How quickly a place can change. On my walk to work I see that tents have disappeared overnight. They've taken down the barricades on Main street; about 80% of the motorcycles are gone and large cars fill the streets ready to pack up the remaining merchandise. There's about 50 people walking on the street in clumps of 2's, 3's, 4's...It's overcast and humid after a short cloudburst. Sturgis is starting to look "normal" again.


But this is where the jerks and grumpy cads come in. Everyone is looking for a deal and they get upset when they don't get it. I had a man come to my booth today wanting to buy a $14 hat that was half price. He gave me $7 and I rung it up of course figuring in tax: 53 cents. "Tax?!" he exclaimed, "give me back my seven dollars." Really? You don't have 53 freaking cents in your pocket. I heard some people were switching the price stickers on hats at the store. You have to watch for thievery too.


The top is winding down. By 5 o'clock today most of the bikers are gone. I walked across Lazelle (a major street) and it was empty. We closed up early and packed in most of the merch from the booths. A stroll down Main street reveals boarded up booths, tents lying on the ground to be folded, trash in the gutters and sidewalks, old posters advertising bands on the sides of fences, and trampled grass where you can find it. The 2011 rally is over and the town seems tuckered out.


I, on the other hand, feel as though I have just exhaled after holding my breath for two weeks. It's over. That summer adventure is now past and I can look to the future again tucking my experience in my tool belt. Was it as crazy as I expected? no. Did it challenge my perspective about the rally? yes. Maybe not so much "challenge" as "educate." I know what my town is about now. I've gleaned the knowledge about what exactly makes it tick in its unique way. That's great, and now I'm moving on. The sprint is over and I'm the better for it.

The Bike Show

For some reason I decided to take lots of pictures of bikes today. So there.


An unusual looking bike that parked in front of my booth. So I took a picture. Apparently.

Here's a BIKE. And by "bike" I mean a vehicle with two wheels usually propelled by pedals connected to a chain.

I feel like this isn't the kind of bike you ride cross country on. Probably if you went over 30 mph your alligator would fall off. That's right; I said "alligator."

 Also, isn't that shirtless man in the background a dream? *ahem*

This is a cute 1940's (I'm guessing) bike with a sidecar! Vintage.

Lastly, a Sturgis sunset. That Buddha silhouette is lovely, don't you think?

In case my observations didn't explicitly show it, this rally (the 71st) has been a pretty tame rally. Traffic and congestion have been pretty mediocre and definitely not unbearable. Overall this hasn't been a very negative experience for me at all. Granted, I haven't experienced it in the most raw places (bars, the late night, concerts) but I also haven't been totally sheltered working on Main Street. I get the impression that this is group of ordinary people (who are sinners just like the rest of us) that happen to have a common interest in a particular culture (the biker culture). The most fascinating part is that this culture attracts such a variety of people. People from London to Australia to Canada to Texas, California, and Maine. Gang members, faithful Christians, and people of no particular religion who all enjoy the grit of being a biker. It's true that the ways of this culture don't always draw out the best in people, but every culture has their darker side and many of these people have a heart of gold beneath that brawny exterior. Their desires and misconceptions about happiness, beauty, love, and life aren't all that different from the rest of the world. My favorite part of this experience is that I have seen so many kinds of people under one sky.


Three more days. I've started counting down and to fatigue a bit, but I'm not totally worn out yet. Choosing not to work double shifts definitely has a factor in that I think. But all the same, I'll be happy to have my summer back and time to do the things I want to.


Recap of yesterday: two more Parisians graced the store with their presence as well as a few more Aussies (with an accent so thick you could cut it with a knife), I found Waldo (twice!) wondering about, I was complimented by a man that I was reading (I'm reading while I man my booth to help pass time), and I feasted on Indian tacos for dinner. I'm reading the Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis and I guess the biker crowd isn't very learned of C.S. Lewis, at least no one seems to know the name when I tell them what I'm reading. I suppose I didn't expect it. My complimenter was impressed by the fact that I am old fashioned enough to enjoy reading. Thank you. And I'm enjoying the seasonal food! After all, the way to my heart is through my stomach. There's this place with Indian tacos, roast beef sandwiches, hand dipped ice cream, and espresso, all for reasonable prices. Mmm!


Here is Hell fighters (Christian motorcycle ministry) at work:

Here is a man that likes to make his rounds on Main Street blasting oldies with a little shoulder dance to boot. He's wearing those slit style sunglasses; in the second photo he's posing for someone. Wish I could have gotten better photos, but I'm in my booth!

