Sacred Biker Ground by Edge
It’s September and the Smoke Out bike rally in Salisbury, NC just ended. Three bikers chose to have their final remains interned at the event. One family gathered at the entrance and spread the ashes of their loved one. One biker removed his rear wheel, took off his tire and respectfully transferred the ashes of his biker brother to the inside of the tire. Eventually, after a long smokey burnout, the tire popped and the crowd cheered, one final time, for the recently deceased. I would also like my remains scattered at the Smoke Out when I go, however, I don’t want to be cremated so we may have a few issues.
Back in the day, Indian Larry married the first couple at the Smoke Out. Since then, almost every event has had a wedding or two. Why would anybody choose this as a final resting spot? Why do people choose the event for their wedding?
Chris Callen took the reins of the event five years, and he tends to use the term “steward” as opposed to “owner.” I have often heard Chris comment that the Smoke Out is “sacred ground” for the bike culture. He talks about the gathering with reverence and its influence during his development in the chopper life. Scores of famous builders cut their teeth at the event and just last night I watched a video where Billy Lane did a 20-year look-back about the first Biker Build-Off. To me, Billy is so talented and industrious he was always going to be a success, but he looks back at this Build Off / Smoke Out experience as a pivotal point.
It connects deeply with me, because my years have been planned around the event too. Only recently I have begun to understand how many of us have this feeling. Chris understood this well before I figured it out. When you are part of the Smoke Out your year revolves around it. Not just what am I building to ride there. The Smoke Out faithful do not just show up to be entertained like so many events. They show up to be part of the event. They bring questionable ideas and make questionable decisions.
This year a gentleman built a side-car set-up featuring a full-on Lazy Boy recliner. The first time I saw it was on the drag strip, and it was a feat of mechanical mastery. It tracked straight and was wicked fast. He also participated in the drag racing event where both racers drag an outhouse with someone inside. His wife was comfortably reclined as the bike screamed down the track dragging the outhouse. Later he rode up to the bar, and I saw his wife move the recliner to the upright position to drink a beer. Why? Why would someone build a Lazy Boy side car?
BECAUSE HE COULD and that is the secret sauce of the Smoke Out. The Lazy Boy is just one example out of a hundred I could mention. My new job seems to be to walk around the event and have people tell me their stories and they are wild. Maybe next year, we will start recording some of these stories, but the bottom line is most of them are about the entertainment they brought with them. I recently heard a famous builder, who has attended all the major events for years, say that the Smoke Out is the last truly authentic rally in the United States.
Is the Smoke Out the last bastion of pure freedom and fun? Or can we support other rallies by stepping outside of our comfort zone and making questionable choices? If one of your biker buddies leaves a bike event and tells you that… day old chili on a $9 hot dog was questionable choice, tell them to try harder.
When you do find that sacred ground of pure freedom, sketchy decisions and family reunion, don’t let it go. Get married there, make it part of your life. Support it. Ride free.
—-Edge
