Wharf Rat Rally hitting Digby
Organizers rallying for biggest and best Wharf Rat Rally yet
This year’s Wharf Rat Rally will not only be really rad, but it will also be an educational experience for all kinds of bikers.
To offer something a little different, seminars have been added to the event schedule, which is already full of the standard stunts and speedsters.
Executive director Laura Simmons said this is because the rest of the rally is so rock solid they now have room to diversify.
“Everything else is easy to plan because we’ve gotten so good at it, so now we’re taking time to see what else will take off,” she said.
THE EVENT MENU
Tips, tricks and advice for tinkering will be on the seminars’ schedule, which can be found on the Wharf Rat Rally’s website.
Topics will include how to pick up your bike without hurting your back, basic bike detailing, advice on renting motorcycles abroad and a panel discussion on ladiesonly rallies (this last one will happen Saturday at 1:30 p.m. inside Heritage Hall).
“We’ve got so many exciting and action-packed events. This offers people something quite dif- ferent,” said Simmons.
RETURNING RALLY REGULARS
There are also many of the regular and popular events on the schedule, including stunting events, bike celebrities like the well-known and well-loved Bean’re, and the famous 50/50 draw, which reached $53,664 last year.
This year, an electronic ticketing system has been introduced, which will only require ticket buyers’ information to be entered once, no matter how many tickets they buy.
It will save time and paper, printing one master ticket with all of the numbers, but still separate ballots so each can be entered in the picking pool.
“We’re really excited about this and think it’ll mean even more 50/50 entries than in past years,” said Simmons. “We’re aiming for a $70,000 pot this year.”
CAPTURING THE MEMORIES
Another new feature will be two step ladders, set up on either end of downtown, manned and run by the Conway Workshop. They are being set up to give people a bird’s eye view of the rally and also for people to take photos – selfies or otherwise – from the striking angle.
The cost of entry is $5, with all proceeds going directly to the workshop.
“Both ladders are different heights. The smaller one may work better for those who don’t enjoy heights,” said Simmons.
A new event is on deck at the Builders’ Square, cordoned off underneath the large metal Wharf Rat sign only just used at Digby’s tall ships event.
The event will be the Show and Shine People’s Choice Award, where people can vote for their favourite custom bikes within the square. Voting will take place Saturday afternoon and results announced Sunday.