Recap of today: met three Greeks. They were speaking Greek (obviously) and all had a very confident look about them, like they were very settled in their skin. I made some conversation with one of the men for a while in his broken, but good English. I love finding foreigners from other countries. They are so captivating to me.

Here is a picture of a man riding a buffalo motorcycle I saw today. Again, I took the picture from my booth so it's not the best, but you get the idea.

And the week ebbs on...

Three customers came in today, a man and two women, and they were speaking a foreign language. I thought it was French, but I wasn't positive until they bought some postcards and a souvenir thimble. The women counted out her money: un, deux, trois... I asked them where they were from and they got very excited saying, "France, Paris! Tu parle Francais??" "Juste un peu..." "Oui! moi aussi, juste un peu l'anglais." They left with a smiling "au revoir!" That was the first time I've spoken French to a real French person, and they understood me and I understood them!! Definitely the best part of the day. 


At 11:45 a B1B flew over Sturgis. No, we are not under siege. I was in the store at the time and it sounded like the end of the world. In case you were wondering, it wasn't.


Remember the guy with the cross that said "Jesus loves you" ? Well, he and a few of his friends paraded up and down Main Street today. At least 4 had crosses they were bearing and the others had placards. Here's a poor picture. They were on the other side of the street:

Walking home, I came across this little traveler:

A coppula pictures

Yes, that is an enormous inflatable Buddha on top of that building. Charmingly, there is also a bubble machine that shoots out of that top right window!

Postscript: As I was walking to work today, a biker passed on the road blaring music as many bikers do, yet he was blaring Mumford & Son's "The Cave." What the heck, classy biker?!

Events of the day

The sights of today are as follows:


There were two Vikings in Sturgis today. One wore a helm on which two enormous horns (probably 3 feet long) were attached. The other also wore a helm with horns (of smaller length) to which was attached shaggy hair coming all the way down his back to his knees. This man was very hefty, huge muscles. I guess I didn't know Vikings biked.


More body paint girls! except I think they were wearing only body paint on their top half. I couldn't inquire too closely from across the street. There was also a group of young hippy people (I surmised "hippy" because of the bare feet, strong odor, dreadlocks, tattered clothing, two dogs) and two of the girls had duct tape over their nipples and a long flowing skirt. That's it. Also, the cantaloupe women came again and had a photo shoot in front of my booth. People were stopping her all over the sidewalk to take pictures with/of her.


I got a humungous corndog! It was delish. They are actually two hot dogs on top of each other and hand dipped in the batter. Heavenly!

Lastly, here is a before and after picture of Main street in Sturgis. (from opposite sides of the street)
before:

after:

Not too much difference, eh?

1 day

Highlights:


I sold a $100 silver dollar today. Why is a dollar coin not a dollar? Ha ha. That was a funny one; I could see that one coming. Well, the answer is because silver is ridiculous expensive now-a-days, that's why.


A man came by my scanty booth making a little conversation today and he was wondering what kind of music I liked. First try: hip hop and rap? eh. Green Day? eh. I told him Alternative/folksy/indie. He asked my favorite band and of course I answered "Mumford & Sons" fully expecting no recognition. On the contrary, he informed me that he is actually Marcus Mumford's father and asked me if I would like sing with them, maybe move to London. Winner.


I saw a girl with no top on today, just body paint and some flesh colored something over her nipples. She was contentedly eating an ice cream cone.


Two men mistook me today for a mannequin in my booth. I'm not sure if that's a insult or a compliment...

There is a vender which creates footlong corndogs. I am FOR SURE needing to try one of these pieces of heaven.


Yesterday and today the man who bears a cross (like literally a large wooden cross he drags over his shoulder) walked down Main Street telling people that Jesus loves them.

2 days...

Today I worked half the time in the store and half the time in a tiny booth. It really is fascinating to people watch and the customers are mostly friendly, or otherwise just quiet. 


It's rather an odd sensation, but the days seem to be a repeating Tuesday-Thursday because I have no weekend. I suppose the rest of the summer will seem as a gigantic weekend.


A group of 6 Banditos were standing next to my little booth for about 15 min. Nothing very eventful came of it except my excited imagination envisioning the danger they contained. Actually they were pretty nice guys.


There were a few strange moments of juxtaposition such as when a boy skateboarded down the lane or a cute old grandma would drive by on a powerhouse trike.


