‘Bigger, Better, and Little Bit Louder’: Bike Fest arrives
With a theme of “Bigger, Better, and Little Bit Louder,” roughly 10,000-12,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Bike Fest, which kicked off Thursday in the Bridge Street Entertainment District downtown.
Focused on the “great American biker,” the three-day event features demo rides, stunt shows, Dyno Drag racing, live music, vendors, an antique motorcycle and car show, and a loudest pipes contest.
Hosted by the Arkansas Veteran Support Services, all proceeds benefit veterans in the central Arkansas community, providing homes and programs for at-risk veterans and their families.
“When the old rally left and didn’t come back, we thought this would be a great idea for a fundraiser,” Wendell Roberts, AVSS executive director, said.
“We already had the 501(c) (3) nonprofit, the Arkansas Veteran Support Services, and we were looking for a really good fundraiser, but also get ourselves out in the community to get some more awareness of veteran needs — in our local community, and expanding into central Arkansas.
“We thought this would be a fantastic way, one, to bring the rally back; two, fundraise; three, raise awareness; and four, just have a really good time and invite people to come down and enjoy the rally,” he said.
Bike Fest picked up where the Hot Springs Motorcycle Rally left off in 2021, when it held its first event in September. Last year, it changed the date to June so that it would not be competing against so many other activities like county fairs, SEC football, and other motorcycle rallies. Roberts said it is not only a free biker event, but a full community event, as well.
Amy Roberts, assistant AVSS director, said they shared the event with Bridge Street Live on Thursday.
“They kind of kick it off,” she said. “We have this area down here by Regions (Bank), and Hill Wheatley Plaza has the Ives Brothers’ Wall of Death and Ball of Steel. We have a Dyno Drag racing truck where motorcycles can pull up and race each other in a truck.”
Dyno Drag racing is a type of stationary drag racing in which contestants run their motorcycles safely in place to create
realistic race scenarios. After the motorcycle and rider are loaded, the bike’s front wheels are locked in place, the rear is strapped down for balance, and a dual motorcycle dynamometer gauges each cycle’s output and speed. Air blowers help keep the engines cool.
Today and Saturday, Rock City Harley-Davidson of Little Rock will offer demo rides from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Gregory Polaris Indian Motorcycle of Little Rock will offer them from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Owner Rob Gregory said his team has been coming to Hot Springs since 2013 when the Hot Springs Motorcycle Rally was held.
Along with a full product line, the dealership has a corporate team truck on-site for demos, which offers bikers the opportunity to test drive a bike before purchasing it — on the spot, if they so choose.
“It’s amazing,” he said of the Spa City backdrop. “Because all the roads leading in and out of Hot Springs are superb. I mean, they are just the roads to ride.”
Also today, the Veterans of Foreign Wars is hosting a guided ride to Petit Jean State Park, while the Ives Brothers stunt riders perform three shows each of the Wall of Death and Globe of Steel at Hill Wheatley Plaza. They will also perform on Saturday. Following the free Loudest Pipes Contest in front of the stage, the Black Heart Saints, a band from Austin, Texas, will perform at 7 p.m., as Hardwired To Kill ‘Em All — Houston’s Metallica Tribute plays at 9 p.m.
On Saturday, a $1,000-firstplace-prize poker run will start with first bike out at 9 a.m. and last bike in by 4 p.m. at Crystal Ridge Distillery. The Veterans Car Show will be held at the Hot Springs Airport from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., while Antique Motorcycles of America will be on Broadway Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Along with street vendors and beer tents throughout the day, the Bike Parade will start at 6 p.m. with the poker run winner announcement at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., Poison I.V. will perform followed by The CRUE Tribute Houston at 10 p.m.
“Makeup, wigs, and all. And honestly, you wouldn’t know the difference between the original Motley Crue and these guys. They’re amazing. And they draw a crowd, man, they have a big following,” Amy Roberts said.
The Christian Motorcycle Association will hold a service Sunday morning on the stage.
Wendell Roberts said he expects up to 12,000 people to come through over the weekend, which is a win for the community.
“That helps the city of Hot Springs,” he said. “You know, the revenue with all the hotels and restaurants and things like that, and so it’s a win-win for everybody — the city, our nonprofit, this community, all the vendors, the Indian dealerships, the Harley dealership. I mean, we really feel like we’ve tried to make it a well-rounded event for everybody.”