Bike Week Ended: The Numbers

gtagrip · 06-23-2011, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spider22

You don't see a difference in loud music after 10:30 and things like drinking and driving and women exposing themselves. I don't have a problem with people drinking and having a good time if they are walking or staying put but when there is 20 to 30 thousand in an area you need a large police presence.

The sprint cup races at Loudon bring in almost 100,000 people twice a year so according to your logic people should be allowed to drink and drive and women should be able to expose themselves and the police should look the other way because after all it is binging in money.

I think you might be missing Woodsy's point about Bike Week and the Weirs as a whole.

spider22 · 06-23-2011, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtagrip

I think you might be missing Woodsy's point about Bike Week and the Weirs as a whole.

don't get me wrong, I am not against bike week. I just don't think because you have a motorcycle and are one of the 200,000 that go to bike week it gives you the right to break the law. Millions of people vacation in the lakes region every year, my family included. Quite often when I am there I mix my first drink shortly after lunch and I might have 4 or 5 by the end of the day but if we are planning on going anywhere that day I usually only have 1 and 2 being the most.

One of the points that I was trying to get across was that if it is all just harmless fun then why should a heavy police presence deter anyone from going up there.

VitaBene · 06-23-2011, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spider22

don't get me wrong, I am not against bike week. I just don't think because you have a motorcycle and are one of the 200,000 that go to bike week it gives you the right to break the law. Millions of people vacation in the lakes region every year, my family included. Quite often when I am there I mix my first drink shortly after lunch and I might have 4 or 5 by the end of the day but if we are planning on going anywhere that day I usually only have 1 and 2 being the most.

One of the points that I was trying to get across was that if it is all just harmless fun then why should a heavy police presence deter anyone from going up there.

Spider, there was trouble a good few years ago that precipitated the crackdown but that seems to be past us. As many riders (myself included!) have gotten older we have mellowed out.

There is a substation right at the W where reserve officers can wait and respond if needed. What is going on now just is not welcoming at all.

spider22 · 06-23-2011, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VitaBene

Spider, there was trouble a good few years ago that precipitated the crackdown but that seems to be past us. As many riders (myself included!) have gotten older we have mellowed out.

There is a substation right at the W where reserve officers can wait and respond if needed. What is going on now just is not welcoming at all.

I have never been to bike week but from everything I have read it has mellowed out from the way it used to be. This is the first I have heard about a substation close by and maybe that is the way they should do it so they could respond in a timely manner. I hope you can continue to enjoy bike week for several years to come. I also hope that attendance at this event as well as other events grow in the years to come. Like I said in an earlier post I have been taking a week's vacation for several years and have seen the crowds diminish over the years and that to me is not a good sign.

VtSteve · 06-23-2011, 03:13 PM

The Weirs has been a dump for decades. Bike week has been a constant. I don;t think Laconia has ever forgotten the riots at the Weirs, which occurred some 46 years ago. It's quite obvious they will never forget them.

If people want to change the nature of a community, they have to do it themselves. Generally, that means having to change your local government by electing people that actually represent you. Given that Laconia has been, by and large, mostly the same for many decades, I came to the conclusion that this must be what most of the people want. If that's not an accurate assumption, those politicians must have a lot of power all by themselves.

I also don't think you necessarily need a wild Key West or Bourbon Street atmosphere to be a successful community. That's not to say it can't, or shouldn't happen. There are many, many things you could do to make the Weirs and surrounding areas a more desirable area. What that may be will be decided by people with money, and of course, the local government. So far, nobody's really interested in resurrecting the dump. So Bike Week remains the single most successful offering, like it or not.

There's a lot of competition for people with real money to spend on vacations. So they better choose wisely.

gtagrip · 06-23-2011, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spider22

don't get me wrong, I am not against bike week. I just don't think because you have a motorcycle and are one of the 200,000 that go to bike week it gives you the right to break the law. Millions of people vacation in the lakes region every year, my family included. Quite often when I am there I mix my first drink shortly after lunch and I might have 4 or 5 by the end of the day but if we are planning on going anywhere that day I usually only have 1 and 2 being the most.

One of the points that I was trying to get across was that if it is all just harmless fun then why should a heavy police presence deter anyone from going up there.

I think what Woodsy is trying to get across is that the Weirs for 365 days a year should be designated as a resort area where the "laws" would be different, i.e. walking around with a beer/drink like you can in Vegas or New Orleans/Bourbon Street. Makes for a funner atmosphere if you ask me. O.K. Flame away!

6meter · 06-23-2011, 02:43 PM

About 20 years ago, I stopped visiting the Weirs on saturday night of Bike weekend as it was then. I'd drive down in my boat qnd do all the people watching I could. Very entertaining! Spent some $$$$. Went back the next year to find a docile, boring, just plain uneventful evening. In the many years that I went, I never saw anybody hurt anybody else. No fighting, just good times. What I noticed different that boring year was the police presance EVERY 30 feet down the bordwalk. Also saw alot of signs stating the $250 fine for flashing. Last I heard, this wasn't advertised as a family getaway weekend. I remember driving up Rt 106 in the 70's. NOW there was some serious going ons!
Lets also remember that Meredith was rebuilt with private monies, not public. Also remember how much a lunch or dinner cost at Lago's or Church Landing as opposed to Gringos or any other establishment at the Weirs. You might be able to rent a small cottage for a week at the Weirs for the same price as one night at Church Landing.
I also thought that the area was kinda quiet this past weekend, not that I traveled down to the Weirs, but Meredith was.

06-23-2011, 03:13 PM	#5
VtSteve Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,320 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 230 Thanked 361 Times in 169 Posts	The Weirs has been a dump for decades. Bike week has been a constant. I don;t think Laconia has ever forgotten the riots at the Weirs, which occurred some 46 years ago. It's quite obvious they will never forget them. If people want to change the nature of a community, they have to do it themselves. Generally, that means having to change your local government by electing people that actually represent you. Given that Laconia has been, by and large, mostly the same for many decades, I came to the conclusion that this must be what most of the people want. If that's not an accurate assumption, those politicians must have a lot of power all by themselves. I also don't think you necessarily need a wild Key West or Bourbon Street atmosphere to be a successful community. That's not to say it can't, or shouldn't happen. There are many, many things you could do to make the Weirs and surrounding areas a more desirable area. What that may be will be decided by people with money, and of course, the local government. So far, nobody's really interested in resurrecting the dump. So Bike Week remains the single most successful offering, like it or not. There's a lot of competition for people with real money to spend on vacations. So they better choose wisely.

06-23-2011, 02:43 PM	#7
6meter Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 27 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	About 20 years ago, I stopped visiting the Weirs on saturday night of Bike weekend as it was then. I'd drive down in my boat qnd do all the people watching I could. Very entertaining! Spent some $$$$. Went back the next year to find a docile, boring, just plain uneventful evening. In the many years that I went, I never saw anybody hurt anybody else. No fighting, just good times. What I noticed different that boring year was the police presance EVERY 30 feet down the bordwalk. Also saw alot of signs stating the $250 fine for flashing. Last I heard, this wasn't advertised as a family getaway weekend. I remember driving up Rt 106 in the 70's. NOW there was some serious going ons! Lets also remember that Meredith was rebuilt with private monies, not public. Also remember how much a lunch or dinner cost at Lago's or Church Landing as opposed to Gringos or any other establishment at the Weirs. You might be able to rent a small cottage for a week at the Weirs for the same price as one night at Church Landing. I also thought that the area was kinda quiet this past weekend, not that I traveled down to the Weirs, but Meredith was.