I witnessed an increased amount of partially nude women today. That was probably the main source of excitement. It seems to me that the rally is just an excuse for girls to walk around partially dressed attracting the wrong kind of attention as obviously seen when grandpas take a picture of them walking away with their cheeks hanging out of their booty shorts. Most of the women are not doing themselves a favor by exposing parts of their body and the attractive ones are my age or younger which is rather unnerving to me. It's disheartening to see that women need to scream for attention so crudely to feel beautiful. But really, some anonymous sixty year olds need to not wear sheer billowy tops with no bra.


The climax of the day was when I saw a women with the biggest breasts I have ever seen. They were probably size ZZ. Seriously, they were like two good sized cantaloupes. This kind of situation begs some questions such as:
How does one such as her wear shirts? (She was wearing merely a bra; probably the only one she owned because no one has size ZZ)
What kind of exercise can one do in that state? certainly not running...
What does it feel like to have an identity which rests completely on the mammoth size of one's breasts? (really, does anyone ever look ever at her face?)
What kind of back problems will she encounter/is encountering?


Whew. What adventures.

3 days and counting!

Our store is pretty much settled and just waiting for the crowd. There's lots more traffic, but not as much as last year I'm told.


Today I have been called "baby" by the same male customer at least three times,  had a customer come in with almost literally a junk shop attached to his vest (it must have weighted at least ten pounds), seen a cute family suburban with "MN or bust" and Minnesota Bound" written on the windows in florescent orange, a 12 foot tall muscle truck with an obnoxious horn, a variety of flashy motorcycles, a few groups of Hooters girls walk by, countless people of all shapes and sizes (and many with very interesting wardrobe choices), and spent a few hours observing the mischief at FlirtCatalog.com's store. That "mischief" mainly includes beautiful teenage girls in short dresses with plunging necklines standing outside the store to lure buyers in and take pictures with old men. You might think that that would conjure up a judging fest from me. Mostly I feel sad about the lies they are promoting and believing and I pray for them.


I also had the excitement of seeing a man walking his dog which was carrying a cat which was carrying a mouse on its(their) back(s). I guess he walks around during the rally and takes donations to feed his pets:

I would say that the majority of people walking the streets are from 40 to 70 years of age except the teens and twenty-somethings hired for out-of-state vending and the few children attached to their parents.


At present, the mood of Main Street is set by the blaring music produced by the Knuckle Saloon's radio station from speakers set on the tops of buildings and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang grumble of posses of motorcycles as they macho-ly roll through the stop signs with a formidable look set on their faces. Tomorrow the street will be off limits to cars and only bikes with rule the street.

My first Sturgis shirt

This is a big moment. I have never owned a Sturgis t-shirt in my life, but the workers were given a free official logo shirt from the city! I guess I can cross that one off my bucket list. 
Here she is:

A few pictures...

A nice pair of motorcycles I noticed on Main Street today.

A banner above Main Street that says from left to right 

"The other white meat"

"The Official Meat of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally"

"Pork"

Someone was real creative when they came up with that one!

Awaking the giant part II

My little town keeps transforming before my eyes. The city has annoyingly converted the turning lane on Junction and Lazelle streets into another lane going east on Lazelle and north on Junction. You don't go very long without hearing the rumble of a motorcycle. All the cars, cycles, and people are like busy ants preparing all over the main streets filling the town with lots of activity. Main street is coming alive as tattoo parlors and souvenir shoots come back from the dead. The empty parking lots are filling with vendors selling shirts and others selling food. Our quiet and nearly always absent neighbors are moving trailers and picnic tables into their yards. Even my own store is transforming, shedding the front windows for counters to sell over. We're in the process of shifting our merchandise around to prepare for the big week. I'm getting anxious and a little excited as it gets nearer. I'll probably hate a lot of it, but I'll enjoy people watching and making money, of course. Tomorrow I start the 14 (or more) day marathon!

This is Lazelle where they've taken the turning lane to lessen congestion somewhat. I don't know; I kind of liked our turning lane. I hear it's going to take at least half an hour to get across town when it usually takes 5 - 10 minutes. Whoopdedoo.

Awaking the giant

I don't exactly understand the draw. This time of year I see tourists and laugh to myself: "It's funny how they think Sturgis is so cool, because I know it's actually pretty lame." The traffic and congestion around town is getting to be slightly annoying. "Just wait," I tell myself. I can be pretty certain when I see people walking the street, and cars driving around that they are tourists and not locals. The big tents are going up; piles of shirts fill the street corners. A huge three-story saloon has gone up on the corner of Junction and Lazelle which will open tomorrow. It's going to also be a restaurant, but I'm sure glad we're getting another bar; Sturgis definitely needs some more.


