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Rally coming to Elkins in July

ELKINS — The rumble of motorcycle engines will ring in the mountains of Elkins this July as more than 500 riders are expected to enter the area.

The Gold Wing Road Riders Association West Virginia District will host its West Virginia Rally in Elkins July 20-22. The rally had taken place in Summersville for the previous 10 years.

“We had planned on moving – I took over the state as director in January — so as the new director, we were looking to change things up a little bit …,” GWRRA West Virginia District Director George Murphy said. “It was my plan to bring it to Elkins in 2018 but we had to move forward with plans a little quicker than what we initially thought of.”

The event is projected to bring the more than 500 riders to Elkins, from up to 25 states across the country.

The West Virginia District of GWRRA spans five states, including West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina.

“Those five states will definitely be here, but as a normal rule we have people from about 20 to 25 states coming to the rally,” Murphy said.

The organization, which was founded in 1977 and consists of mostly 50-plus-year-old retirees, focuses largely on promoting safety.

“We will be having on-location motorcycle training courses for two-wheel motorcycles, three-wheel motorcycles and three-wheel trike and trailer, which will be pulling a cargo trailer or a camping trailer,” Murphy said. “There are on-course riding classes as well as classroom classes on proper safety.”

On Thursday, the weekend will kick-off with the Randolph County Convention and Visitors Bureau hosting an opening reception which will feature live music, ice cream and the opportunity for the public to visit with members of the group.

“We’re going to do it with an ice cream social and we’re hiring hopefully a local classic rock band,” CVB Executive Director Brenda Pritt said. “It will be in the town square at 5:30 p.m. They’re going to put all their motorcycles on display surrounding the whole town square for people to come and look at and vote on for their best choice, and just so the local people can come, free of charge, and intermingle, ask questions, look at their bikes.”

Murphy urged the entire community to come out and participate during the opening reception.

“The city is sponsoring us a welcome party on the downtown square on Thursday evening. We would really like to invite the public out to see our bikes, mingle with us, to ask questions and fellowship with us there,” Murphy said. “We always enjoy getting the community involved, especially with activities that involve youth, Boy Scouts, church groups, and we try to do some educational programs for the safety to the public as well. How to look out for motorcycles, what we do, how we do it and why.”

The opening night will also feature a “Light Parade,” as many of the riders add on accessory lighting and ground effects lighting.

“It’s kind of a neat experience because there will be colored lights and some of them will change, vary and dance to music that’s being played through the bike’s stereo,” Murphy said. “It’s quite unique.

The Phil Gainer Community Center will house the GWRRA expo and act as the group’s central hub during the three-day event, Community Center Director Chris Lee said. There will also be drill team exhibitions and certification classes in the big parking lot.

“I would encourage everyone to come and check out what this group has to offer,” Lee said. “They’ll be putting on a great expo at the Community Center with concessions, motorcycle accessories and services, and arts and crafts.”

Murphy confirmed the rally has contracted to come to Elkins for the next three years but added it may be even longer.

“As the new district director, it was my goal to find a new host city that we could work with, not only for the current year but in the foreseeable future and I believe that Elkins has done a very good job of welcoming us and helping us get a new venue and put this together,” Murphy said. “Right now, we’ve committed for the next three years. That relationship may continue past that but I know it will be there the next three years.”

Lee added that he believes this will act as a “great new event” for Elkins.

“It’s going to be a three-day event of family-friendly fun that is free to the public. I encourage everyone to participate and make our guests feel as welcome as we can. This is a great new event for Elkins,” Lee said. “The GWRRA are a well-respected group of motorcycle enthusiasts that leave a positive impact on the communities they visit.”

Elkins Mayor Van Broughton said he is excited to have the event come to Elkins.

“We are thrilled to have the Gold Wings group coming to Elkins this summer and are confident this will be an event that will be enjoyed by participants and spectators alike,” Broughton said. “This is a multi-day event that will generate revenue and attention for our downtown. It was due to the combined efforts of a number of community leaders that this event came together and we believe will be a success this year and for many years to come.”

Pritt said she is pleased to see this come to fruition and believes it will have a positive impact on the local economy.

“We’ve been a part of this planning process for several months. We’re so glad that they’re coming as it brings money into town, it brings lodging tax in that helps us to continue to promote tourism and that’s why we’re so involved because we know that these groups are really beneficial to us,” Pritt said.

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