Bike Week 2023
 

Wandered over to Bike Week. Must say it’s the busiest I have seen in a decade. Traffic is as can be expected. Patience is required.

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Agree
 

I agree! I went over (by boat) yesterday afternoon and it was packed! Going back on Thursday with my bike to take part in the Freedom Ride…

Dan

Anything new besides the new date on T-Shirts?

I remember the morphing of a hated event with State Police and National Guard, I think, and overturned cars, burned boardwalk to a promotion of a money-making and safe event.

An economic epiphany.

I didn't witness the boardwalk burning, but remember the story being passed around.

The ''Riot'' was over hyped.
And I believe the City seldom makes any significant money on the event.

Laconia used to have a gap between Memorial Day and July 4th, where a tourism lull would happen.

Don't remember the year in the 60's, but I went there with a friend by boat.

The Guard was making a guy push his Harley up Tower Hill to the parking lot and I tried to help him, he whacked my hands with his club and told me to get away.

I'm not over hyping that.

The riot was probably over hyped, because it was still a hostile "invasion of Hells Angels, hide your kids", that the media fostered at the time.

Still over hyped.

Conservatives are not strong proponents of the events that occur during the event. You will remember in the movie ''Easyrider'' the two lead characters were shot in the end. During the 60s, NH was a very conservative law-abiding conform to the norm population.

The event turn-around really came in the 90s... but Laconia had to forgo the image that Rusty wanted for it to keep on this path.

That was lucky for Meredith, as they sought to become Wolfeboro on this side of the lake... and even worked well for Belmont, in that Alan began focusing more of his money in our development.

I would agree, but counter that all the privately owned businesses are making mucho dinero$.

So the Government, or private business?

Hard to tell.
Tourists are tourist... but if the event didn't exist, would there still be tourists here for the weekend/week boating and doing other things.

In the past, we would say no. After Memorial Day, most business wouldn't expect the need to be really on point until the 4th of July.

But we now see marinas busy earlier than ever.
And boating seems to last far past the historic Labor Day fall off of the past.

It was NOT overhyped!! I was there and I was terrified. We had just ridden over to Weirs to see what was going on. We arrived after the worst as the National Guard was clearing the street but we didn't realize what they were doing. We had no idea we should have gotten out and continued to sit in the car until they got to us. They surrounded the car, guns up and told us to get out. As we did, I spilled my pocketbook both in the car and on the ground and tried to pick it up. Wrong thing to do, I got hit on the butt with a bayonet. I had a black and blue across it for quite a while. They wouldn't let us get back in the car and leave but drove us like animals down the street. Fireworks were going off everywhere but we really didn't know where to go. They would not let us leave in our car. I ended up sitting in the back seat of a guy that happened to be a Mass. cop for protection until it was over. It was a long time but finally we were allowed to go back and get the car and leave. It truly did feel like a war zone. I think we got there about 10 or 11 and it was 1 or 2 before we could leave.

I appreciate Tis' first hand account. But it appears the fear was generated by the National Guard as much as anybody else. I was working that night, but one of my co-workers was at the Drive-in and said there was no noise or anything else apparent until the movie let out and they saw the Guard directing traffic. All over, all quiet. Another friend, a firefighter, said he and two others were on the roof of the Half Moon(?) putting out a fire in the restaurant kitchen exhaust fans. That was reported by the press as rioters on the roof starting fires. The press in subsequent years started referring to it as an "annual"... (pick your word). That, to me, was the over-hype.

I know, in my neighborhood, the regulars avoid bike week like the plague. So, it's a different clientele they cater to for that week but I'm sure the local businesses that buy in make plenty of money.
I have all my old biker friends up that first weekend every year and it works out well. The neighborhood is all ours and we are loud and obnoxious old men now, mostly because we are all going deaf!

I was also there that night as a dumb local teen. It was NOT over hyped.it was a riot caused by what ever causes these events to occur. In retrospect I have never been as scared as I was that nite.

Hey Dan,
What is the freedom Ride, I will be back up Wednesday night myself

was there Saturday and Sunday, lots of people, lots of money being spent, mostly the older crowds, everyone was mostly freindly and talkative to each other. I do not hang around at night as I like to get off the Bike and park it before 5pm, but very safe crowd to walk around in this year. A lot of out of Staters and for that matter a lot of out of country folks.

There is all walks of life, its great crowd watching and machine watching for sure, yes there is loud bikes and it gets to you for sure. and I sure there is unruley stuff going on later on or maybe even later afternoon, none witnessed by me the first two days, but I am sure there will be mischeif there always is with any crowd of this size from any walk of life.

Here you go! The vigil is quite moving…

https://www.northeastpowmianetwork.org/freedom-ride

Dan

just looked it up, I am going to try and fit it in

So far, I think the Bike Week crowd has been way up over previous years. Yesterday (Sunday) was off the hook as the weather was nice. Traffic in the Weirs was awful, but as whole everyone seemed to be having fun, the bars were full and everyone was in good spirits and well behaved. This weekend, if the weather holds will beyond crowded!

Glad to see the crowds in town and the $$$$ being made.

Woodsy

Governor King had just signed a law.
They were already prepared to take action with the NG.

They tried to clear the Weirs... a type of curfew.
And at the first signs of resistance went right to tear gas and riot tactics.

We no longer do that... the establishment pushback against the ''woke'' Boomers ended when the Boomers became mainstream. Unshaven men with long hair riding motorcycles was no longer counterculture.

It is a cycle that happens whenever we move from one dominant generational norm to another. The ''mayhem'' was cleaned up in short order, and to my knowledge no one died.

Here is a NYT article about the 1965 bike week riot.

https://weirsbeach.com/reasons-to-vi...ek/weirs-riot/

You know I don't think I have either.

In the past they use is as a floating bar. I'm sure they make plenty of money with that without spending money on gas.
Is that still the case? I haven't been over in a couple years. Hoping to take the boat over this weekend.

The Mount was in Alton this afternoon on my way home.

Private Party
 

Yup, saw it go by Welch as well. Pretty sure it was a private party…

Dan

Traffic Noise, Sun, and "Shops"...
 

Video from Sunday suggested by Google:

https://youtu.be/7HMkeSOGAF0

In the past, the Mount hired jail guards from the nearby Belknap Jail to work Mount security during their bike week, open bar, while tied to the Weirs dock and it was a business flop. Having correction officers lurking about was bad for the relaxed drinking vibe on a floating bar, or something.

Hey there buddy, I remember you! ...... :laugh:

was hoping to see my bike in the Mix, unfortunatly on this one and a few others no luck, oh well will be back up tomorrow

from what I observed, despite the weather, i think it was a pretty successful Bike week. The vendors were out of stock early sunday afternoon with people scrambling to buy their left over goods and a lot of bikes still there at 2-3pm.

A lot quieter now that is for sure, did anyone hear of problems, deaths, or issues this year? I did not see anything so I was curious, I heard a couple of ambulances but wasnt out of the ordinary for the area I thought

Heard there was a hit and run in front of Broken Spoke, a biker hit pedestrians and took off. People were injured and police were looking for the biker.

WMUR story:

https://www.wmur.com/article/video-2...shire/44247209