Band at Harley Davidson Rally Point in Sturgis, SD

Complete Concert Guide for the 2018 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Thursday, August 2

 

Friday, August 3

 


Legend Suspension Rally Install Banner

No matter how you got it here, you’ll want to ride it home on your new suspension!


 

Saturday, August 4

 

Sunday, August 5

 


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Monday, August 6

 

Tuesday, August 7

 

Wednesday, August 8

 


Legend Suspension Rally Install Banner

No matter how you got it here, you’ll want to ride it home on your new suspension!


 

Thursday, August 9

 

Friday, August 10

 

Saturday, August 11


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Sturgis Rally 2017 Statistics

Have you been to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally?  Wonder how it stacks up compared to other years?  Here are some key statistics so that you can compare year over year numbers starting with the 75th Anniversary.

 

Estimated attendance

2015 – 739,000

2016 – 448,000

2017 – official count TBD

 

DOT Traffic counts

2015 – 510,749

2016 – 329,789

2017 – 311,937

 

Marriage Licenses Issued in Sturgis

2015 – 122

2016 – 49

2017 – official count TBD

 

Traffic Violations

2015 – 212

2016 – 422

2017 – 147

 

Traffic Arrests

2015 – 155

2016 – 152

2017 – 147

 

Rally Related Fatalities

2015 – 15

2016 – 3

2017 – 8

 

Do you go to the Sturgis Rally every year? Have you noticed the different trends from year to year?

 

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Turkey Legs at 2017 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Top 4 Rally foods to try before you leave Sturgis

Just as all types of people and motorcycles converge at the Sturgis Rally, as do food vendors who offer a wide selection of chow for hundreds of thousands of hungry bikers to nosh.  Famous names and street vendors alike come from thousands of miles away to set up shop in Sturgis for a week of feeding hungry masses.  The options are almost limitless and there is something for everyone to enjoy, but we have compiled a list of the top four foods to try in Sturgis to get you started.

 

4. Sweeto Burrito

What began as a venture in a North Dakota oil patch, has since become rally food legend. The line is always long, but service is fast, and it is always worth it. Rally goers can literally not wait to get their lips around a Sweeto Burrito – a huge tortilla stuffed with ingredients including carne assada, sweet shredded pork, tater tots, cilantro sauce, french fries, smoked chicken, and many other options of flavorful goodness. Although there are franchises of Sweeto Burrito popping up across the country, the original food truck can be found in the parking lot of the Iron Horse Saloon.  And you don’t want to miss it.

 


 

3. Turkey Leg

A day on the motorcycle makes a biker hungry. Savagely hungry. Satisfy your inner caveman with a punch of protein like no other and chow down on a giant turkey leg. Smoked for hours and deeply infused with flavors of charcoal and mesquite, you will not regret or soon forget taking down one of these bad boys. Offered by numerous vendors at various locations all over Sturgis, you are sure to pass by one when hunger strikes. Get it. Take a picture of it. Devour it.

 


 

2. Steak Tips

There is a bit of controversy surrounding steak tips in the town of Sturgis. Two venues vie for the title of “best steak tips in the world.” Contender number one is the Knuckle Saloon. Boasting tender marinated tips cooked as you like them, and breaded or unbreaded. The Knuckle Saloon offers a twist on the original with buffalo style bleu cheese tips if you are feeling a little more … saucy. The Knuckle Saloon is located on the corner of Lazelle and 1st Street. The second contender is the Loud American Roadhouse, located right on Main Street in downtown Sturgis. Their steak tips are touted as beef tenderloin, gently dusted with a secret blend of house herbs, spices and flour and flash-fried to a medium rare that nearly melts in your mouth. So who has the best steak tips? You may need to try both, and decide for yourself.

 

 


 

1. Something New

Food vendors vary from year to year, providing new adventures for your palate. What could possibly be described as “metal carnival food”, or “fair food on crack”, all bets are off as to what you will have the opportunity to taste. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a giant funnel cake or deep fried Oreos.  Grab some food on a stick from corn dogs to kabobs.  How about a pizza dog…a hot dog wrapped in pizza and deep fat fried. Whatever your taste buds desire and more is sure to be found in a food truck, tent, restaurant or shack at the Sturgis Rally. Take a chance, try it, and add it to the list of your unique Sturgis experience.


