(Updated: 7:45pm)
For nearly 70 years, the Carolina Harley Davidson dealers have hosted a motorcycle rally in Myrtle Beach in the month of May. This year, the rally is moving to North Carolina.
The Carolina Harley Dealers will hold their spring bike rally in New Bern, North Carolina this year.
The move comes after the city of Myrtle Beach passed 15 new laws restricting bikers from helmet requirements to noise limits on mufflers.
The leader of an anti-bike rally group called "Take Back May" said he still expects bikers to show up on the Grand Strand in May.
"I think that there will be a reduced stress on the community as a result of this. I think there will be fewer people coming to the rallies," said Tom Rice.
Dealers association president, Mark Cox put out a statement saying the new rally location will allow the dealers to "Offer our new and existing customers a rally experience they will appreciate without restrictions."
Though he did not point out that North Carolina has a helmet requirement for motorcyclists.
Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes says the move reflects that the dealers didn't really want the longer drawn-out event the rally had evolved into over the years.
Will there still be a May Harley Rally on the Grand Strand? Rhodes said not within the city limits of Myrtle Beach.
"What happens outside the city of Myrtle Beach and in the county, that's their business," said Rhodes.
Rhodes says having the dealers' rally leave Myrtle Beach is significant, but he wouldn't necessarily call it a victory.
"We're trying to gain back May. It's the main objective and this will be a start in us gaining back May."
Rally promoter Mike Shank called the move inconsequential. He said the dealers association is just one of 400 vendors, and it won't have much of an impact at all.
The Spring Harley Rally has attracted around 300,000 bikers to the Grand Strand each year.
This is the release sent out this morning from The Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association:
The Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association is pleased to announce that our 69th Annual Spring Rally will be held in New Bern, North Carolina on May 15 & 16. The rally site is the New Bern Fairgrounds, a 40 plus acre site located at 3700 East US 70 Highway in New Bern.
Mark Cox, President of The Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association said, “We feel it is in the best interest of The Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association and our customers to leave the Myrtle Beach rally venue. We will continue our legacy of 69 years celebrating the oldest, continuous rally by offering our Spring Beach Rally in New Bern”. Mark went on to say, “This new venue will allow us to get back to basics and offer our existing and new customers a rally experience they will appreciate without restrictions and with the ability to enjoy the freedom of riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle”.
Yes, it is good-bye Myrtle Beach! We have given this issue serious consideration and wanted to go where we would be welcomed with open arms. T.A. Bayliss, III, the mayor of New Bern, words of welcome say it best, “We are pleased and honored that you have chosen to hold your rally in our city, and we pledge our total cooperation in making your rally a most pleasurable and memorable occasion for all in attendance”.
Historic New Bern, located at the confluence of two rivers, is the second oldest town in North Carolina. One of its many features is the picturesque downtown waterfront district and New Bern is only a 30-minute motorcycle ride to the beaches. Or, if you prefer, plan a ride to the Croatan National Forest located southeast of New Bern.
For more information, you can go to The Carolina Harley-Davidson Dealers Association web site at: www.chdda.com
