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Harleys Everywhere, Masks Nowhere: Sturgis Rally Draws Thousands

Associated Press

   STURGIS, SOUTH DAKOTA - Thousands of bikers poured into the small South
   Dakota city of Sturgis on Friday as the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
   rumbled to life despite fears it could lead to a massive coronavirus
   outbreak.

   The rally could become one of the largest public gatherings since the
   pandemic began, with organizers expecting 250,000 people from all over
   the country to make their way through Sturgis during the 10-day event.
   That would be roughly half the number of previous years, but local
   residents -- and a few bikers -- worry that the crowds could create a
   "super-spreader" event.

   Many who rode their bikes into Sturgis on Friday expressed defiance at
   the rules and restrictions that have marked life in many locales during
   the pandemic. People rode from across the country to a state that
   offered a reprieve from coronavirus restrictions, as South Dakota has
   no special limits on indoor crowds, no mask mandates and a governor who
   is eager to welcome visitors and the money they bring.

   "Screw COVID," read the design on one T-shirt being hawked. "I went to
   Sturgis."

   Bikers rumbled past hundreds of tents filled with motorcycle gear,
   T-shirts and food. Harley Davidson motorcycles were everywhere but
   masks were almost nowhere to be seen, with an Associated Press reporter
   counting fewer than 10 in a crowd of thousands over a period of several
   hours.

   For Stephen Sample, who rode his Harley from Arizona, the event was a
   break from the routine of the last several months, when he's been
   mostly homebound or wearing a mask when he went to work as a surveyor.

   "I don't want to die, but I don't want to be cooped up all my life
   either," he said.

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