insideyournwa.com

Undoubtedly you were effected one way or another this weekend by this years Bikes, Blues, and Barbecue rally. Every year there is a struggle to balance the disturbance caused by hundreds of thousands of motorcycles with the huge economic impact the rally has. I always feel like the larger point is missed however.

Bikes, Blues, and BBQ is not just a place to get great BBQ, listen to live music, and see awesome bikes from all around the USA (although it is all of that). It is also all done for charity. For those of you who do not know, they are able to raise a huge amount of money each year for local charities. Before you say “they should donate some money as much as they make!” you need to know that it all goes to charities. They are a not for profit business that works with many volunteers to pull off one of the largest rally in the country. All of the money goes to fund local charities.

Now I do understand the frustration in our area where you cannot drive anywhere as it is because of poor roads with too much traffic. I also understand that motorcycles are loud and that causes another set of issues. Here is my solution - why can’t we all relax for a couple of days? Really what we need is to just slow down a bit anyway. It helps us appreciate what we have and you might even be forced to have a conversation with your family that you rush to get out of the car. With all the good that the rally does I think we should all be thankful to them and take the minor inconveniences with a grain of salt.

You may think I am biased to this if you know me because you would know that I go every year. I go to have a good time, great bbq, and to support local charities. If you are concerned about violence - don’t be. Out of the thousands of people I saw the Fayetteville PD were always visible. I haven’t seen a single fight over the years, even though I have witnessed my share just hanging out in Fayetteville. So maybe I am biased and so what, I think if you haven’t been you are missing out. If you have been and don’t like it that is fine too just relax for a few days and it will be over.