Some Grand Strand businesses expecting small fall biker crowd

Aisha Khan; WBTW Reporter

This year’s fall bike rally is set to take place next week beginning September 30th through October 4th.

Some businesses in Myrtle Beach and in the south end of the strand said that the spring biker rallies were a lot smaller than normal and that they aren’t expecting a big crowd to show up this time either.

Many like Martin Mullin of Murphy’s Law and Todd Price of Suck Bang Blow attribute that to the new ordinances the city of Myrtle Beach passed eight months ago.

“I’ll be down about 90 percent for the fall rally,“ said Mullin, “they shot biker week in the foot and hurt Myrtle Beach.”

“I know it will be a diminished crowd,” said Price, “so much damage was done by what Myrtle Beach did, I mean we’ve tried to undo it some ourselves but it’s hard to go up against a machine like that.“

Mullin added that he still hasn’t been able to get rid of any of the spring rally bike t-shirts and decided he wasn’t going to stock up on any fall rally t-shirts because he lost money the first time around.

With just one week before the rally, Georgetown County Council passed its second reading on restrictions when it comes to vendor business Tuesday night.

Council member Jerry Oakley said that the ordinance would limit each business to just one vendor per property.

“What we are trying to do is strike a balance between the interest of the attendees of the bike rallies the vendors and the other businesses and the residents,” said Oakley, “and it’s all in the name of public safety, health and welfare, undo traffic congestion which is problematical, and we don’t want crowds growing to the size that they become unsafe and unmanageable.“

A third reading on the ordinance is needed before it can be enacted and the next council meeting isn’t scheduled until October 13th after the fall rally.