Heavy rain, crashes not deterring Sturgis rally visitors

Aug. 8—STURGIS — Safety and orderly conduct are at the top of city officials' minds during this year's annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Heavy rain, when it doesn't deter visitors from traversing the wild landscape adjacent to the Black Hills, contributes to more treacherous roadways, according to Rick Bush, the city of Sturgis' public works director.

Luckily, Bush said, the inter-city traffic control measures are continuing to work as expected.

Every day of the rally, the South Dakota Department of Transportation counts the number of vehicles entering the city of Sturgis.

This year, those numbers are down. The current total, 144,364 vehicles, is down 15% from the average from previous years.

Bush said based on the quantity of garbage collected by the city, it seems the population of rally attendees is about comparable to last year.

"So far, for this week, we hauled 157.7 tons of garbage. Last year, we were at 145.8 (tons), which is about an 8% increase," Bush said.

But the rain, he said, may be weighing down the trash, and adding a few dozen more people to the estimate than are actually attending.

Officials say this is probably due to the bad weather, and the numbers confirm that. The first day of the rally, Friday, August 4, 13.4% fewer vehicles showed up, and the day after 37.3% less. Sturgis experienced poor weather on both days, and Sturgis officials said nearly 3 inches of rain have fallen since the rally began.

Even with the rain, Meade County Sheriff Pat West said his department has had to open up, and continuously disinfect, the old county jail to accommodate for the increased number of arrests made during the rally.

"We like to, you know, talk light and try to be somewhat upbeat," West said during a press conference on Monday, August 7. "But we encourage people to pay attention to what you're doing and drink responsibly."

DUI arrests have been up slightly through the rally weekend, according to data collected by the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

A majority of the arrests made during the rally have been alcohol related, West said, and a majority of the arrests made for drug possession have been for marijuana, not methamphetamine or narcotics.

Bush said, even though the city public works department smooths gravel on these roads, bikers should be extra cautious during the rain when the road is wet.

More than two dozen people have been hurt in crashes and at least 5 people have been killed in the Sturgis area this weekend due to vehicle crashes.

A full report of the traffic count will be available to the public by August 21.