Jam-packed lineup in store for Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party, featuring big music artists, stuntmen

Aug. 1—MITCHELL — The sound of motorcycles rumbling and tires screeching will echo Thursday evening through downtown Mitchell.

It's the sound that many Mitchell area residents have grown to love each summer in early August, as they welcome bikers for the annual Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party. The party kicks off at 5 p.m. and wraps up at 10 p.m.

While Thursday's event will mark the sixth annual Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party hosted on Mitchell's Main Street, the event's founder, Brian Klock, is bringing a jam-packed lineup of activities for all ages.

"This started out as a bunch of bikers gathering in a parking lot at Klock Werks before the rally. I'm honored that this little thing we did is now on the South Dakota Department of Transportation's radar as one of the biggest traffic events, only second to pheasant hunting opening weekend," Klock said of the growth the event has seen since he took it downtown Mitchell in 2018.

When Klock decided to host the party on Main Street instead of at his motorcycle business, it was an instant hit. Historically, the event has drawn around 3,500 to 4,000 people, making it the largest single-day event in Mitchell since moving to downtown Mitchell.

New to this year's lineup of entertainment is rising country artist Tim Montana, who is taking the outdoor stage at 8 p.m. Local jazz band, Tri-Tones, and country singer, Shelby Lee Lowe, will also be performing before Montana plays.

Montana has been recording with ZZ Top frontman, Billy Gibbons, and is gearing up for a big tour.

"He's playing with ZZ Top at the Buffalo Chip on Friday night, and we managed to get him to play in front of the Corn Palace for free. It's crazy to see how this event continues to get bigger and welcome new big names year after year," Klock said.

Once again, the C-Bear Stunts duo will be whipping cookies and riding wheelies on their motorcycles through Main Street. Joining C-Bear Stunts this year is the Concrete Cowboys, who perform more death-defying motorcycle stunts along Main Street stretching from First to Fifth avenues. Klock said the stuntmen will have a finale at 9:30 to close out the festivities.

A renowned motorcycle magazine, Cycle Source Magazine, will also be hosting a bike show that's free to enter in.

A car show being led by 301 Rodz will feature new unique contests. The firemen and policemen pick is a new contest in the car show that will entail a Mitchell firefighter and police officer picking their favorite classic cars that entered the contest.

"There will be a select group of firefighters and officers walking the street, and they will pick their favorite cars to declare the winner of that contest," Klock said.

The ability to host such a big event that comes with little to no costs aside from food and drinks has been made possible with Klock's partnership with the city of Mitchell. In previous years, Klock set up the entire Palace City Pre-Sturgis on his own dime, but the city took over as the sole entity organizing the event. He said the city's willingness to take on the event will set the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party up for continued success for years to come.

The event has become a tradition for many bikers en route to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally where over 500,000 bikers congregate in the Black Hills each year.

For Kevin Baxter, an Atlanta biker who attended last year's Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party, the Mitchell event has become a gateway to the Sturgis Rally just as Klock intended.

"I love it. I love how everyone in the town gets up for this," Baxter said while taking in the Pre-Sturgis Party last summer. "It's just awesome to see the community get behind it and him."

Klock has found a way to give back through the event. Proceeds from $1 drink cups will go toward Klock Werks Kustom Cycles' Strider Bike donation to the Mount Vernon School District.

"What you're doing is donating $1 to fund Strider Bikes. We've already funded all the Mitchell schools, Ethan and Alexandria. Last year, we funded Huron and Faulkton. Now we're funding Mount Vernon, and we're excited to provide bikes for kids who may have never ridden a bike," Klock said.