Bike Week Ended: The Numbers

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.

06-23-2011, 03:13 PM	#3
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.