star Rally is our highest revenue generating weekend of the year," said Spot owner Dennis Byrd. "This year, revenue is up 30 percent year over year."
Convention Center figures show that hotel occupancy for the Lone Star Rally in 2013 were up 48 percent compared to normal weekends, a needed economic boost during the off-tourism season.
Some dissenters
The roar of motorcycles, blaring music and flowing alcohol isn't welcomed by everyone.
"We will chose to be elsewhere next year," said Susan Syler, 65, who was helping her husband, Tom Hall, 68, restore a 1907 late Victorian home about two blocks from a Lone Star Rally venue on the seawall. "All the noise up and down the street, it just disturbs the neighborhood," Hall said.
Some 'hunker down'
The influx of so many people onto the island causes many locals to stay at home and wait out traffic jams and noise, said Matthew Hodge, 27, of Galveston.
"Everybody is drinking," Hodge said about the rally fans. "I think a lot of people do hunker down."
Even locals unhappy about the traffic and noise welcome the boost to the economy. "We don't begrudge Galveston biker weekend at all," Syler said.
The city has put more officers on the street for revelers who may get out of hand, said city spokeswoman Elizabeth Rogers.
"You always have a few people who like to write the rules but the police are prepared," Rogers said. "But for the most part it's a really happy event for Galveston."
