Laconia Bike Rally

Laconia Motorcycle Rally The greed machine has taken over Weirs Beach motorcycle rally as greed usually does over time if not put into check. First there isn’t enough room for the amount of people who show and who would like to show up but can’t afford to any more. Most people use to enjoy the rally for years for a varity of reasons, some because it is one of the oldest rallies in the United States some simply because they have been going for many years and feel obligated to go at least for a day trip. Let me get to the point real quick. This view is done by me, working class hero average pay with 4 kids I can barley afford, sound familiar then you’re in my boat and help me row. I started going back in the late 80’s and I would stay at the race track in Loudon NH. We never went near the Wiers Beach area for their was no reason to leave the track. There was plenty of excitement by anybody standards even for me in my early 20’s with no issues on getting by on 3 hours sleep. The track is and was privet property and the local and State Police were not invited to the track party, which meant they stayed outside the gates of the track by the dozen. If you left the track with even a hint of alcohol on your breath you were busted for stupity. In the 80’s drinking and driven was not as shamed on then as it is now, they busted you because you apparently wanted it. Moon shine was popular and handed around for all to drink. I took several guzzles one year and didn’t wake until evening and had to ask the first passerby what day it was. I only left the track in the morning to get more beer and food and had no reason to leave after that. When I say dozens of Cops outside the gate I am not exaggerating that’s a real number and they stayed their night and day for the entire weekend. At that time the rally was only a weekend thing. The family section at the track had a 12 foot fence complete with barb wire around the top to kept the infamous out, that meant we could only droll at the hot rod moms. Bomb fires were large and one that I stayed near was there year after year. It was approximately 25 feet high with gas shocks installed at varied levels of the pile. As the gas shocks heated up they would release its contents and a steam of fire would shoot across the sky. I Last year I was at the track for NASCAR and found the same spot that I use to camp at, it was still there and not bull dozed down. Near animal hill, at a corner of the path, leading away from the track. Animal hill was for veterans and the wildest of the crowd. Many metric motorcycles were stolen and burned on animal hill. At that time there was a violent rivalry between Harley and every metric bike manufacture. This is not true today; both crowds are now recognized as bike riders and no separation by choice of bike. Hay this is why I love the rally and continue to go today but I will like to voice my opinion on the greed machine. The motorcycle race is the reason for the Rally in case you don’t know that. The race is worth checking out. Saturday has old bikes then its race time on Sunday for the race machines. Like I said I had no reason to leave the track with all this and more going on. Even at a young and ambitious age I was completely entertained by the spectators, women and bikes. Bikes, booze and broads was one of the many sayings of the time and I was living it. Back to what I was writing about. The going rate for a vendor, 12x15 spot of land is $1200 cash. Folks, that’s $200 per day to break even. You can’t make any money at the rally as a vendor so don’t show up hoping to cash in and pay your rent for months to come, it aint going to happen. Many vendors will confirm this. That’s spending 14 to 16 hours per day pedaling goods or food. Some do make money but it is not the norm. It will take you 5 days to break even, 2 days for profit without employees. Is it worth it? F@#^ no. Most businesses show up simply to promote their product or services with no intention to profit because of the cost of going to the rally. With this it still isn’t worth it; why? Because it rains 3 to 4 days every year since the beginning of the rally. This scars off most riders. Have you ever ridden in the rain, if not, I will tell you that it sucks. You can confer, this by looking up the data on rain during this time of year in this part of New Hampshire, I don’t have to look it up because I know it is 3 times per week minimum. It must have to do with the time of year in which it rains a lot in this part of the country. If you’re a working class hero like myself and have children and like to attend the rally for mental heath, forget it. It cost $20 to park your car (to bring your kids). A sausage cost $8 cash times how many kids you got. Most kids don’t understand the cash thing so they are ready and willing to buy products and food at any price. Me I have 4 kids so it was times 4. Folk’s this adds up in short order. The last thing I liked saying to my kids is that they can’t have it because I knew they didn’t understand cash flow. Currently my kids have entered the teenage years and have begun to have a full blown understanding of negative cash flow. It sucks. I can now talk to them about needing to save money and then spend, before this concept was not understood. What I am getting at is if you are a working class person and have kids, stay away from the rally unless you have been saving all year for it. You won’t be able spend what you want and your kids will hate you for the next month. If I was in charge of the whole thing first thing I would do is change the date in which the rally is held. Second thing I would do is change the location. The Carroll County area is perfict for the rally, why? There is more room. The people would gladly love the rally being there because it means jobs for the area. The more room means less rent for vendor which will equal more vendors. The more room means less money to spend on housing. Camping becomes real cheap and affordable. I remember me and my kids going camping and they loved every minute, I mean every minute. When I lived in Ossipee, NH we would go camping down the street at a local State camp ground just to get out of the house for the week end and, man did they have a blast. Dirt cheap entertainment. Camping is just more affordable for the working class family. We have been priced out of the Laconia Rally, period. The date in which it needs to be held needs to be changed to avoid the rain fall. That’s all I am going to say on the rain because anybody that attends the Rally knows what I am talking about. It rains every year………….