I guess the store will be getting busier now. Not this week, but next I'll be working a straight 14 days a week, nine to five. I decided not to work the nine to nine shift because I'd rather not walk home at that time of night. I'll have to work on my wardrobe, making myself look as undesirable as possible, just as an extra precaution. Just kidding, kind of. 


Anyway, I've begun to realize I don't know as much about Sturgis as I thought. Customers bring questions to me:
"Where's the best place to eat?" (yeah, I don't eat out in Sturgis...)
"What kind of food does the Knuckle Saloon have?" (umm....hamburgers? never set foot in the place, actually.)
"Where can I buy boots?" (try sierratradingpost.com)
"What's that one really famous bar?" (just pick one of the 50 bars and call it good?)
"Is there any place that sells actual motorcycles?" (.....blank stare....)
"Where can I find the post office?" ha! just kidding, I know where the post office is.
But seriously, I'm learning more about my town, especially the side I've been contentedly oblivious to most of my life. I'm going to have a fair education of it by the end of this.

Atrophy

A steady stream of tourists are coming through. Most of them meander by, but some linger a few days in the Hills, enjoying the scenery and shops minus the congestion. I think these tourists are the smart ones. They’re the less hard core bikers, usually, and friendly. I’ve already met people from all over the country: Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, California, New York, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, and even Canada and Australia. 

Today a man came in and exclaimed how shocked he was at the normalcy of our town being used to it only during the swarming rally. I was surprised he thought it was “just like a normal town.” Because when I look down Main Street, I see a few T-shirt shops, banks, and bars sandwiched between empty buildings with two or three people strolling down the sidewalks. Hardly thriving; more like dying. 

In my short existence, I’ve seen the rally leach away business after business from my town. Each store opens for a few months, then dejectedly closes it’s doors, poorer for the effort. Afterwards, some wealthy out-of-state gluttons rent the spaces for more than any non-rally affiliated store could muster. So the spaces sit all but a few weeks of the year, empty. And Sturgis’ vitality pathetically drains despite the efforts of city counsel members and citizens to bring some life. In the end, it’s all about money. Sturgis could not survive without the rally; that’s a fact. They’re practically synonymous. And important people get rich off of the rally, so it lives on, unhindered. 

As the progress towards the storm travels forward, I’ll watch and wait. Soon I will see the eye of the shadow that has caused this town to decay with my own eyes, the exposed form of what Sturgis strives to be every other day of the year, barefaced and unashamed.

The First Few Days

I have now been working about two weeks. Some highlights:


One of the slowest days was the day serenaded with eight and a half hours of country radio. In case you were wondering, country radio equals about 4 or 5 songs which are rotated all day. In the words of some country lyric writing genius: "God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy." A nice motto for life don't you think? Thankfully we found the oldies station, never to go back.


I've been working the register a bit. A charming couple from Oklahoma came to the store 3 times in two days. The man and his legit accent made my day. I don't think he ever stopped talking.


My favorite job so far has been dressing stuffed bears. Who wouldn't love playing with soft stuffed animals for your job? I put a chic Sturgis shirt on him (or her, if you prefer) and pierce his/her ear with a price tag. These bears are hip.

I deal with a lot of biker merchandise, obviously. Some of the manly design names of flags, hats, etc include Angry Buffalo, Eagle Attack, and Wolf Rider. If any of you readers wish to send me your artistic interpretation inspired by the preceding design names, feel free! And I will let you know how close you are to the actual ones.
There's an interesting piece of biker clothing called a "Motley Tube." Apparently it has numerous uses including 1.) skullcap, 2.) desert scarf, 3.)pirate headwrap, and 4.) blindfold. So if you ever need to kidnap someone, sail the sea with Jack Sparrow, cross the desert with Hildalgo, or go to a bar mitzvah, a Motley tube has you covered!

But my favorite piece of merchandise is shown below:

They're called "Beverage Babes" and I think they're hideous. I mean haven't you always wanted your can of soda to have breasts? 
Me too.

In Principio...

Sturgis, SD

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experience working during the summer of 2011. That may sound rather dull, but it's actually interesting because I am a Sturgis, SD native and having been alive almost a fifth of a century I have never experienced a Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. I will be working at a souvenir shop on Main Street. The Biker culture is not one which I naturally embrace. In fact, I would venture to say that it's pretty opposite of me. I am perhaps one of the most innocent people you have ever known and this is going to be an adventure.