Rally adds choo-choo to motorcycle rumble
Posted on Tuesday, August 12, 2008
People attending Bikes, Blues & BBQ this year will be charged for transportation between venues for the first time in the rally's history.
The price of gas and the overall expense of running an event of the rally's size contributed to the decision to charge for transportation, said Nelson Driver, chairman of the rally's board.
"It's not something we wanted to do," he said. "The more money we save, the more money we can give to charities at the end of the year."
The price addition does come with a new option. Aside from the typical shuttle buses running through Fayetteville, the rally goers also will have the option of riding the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad between the Randal Tyson Indoor Track Center in south Fayetteville and Dickson Street in downtown.
Driver said people can purchase a $ 10 armband that will give them access to rally transportation for the entire week, including the shuttle buses that run to and from the track center, and the train, which only runs the Friday and Saturday of the event.
"If you're wearing that armband, you can ride as much as you want," he said.
Driver said the board was excited to have the train for two days. It will be called the Bikes, Blues & BBQ Blues Train and will be able to carry 240 people per trip, which is more than the capacity of 14 buses.
"It'll be a great crowd attraction," Driver said.
He said the expense of the train contributed to the need to charge for transportation.
The board plans to build a platform for people boarding and un-boarding the train in south Fayetteville.
Driver said he thinks the train will make conditions a lot easier for bikers looking for a safe place to park their motorcycles instead of having to drive around Dickson Street for hours looking for a spot.
Brenda Brown, a spokesman for the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, said the train shuttle will start at about noon Friday and run until about 1 a.m. Saturday, then will reopen at 11 a.m. Saturday and run until 2 a.m. Sunday. The normal passenger train that runs from Springdale to Van Buren will not run on Saturday during the bike rally, she said.
The railroad often works out private charters with various organizations, Brown said, so the arrangement with Bikes, Blues & BBQ is not unusual.
The ninth annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ will take place Sept. 24-27. The festival last year attracted about 350, 000 people and raised more than $ 100, 000 for local charities.
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