The biggest bike show
The event billed as "the biggest bike show Myrtle Beach has ever seen'' attracted at least 4,000 people to the back lot of Barefoot Landing on Friday.
The Rat's Hole kicked off its first bike show in Myrtle Beach on Friday with 130 bikes and 13 biker-buildoff entries, a turnout that organizers called a huge success. Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson employees coordinated the Rat's Hole Bike Show in the back parking lot of Barefoot Landing - a risky move considering the area hold no other vendors.
"If it works we can start to use the back lot in future rallies,'' said dealership Marketing Director Mike Shank when he arrived at 7 a.m. to oversee the preparations.
Click on the link below to read more about the show and see 21 more photos.
Barefoot Landing has 70 vendors this year -- a number that could increase in 2007 if the back lot is used.
Darlene Huffman of Hickory, N.C., entered her firefighter-themed custom Harley-Davidson in the Rat's Hole Bike Show. A firefighter herself, Huffman said the $50,000 investment was worth the reaction from the crowd, which praised the Sept. 11, 2001, tribute and the firehose nozzles on the pipes.
"They always ooh and ahh,'' Huffman said. "Everybody loves it.''
Huffman started on the bike in 2002 and recently won a People's Choice Award at a motorcycle show in Charleston.
"It took a lot of work,'' she said. "It takes a lot of money too.''
Zippo set up a display at the show, and attendees voted for their favorite bikes.
Rat's Hole owner Ted Smith said the event is named after his father, Karl Smith, who was known as Big Daddy Rat.
The show's prestige comes from its judging, he said. The Rat's Hole shows have been around for 35 years and draw an average of 10,000 people.
"It's very presigious to get a trophy from us because we don't use any local judges,'' Smith said. "We fly all our judges in.''
Smith said he'll definitely bring the event back to Myrtle Beach because people have been very welcoming.
"This bike week needed a show like ours,'' he said. "And we can easily make this show bigger.''
For results, go to www.ratshole.com.
Posted by: robePraitiame | November 14, 2007 at 12:47 PM
Super show bravo superbes machine et jolie filles vive les USA Amitiés André
Posted by: Bouchaud | December 23, 2007 at 09:15 AM