European Riders event Celebrates 26 years in Burkesville
Riders checked their gear as they arrived Friday for the BMW motorcycle club of Nashville’s European Riders’ rally. They parked along Upper River Street, on the edge of the Veterans Memorial Park. The park was where many of them camped, though others stayed at local hotels.
By Greg Wells
CCN – Editor
Kenneth King, organizer of the BMW motorcycle club of Nashville’s rally here in Burkesville every May, said this is the 26th year for the event.
He said it all started when a couple of members were staying at the Alpine, looking out over the valley, and decided, “this would be a great place for a rally.”
That was back in the 90s, and now it’s a fixture on our community’s calendar.
He said that this year they included speakers as part of the event, and one of those was a member of the USA BMW GS Trophy Team. That string of letters denotes a three-person international competition team that demonstrates proficiency in all speed handling of the over 500-pound motorcycles, with over 100 horsepower, through challenging courses, across varying surfaces.
Saturday morning the riders departed in groups for the different rides organized by the BMW motorcycle club of Nashville. The rally also had speakers Friday night, in addition to door prizes, free meals, and a lot of camaraderie.
He said they’re all very proud of the attendance this year, which was up 40% over last year. There were 225 riders who came in for the event from around the region and around the country.
There were six guided rides on Saturday in addition to the speakers Friday, and they closed out things with the country-style breakfast Sunday morning. Friday night’s meal was provided by the Tourism Commission, a steak dinner.
Friday night’s storm did not prove significantly damaging to the tents or campers, King said. He added that a few of the riders did take shelter in the courthouse while the tornado siren was sounding.
