No mud wrestling or big concerts as Bikertoberfest rolls on amid the pandemic

ORMOND BEACH — George Gawenda, 90, said he rides his motorcycle to Ormond Beach’s Iron Horse Saloon every day. “I tell people, I’m tough. I’ve survived five summers down here now,” said the Illinois transplant.

The Korean War veteran plans to be there every day of Biketoberfest as well, which begins Thursday, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic. “They told me only the old people have to worry about it,” he said. “I figure I’m only 90. Let the old people worry.”

Ormond Beach is looking to cash in on bikers such as Gawenda during this year’s festival, which in the past has drawn more than 100,000 visitors. Daytona Beach, the home for Biketoberfest since it began in the early 1990s, decided 2020 was not the year for it because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Even with Ormond Beach’s acceptance of the event, it’s hard to imagine this will be just like any other year.

Destination Daytona isn’t hosting any headlining concerts.

The Broken Spoke Saloon, a live-music venue, will be closed through the event. Regular party hubs are promoting specials and DJs, but no mention of events such as mud wrestling or wet T-shirt contests. Spotnick’s Cabbage Patch in New Smyrna Beach, a favorite of bikers around the country, is hosting parties every night, but not the coleslaw wrestling for which they’ve become famous.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers large events to be the highest risk for spreading coronavirus. The Florida Department of Health website advises communities to cancel “mass gatherings” of 250 people or more.

“It’s a recipe for disaster right now,” Stetson University Associate Professor of Public Health Asal Mohamadi Johnson told the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “I do not think it’s a good idea to bring this many people from multiple destinations to one little spot.”

Two cities differ

On Sept. 9, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach took up proposed safety plans for the event at separate public meetings.

At Daytona Beach, eight community members, mostly business owners, spoke before the city commission calling for them to approve the plan that, among other things, would have allowed permits for outdoor vending and blocked off a lane of traffic on downtown’s Main Street for pedestrians.

Only one resident, Patricia Heard, owner of the Second Avenue Plaza, spoke against the festival.

“I’d rather they not have it for the safety of myself and others,” she said in an interview.

A resident of Daytona Beach since the second grade, Heard, 77, said there are too many factors at play to safely manage the Biketoberfest’s large crowds.

“When you have crowds like that on your property, you cannot wear yourself trying to tell them what to do,” Heard said.

Both sides brought up the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, which earlier this year attracted more than 400,000 people. One person said the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases from the event as low, citing South Dakota’s official tally for the festival as 124 cases and less than 300 in other states traced back to it.

Ultimately, the city commission sided with Heard and voted not to encourage the event with any special permits.

Whether it was the city’s decision or the pandemic, the Biketoberfest crowds look to be lighter this year. Robert Burnetti, general manager of The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, said his hotel is between 30% and 40% behind its bookings at this time last year. “I do think things will pick up as we get closer to the weekend,” he said.

Burnetti said he wasn’t counting on the event too much, no matter what the city’s decision was. “It’s been a tough year for us,” he said. “One good weekend wasn’t going to fix our entire year.”

Other Daytona Beach businesses rely on the boost from Biketoberfest and its larger spring companion, Bike Week in March.

“It’s why I’m still here after more than 30 years,” said John Sanchez, owner of John’s Rock & Ride on Main Street. His shop features an eclectic assortment of custom made apparel sporting Grateful Dead logos and pro-Trump slogans.

Sanchez tried to give the city the benefit of the doubt. “I understand their concern a little bit, but then it’s a little bit overboard,” he said.

However, he does see a silver lining in a lack of street vendors. “That’s less shopping out there, more coming to me,” he said.

Ormond says yes

Ormond Beach, meanwhile, opened up the welcome mat to the bikers by unanimously approving special permits for outdoor events and vendors.

“I think Daytona is being foolish, but you’re not going to change their minds,” said Steve Fritze, the Iron Horse Saloon’s general manager.

Dean Pepe, general counsel for Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach, echoed Fritze’s sentiment. "We were disappointed and disagreed, but that’s their job to do what they see fit,” Pepe said of Daytona Beach’s decision.

Pepe submitted a safety plan to Ormond Beach that includes sanitation stations and distance restrictions for vendor booths, among other provisions.

The 150-acre Destination Daytona features Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson Daytona as well as a hotel, several retail outlets and bars and restaurants. Always a mainstay of Biketoberfest, Pepe believes even more people will be coming his way because of Daytona’s restrictions.

To prepare, Pepe is putting signage through the location, including a large sign as drivers enter, reminding people to wear masks and stay socially distant. Though staff will be required to wear masks, he’s avoiding a strict mandate with customers.

“When dealing with customers that don’t want to [wear masks], there’s a negativism when you try to force it on them,” he said. “So we’re appealing to common sense.”

Fritze said he’s planning on “the same party as always,” though there will be some safety concessions. “We’ll have all the signs up and the sanitation stations, all that stuff,” he said.

The venue is having concerts but “no big bands,” Fritze said. “We’re going to try to follow the rules. We don’t anticipate there will be any problems.”

Volusia County decided against adopting a safety plan with mandates to avoid running afoul of Gov. Ron DeSantis' Phase 3 orders to open businesses. The county has released an advisory on how businesses should voluntarily conduct themselves and is providing signage for its Step Up Volusia campaign advising people to “Wash Up. Back up. Mask up.”

The governor’s office did not return a request for comment.

In the end, the success of the festival and its effect on the pandemic will likely come down to the individual responsibility of the bikers who attend.

Robert “Big Bob" Keener came from out of state a week early ready to party, no matter what the cities decided.

"I rode down from Pennsylvania because it said the state was open and I didn’t have to wear a mask,” he said.

Want to reach out? Email tfraser@orlandosentinel.com.

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