MYRTLE BEACH — As uncertainty swells around the weather in Myrtle Beach, bikers kicking off the annual fall rally remain hopeful.
The rally, which runs through Oct. 5, could be impacted by severe weather, potentially a tropical storm or hurricane. But for the moment, the party is on.
“This is our life,” said Vanilla Dawg, a bartender working outside the Beaver Bar in Murrells Inlet Sept. 26. “We bunker down for a few days (in the event of a storm), we come back out, we clean it up, and then we get back to it.”
Dawg stood by buckets of iced beer waiting on bikers on the Georgetown County side of the inlet.
“We started early because we’re worried about the weather,” she said. “We usually don’t set up until Wednesday, the same for up the street at SBB (Suck Bang Blow biker bar). We decided to start today, it’s a pretty day, so we can have a few days of nice weather before it gets bad. And you really never really know how bad it will get.”
She was here in 2022 when Hurricane Ian caused flooding in nearby Garden City Beach. Several of her friends had to be rescued during the storm.
Dawg has worked the motorcycle rally circuit for 15 years across the country with a group known as the Rally Cats. They’re not associated with the Rally Cats from Clemson University or the Rally Cats at the University of Cincinnati.
Dawg’s Rally Cat team consists of 86 people who work booths, bartend and help with cleaning and maintenance. She said this is her family, and many vendors across the Grand Strand rely on biker events for income.
“Weather is a very big deal everywhere you go,” she said. “We’re a little worried about this one.”
Myrtle Beach’s rallies are especially important, drawing thousands of people each year. But she said these events are special because of the people.
“You find your family out here on the road,” Dawg said. “This is like a second home to us here.”
The fall rally is a popular event where bikers from across the country come to celebrate those who ride. It gives the community a chance to connect. Businesses across the Grand Strand host events, celebrations and live shows for locals and those who made the trek to the coast.
Sporting a motorcycle inspired by Marvel’s comic book series “The Punisher,” Rich Hartnell worked the fall rally for Skully’s Customs. He loves the freedom motorcycles bring and the community surrounding these rallies. They’ve inspired him to travel and ride as much as possible.
“Life’s too short,” he said. “I’m not going to wait because I don’t know if I’m going to make it to the next day.”
One of his traditions at each rally is to buy a used bicycle from Goodwill to fix up and give to a young kid. He hopes they will experience the joy of riding around and seeing the world like he has.
“Look at that,” he said rushing to an electric three-wheel parked near a tent at the Murrells Inlet Outpost across from the Beaver Bar. “I just got that, and I don’t know how I’m going to get it home, but I had to have it.”
Unconcerned about a future storm, the Wisconsin man smiled like a child as he scooted the three-wheeler around the parking lot, parking it just as quickly as he jumped on it for a ride only to contort himself on a tiny pedal bike.