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Band at Harley Davidson Rally Point in Sturgis, SD

Complete Concert Guide for the 2017 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Thursday, August 3

 

Friday, August 4

 

Saturday, August 5

 

Sunday, August 6

 


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Monday, August 7

 

Tuesday, August 8

 

Wednesday, August 9

 

Thursday, August 10

 

Friday, August 11

 

Saturday, August 12


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Top 3 Selfie Spots in Sturgis

If you are headed to Sturgis, SD for the annual motorcycle rally or for any of the other events hosted by this small community you will no doubt be taking many photographs while you are there. There are many options to share the experience of your trip, but frequent visitors know what the most iconic and recognizable photos are. We have narrowed it down to the top three “must do” Sturgis photo opportunities.

 

Welcome to Sturgis Sign

3. Official Sturgis Signs

On Lazelle Street (just east of I-90 exit 30), is a Welcome to Sturgis sign in the Sturgis Coffee Company parking lot. It is the perfect spot to snap a photo on your way toward any downtown festivities. The black and orange hues of the sign contrast the often clear azure skies of South Dakota. If you happen to come into Sturgis via Junction Ave (exit 32 off of I-90), there is another welcome sign, just like its partner across town. It is located on the north-east corner of Junction Ave and Anna Street, across from the Best Western Sturgis Inn.

 

Sturgis sign on Sly Hill north of downtown Sturgis, South Dakota

2. Sly Hill

Visible from anywhere in downtown Sturgis, north of Bear Butte Creek, the Sturgis Community Center, and Sturgis RV Park, the giant Sturgis sign on Sly Hill is redolent of a sign you might see in Hollywood. The concrete letters simply spelling out the word “Sturgis” leave no question you are in the City of Riders. Be sure to snap a few selfies with the easily seen letters in the background, and send it to your jealous friends who didn’t make the trip.

 

Bob Davis and his assistant Jake West taking the official 2015 Rally Main Street photo

1. Main Street

As you wander down Main Street in Sturgis, you will quickly find that there are a multitude of opportunities for photos during any of the organized rallies. During the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally colorful characters abound, biker babes and body paint are the normal, and giant food portions are standard. If you are looking for the ultimate selfie, you will want to pay the fee to stand on the towers located on either end of Main Street, giving a bird’s eye view of the hustle and bustle below.

 

You are certain to catch many more photos that reveal the unique playground, that is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, or Camaro Rally, or Mustang Rally. But if you really want to make your friends jealous, be sure to catch these three.


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Women of Sturgis 2015 Bike Rally Pictures

The fabulous women of Sturgis are one of the most talked about attractions of the annual Sturgis Bike Rally. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally draws hundreds of thousands annually in Western South Dakota, and most of those visitors make it into downtown Sturgis for at least a day or two during their visit.

Some of the women who visit the area take the opportunity to wear a bit less than perhaps they normally would and show off their assets. The men who visit Sturgis, and many of the women as well, definitely look forward to the spectacle. There are many interesting outfits, body paint, and uniforms on display at the Rally. The diversity of what is on display makes for an interesting adventure for all who attend.


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Jerry Cole, new Sturgis Rally and Events Director

Jerry Cole began in his new position with the City of Sturgis as the Rally and Events Director on Monday, December 28, 2015. Jerry Cole, who has a long history in government work will be the man primarily responsible for organizing the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on behalf of the City of Sturgis. Although the Rally has become more of a Black Hills area event, and has really outgrown its roots in Sturgis, it remains the center of the area activities and Sturgis Main Street remains the one must visit spot when in the area for the [in?]famous Rally Week.

Mr. Cole acted as Director of the Parks and Recreation Department of nearby Rapid City for 8 years from 2004-2012, and more recently served as Executive Director of the Hill City and then Dickinson Chambers of Commerce.

He has been known as someone who will buck authority and the status-quo to get things done, ostensibly the rationale for his dismissal as Parks and Recreation Director by the former Rapid City Mayor. If Mr. Cole lives up to this reputation as he takes the reigns of the Rally in Sturgis, it could serve to change the dynamic of what many consider a “Good ol’ Boys Club” of politics and money surrounding the Rally.

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