Freelance Star

Hog heaven: Harley owners gather here WANT TO GO?

About 1,440 people are registered for Virginia Harley-Davidson rally. 
 
Fredericksburg-area residents should expect to see a bunch of Harley-Davidson motorcycles around town the next few days.

The Harley-Davidson Owners Group is holding its 18th-annual Virginia rally here starting today and continuing through Saturday. The Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center will be "rally central," said Rally Coordinator Dick Becker.

About 1,440 people pre-registered for the three-day rally, which includes a variety of events at the Expo Center and around the area. Another several hundred people are expected to register in person, Becker said.

Becker guesses that attendees will arrive on between 900 and 1,100 Harley motorcycles. They'll be coming from all over Virginia, with about 70 from outside the state.

Registration starts this morning, and the rally ends Saturday night. A band will play at the Expo Center each of the next three nights. Harley dealers will set up vending booths, and the Expo Center will cater food and beverages. Harley-related contests and classes will be in the parking lot.

Only registered attendees will be allowed into the area around the Expo Center, but there will be vendors for the public along Carl D. Silver Parkway outside the gates. Spectators can view the outdoor events from there. Becker said many of the spectator-friendly biking events will be Saturday.

Not all the action will be at the Expo Center. Becker said Fredericksburg was chosen for the rally partly for its proximity to a number of sites--including Washington, Richmond, Civil War battlefields, Colonial Beach, Skyline Drive and more.

There will be a "poker run" event at Harley dealerships in the area as well as in downtown Fredericksburg each day. Becker said eight downtown businesses are participating in the poker run. People go into the business, get a card and try to make the best poker hand.

The poker run in downtown Fredericksburg will be on foot, said Victoria Matthews, who works in Fredericksburg's Department of Economic Development and Tourism and has helped coordinate the rally.

"It won't be a Sturgis or anything," Matthews said, referring to the annual motorcycle rally in South Dakota that draws hundreds of thousands of people.

Bikers leaving from the Expo Center and coming downtown are being told to take Fall Hill Avenue to U.S. 1 to Princess Anne Street, Matthews said. Parking will be at the executive suite lot on Sophia Street behind the city's parking garage. The poker runs aren't at one set time, so groups will ride into the city sporadically.

"Hopefully they eat a lot and spend some money," Matthews said.

Matthews noted that most Harley owners coming for the rally are middle-age people who make an average of $80,000 a year. Becker said it'll be a "family-oriented rally."

The three hotels adjacent to the Expo Center are mostly booked up through Saturday nights, said Matt Addis, assistant general manager for the Homewood Suites by Hilton. Early birds started arriving Monday. Rally participants have already booked nearly 900 room nights, Becker said.

Becker said last year's rally in Williamsburg generated about $2.1 million in local economic impact, and about $100,000 in tax revenue. Although estimated attendance is expected to be about 20 percent lower this year due in part to the economic slowdown and higher gas prices, this year's rally should also generate solid tax revenue for the city.

Fredericksburg paid the Expo Center $6,800 from an "opportunity fund" that City Council approved. Despite that, Expo Center owner Tom Ballantine doesn't expect the event to be a big money-maker for his facility. He said the Harley Owners Group is paying about $13,000 to rent the Expo Center all week; that's typically the rate for one day.

Ballantine said he's depending on food and beverage sales to make a profit. He said the city will take in more money than he will.

"We did this as a good-faith gesture to the city," said Ballantine, who has requested $900,000 in city aid over three years to help him compete with publicly financed convention centers. That request is now tabled.

The Expo Center property is included in a tax district that will generate tax rebates for the proposed Kalahari Resorts project. Kalahari plans to buy land directly adjacent to the Expo property, and the center is expected to be connected to Kalahari when it is built.

Ballantine noted that the Harley event does provide good exposure for the Expo Center, and he could see himself bidding for the rally again in a few years if things go well this year. The rally typically moves around to a different spot in Virginia every year.

The Harley-Davidson Owners Group is an international membership-based organization that promotes the Harley brand. It holds rallies all over the world, including state rallies throughout the U.S.

Becker said the rallies are an opportunity for Harley owners to meet new friends and see old ones, view the latest products and see different parts of the state.

--Staff reporter Emily Battle contributed to this report.

Bill Freehling

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