Reframing the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Veronica Grosek, Executive Director
Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau
August 2024
I am pleased to report that our team did in fact survive another great rally! On that note, I want to say a few things about "Sturgis" – the 10 days per year heard around the world.
Coming into this position I believed, and was reinforced in thinking, that our chamber supports everything Sturgis outside of the rally happenings. This is an essential function – supporting our retailers, service providers, and charity initiatives from mid-August to late July is paramount in what we do and always will be. We will always strive to put on bigger and better festivals and community activities for you. We will always keep our winter warrior businesses top-of-mind, and think outside the box to promote and support them.
The problem with my mindset was that the motorcycle rally is part of the fabric of Sturgis, whether we ride a Harley or not. It affects every single business and every single resident in ways we don’t even realize. Moreover, the motorcycle rally is more than the stereotypes people picture. The last couple years I’ve begun learning about the many subcultures within the rally - It. Has. Blown. My. Mind.
Growing up here observing many rallies and coming back to direct the Chamber and Visitors Bureau for six of them so far, I truly as a local had no idea what the rally even was. I’m still figuring it out. What I do know now is that it’s more a reunion of chosen family than just a big party. There’s definitely some scuzzy behavior that happens and gives the rally a bad rap, but if you break under that surface there’s so much more. It has the traditional leathers and choppers and patches, but it also has a vibrant and explosive new generation passionate about things I didn’t expect, a generation that comes here to share those interests and push that envelope!
The rally is a pilgrimage of performance bikes and stunt riding, old school bike enthusiasts, touring riders, adventure bikes, women shaking up the industry, true athletes on two wheels, musicians and artists, entrepreneurs and philanthropists creating, collaborating, and doing things never seen before; generating new answers to the question, “What is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally?” I think there are unlimited business opportunities for Sturgis if we embrace our traditions and keep a steady eye on this growing ripple with the power to generate waves.
My 34th birthday is approaching, and I have committed myself to finally learning how to ride (I'll be rocking a hand-me-down, well-worn Kawasaki z125)! I’m excited to see what other secrets the rally holds for my generation and beyond. The Sturgis TT race blew me away, and I think this is just the beginning of the rally becoming even more of a melting pot of generations, interests, and economic growth.