From Behind The Lens
September 2005
Survival in Sturgis…An Insider’s Guide
I’ve just returned with my photo crew to my hometown of Milwaukee from our trip to Sturgis South Dakota. The annual motorcyclist’s Mecca that is the Black Hills Rally officially runs 7 days and the little town of 5,600 swells to an estimated 500,000 during that weeks’ peak.
There are 7 regular police officers on duty in Sturgis most of the year, and I would be curious to know the statistics on how many out-of-district law enforcement officers come to town. They are everywhere. This has prompted me to give my readers a 3rd year attendee’s view of Sturgis and how to survive it.
DO – STAY CLOSE TO THE ACTION.
This year we rented a 2 bedroom basement apartment from “Bad Ass Floyd” a long-time local resident of Sturgis. Floyd’s place is on an alley directly behind the Broken Spoke Saloon on Lazelle Street. I was worried about the apartment initially as I rented it sight-unseen from a man nicknamed “Bas Ass Floyd” for less money than the market could bear and only found out after the deposit was received that it was a “basement”. I could only imagine.
Secondly, I had a crew of myself, JP (my boyfriend) 4 models, Matt (my output specialist), Dave Cook (the bike builder), and Derrick; a friend about to be called up to serve in Kuwait just days after the rally. Fitting these 9 people into 2 beds wasn’t gong to be easy (especially as JP and I were unwilling to share), but with a few air mattresses and sleeping bags, we thought we would make it.
The real appeal of Bad Ass Floyd’s place was location. Since I was shooting at the Broken Spoke Saloon, it was within walking distance to work, and from experience, I knew driving 6 blocks down Lazelle from any direction could take more than an hour on peak traffic days.
The down side to Bad Ass Floyd’s had nothing to do with size or condition or even sleeping arrangements, they were all fine. The location however was so ideal that the number of occupant’s in the apartment on any given night normally swelled to more than twice its planned occupancy.
Friends who had campsites only 10 minutes away described their location as “too far to walk; and too far to ride.”
Staying on Lazelle just 2 blocks from Main Street and 4 blocks from “One Eyed Jack’s” (by far the largest biker bare you have ever seen) lends itself nicely to having absolutely no degree of moderation in drinking for its occupants. Except for the threat of public intoxication… we never rode our bikes after dark and our drinking behavior reflected it.
Those who were with us inevitably stayed at our place out of necessity. We were happy to oblige.
DON’T – TALK TO KATO KAELIN
Despite the fact that we were so close to the action, JP managed to get himself arrested for DUI the first night in town.
I attribute this unfortunate event direct to OJ’s old pal, Kato Kaelin.
On our first night in town we went to Main Street and before we all got too liquored up, we walked back to the Broken Spoke not 50 feet from our apartment. At bar close, JP went to move his Cook Custom Chopper the 50 feet from the side street to the alley and home. It was then that Kato Kaelin, with film crew in tow, stopped JP on his attention-getting bike for an interview. At the conclusion of the interview, Kato asked JP to do a burnout for the film crew. Still having a great deal of his faculties intact, JP replied that he would have to be nuts to do a burnout on a Sturgis street at bar close during the rally, however he did acquiesce to “leaving with style” which got him arrested all the same. With a blood alcohol barely over the legal limit, he spent his first night in the Meade County Jail.
This brings me to my next hint.
DO – HAVE THE NAME OF A GOOD LOCAL LAWYER BEFORE GOING TO STURGIS.
Standing outside of the courthouse the next morning before arraignment, I was talking to my buddies from Title Town Cycles in Green Bay. I knew that JP would want to not only retain driving privileges for the remainder of the trip, but would also like to avoid a DWI on his record.
Just then, a gentleman in a suit approached us and asked if we were from Wisconsin based on the Title Town shirts my friends were wearing. Turns out he was from Milwaukee, was an attorney licensed to practice in Wisconsin and South Dakota and needed a ride to Milwaukee. I immediately retained his services.
DON’T PLEAD GUILTY AND PAY THE $500.00 FINE
Nearly 30 DWI’s filed into the courthouse that morning. They were advised of their rights, given the option to retain counsel and then asked one after the other how they pled. Each pled guilty, lost their driving privileges in the state of South Dakota for 30 days, received 30 days in jail which was suspended, and was ordered to pay a $500.00 fine.
When it was JP’s turn the lawyer negotiated a “Suspended Imposition” for a guilty plea. Simply put, the accused pays a $1,053 fine instead of the $500.00 fine and makes what is called an “Inmates Voluntary Donation” in the amount of an additional $1,000 to the City of Sturgis General Fund, Sturgis School District or Sturgis Animal Shelter.
You head me right. For additional money ($2,053 in all) you are able to completely skirt the DWI. No record of this infraction will appear on JP’s driving record, the State of Wisconsin will never know about it, the insurance company will not require him to carry high-risk insurance and I would venture a guess that the $2,053 was well spent.
The others who took the conviction and $500.00 fine will get a rude awakening when their home states receive notification of the DWI and suspend their licenses as well.
DON’T RIDE A BIKE THAT SCREAMS TO BE PULLED OVER.
Despite our earlier experience with the law, Derrick, the guy going overseas just days after we are to return to Milwaukee manages to get a DWI on the last day of our stay.
I knew this was going to happen. I hoped he wouldn’t be drinking when it happened, but the guy is riding around Sturgis on a bright orange, flamed Title Town Chopper with 32” Ape Hangers. Just begging for it.
Our attorney who spent a great deal of time in Municipal court that week, informed us that with each day came a new group of offenses. It was as if the police had a morning meeting and rolled the dice to see which law would be enforced that day. One day all of the offenses were for night vision, the next for loud pipes, the next for handlebars, the next for failing to plant both feet at a stop. Just because you ride past cops for 3 days with your high bars, doesn’t mean they won’t stop you the following day for illegal bars. Heaven help you if you have been drinking or give the cops any crap. Poor Derrick spent the last 2 days of his time in Sturgis and in the States in the jail.
In general, I have seen a huge increase in police presence and nuisance in the 3 years that I have been going to Sturgis, and if you ask a seasoned veteran of the rally, they say it is nothing like it used to be. Many are not coming anymore.
I believe that Sturgis is something that every rider should see at least once in his life, but be aware that your best behavior sometimes isn’t even enough. Be careful, be smart and avoid the police. Illegal searches and harassment abound. I was one of the lucky ones. I left my pasties on at all times.
And that is how I see it, from behind the lens.
Colleen Swartz
