Rally numbers low, spirits high

The numbers are in and predictions were confirmed. Attendance was down for the 84th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. 

According to the South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT), numbers were down eight out of 10 days during the rally, slipping as low as 12.7 percent down from the five-year average on Sunday, Aug. 4. On the days numbers were up, it was up by only 1.7 percent at most. 

The total SDDOT 2024 count of vehicles entering Sturgis was 470,987 compared to the five-year average of 488,720. However, this was up compared to 2023 when 458,161 vehicles were counted entering Sturgis. 

Around Hill City there were three common predictions as to why numbers were down. One was the upcoming 85th anniversary of the rally. 

“It was that way for the 79th. It was that way for the 74th. Everybody waited for the big numbers,” said Lorena Freis, co-owner of The Farmer’s Daughter. “You just deal with who’s here. It’s all good.” 

The other common answers were the economy and the upcoming election. One retired couple shared with a business owner they had been coming to the Black Hills for the rally for 20 years. In the past, they always spent more money, but this year they were passing on T-shirts and sharing meals to cut costs. They were even considering not coming back next year because of inflation. 

Shawn Burkett, owner of HippieRockstar Boutique Wine & Beer Bar, agreed with these predictions, and said, “That’s how it goes sometimes.” 

Although business was slow, Burkett said, “We had a lot of great people that came back that were there last year and the year before, and that was good.” 

For the Hill City Senior Citizens, the Rally Breakfast started slow and then picked up as the week went on. President Dale Householder said, “We were down 20-25 percent for the first four days or so, and then it just started getting better.” 

They ended up serving between 2,000 and 2,100 breakfasts during the 10-day event, which made it an average year. 

“It’s kind of a community thing,” said Householder. “The spirit of this whole thing is not just to serve the bikers.” 

During the week the seniors were joined by volunteers from Love INC, and the Hill City Clinic offered help as well. First responders and deputies from the Pennington County Sherriff’s Office were served free breakfasts throughout the event. On the last day, 35-40 seniors came to the breakfast to take advantage of the member discount and visit with each other. 

“The high school football team came in the last day, and it was, oh my gosh, almost 20 guys. We served them a free breakfast, and they helped clean up—unbelievable. Oh man, all that heavy lifting they did. The tent came down, the grills went in, the tables and chairs—wow, they did an awesome job,” said Householder. 

All told, Householder estimates the center served 650 pounds of bacon, 575 dozen eggs, 550 pounds of pancake flour, 50 number 10 cans of gravy mix and 15 cases of frozen concentrated orange juice, which was purchased from Krull’s Market in Hill City. 

“We look forward to next year. We’re excited about the 85th. We had a good year, but I think we’ll have a better year next year,” said Householder. 

Meanwhile, over at the Country Store at Three Forks, owner Matt Stelmach said, “We had a good turnout of rally attendees and vendors. We had a steady crowd with no major incidents. Everybody had a good time, enjoyed good food, good music and got the chance to refuel on their ride through the Hills.” 

There were vendors providing rally merchandise, furs, knives, collectibles, leathers, food, beverages and even one doing pin striping on motorcycles. 

Rather than having a big rush like last year, Stelmach said there was steady traffic throughout the rally. 

“We were busy every day but not overwhelmed,” said Stelmach. “Thank you to anybody that came out to visit. We hope they had a good time.” 

Over at the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce, executive director Janet Wetovick-Bily said, “We were very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in Travel South Dakota’s Rally Rush campaign and to welcome rally attendees before, during and after the rally.

“We secured $500 from Travel South Dakota for this promotion and were able to produce a Rally Rush-branded banner, along with fliers featuring Hill City Chamber member restaurants, which we provided to 2,000 rally registrants at the Buffalo Chip, courtesy of a generous invitation that was extended to our Southern Hills chambers (Custer, Hill City, Hot Springs and Keystone). The goal was to extend the rally to and support the Southern Hills communities.” 

Chamber and Visitor Information Center team members welcomed riders and gave out maps, 605 swag, Rally Rush posters and stickers along with help planning routes. Additionally, the team offered interview support to KNBN NewsCenter1 which resulted in two stories and a photo gallery featuring Hill City. 

“Our experience is one filled with excitement and appreciation for those who come before, during and after rally to explore Hill City and our Black Hills communities. We’re grateful for those who tell us how much they enjoy being here and how welcoming Hill City is. It was another great experience this year, and we’re glad we could do our part to make it great for those who came to visit,” said Wetovick-Bily. 

For some, a soft rally is even a blessing. 

Freis said, “I ask bikers all the time, ‘So what do you think of the rally?’ and virtually every single, solitary one of them is like, ‘Wow, it’s a wonderful rally because there’s nobody here. Because we don’t have to wait for lines. We can ride the roads the way that we want to ride them. So it’s actually a lot more fun.’”

Meanwhile, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office senior deputy Jim Waldrop said, “It’s been really mellow for us, particularly downtown here.”

Primarily they dealt with a medical call, lost property and accidents. However, every day Waldrop said they got asked for directions, a donut joke, restaurant recommendations and to exchange patches. For the most part, the streets were clearing out by 9:30 p.m. 

“We just talk to a lot of people, give them directions, help them out. No problems anywhere,” said special rally deputy Cody Sunderland. “Pennington County does a good job at making sure they get very visible during things like this just to try and avoid any issues.” 

Jodie Vinzant, team leader at Wild West Pecan Company in Hill City, said you could find trouble during the rally if you went looking for it. However, all the bikers she interacted with were really friendly, and she had a great time. 

“These are just regular people that are on vacation. To me, it gives them an opportunity to sport the tattoos and put the leathers on and just let your hair down for a week,” said Vinzant. “They are really nice people and fun to be around.”