ROGERS -- Barbecue smoke and motorcycles filled the downtown plaza Friday morning as the third day of the 25th annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally kicked off.
Vendors selling T-shirts, bike vests, knives and food as well as those offering tattoos and piercings filled the length of Frisco Plaza. Barbecue tents were set up along West Poplar Street.
It's the vendors that first drew the attention of first-time attendee Abby Owen, who rode from Dallas to attend the rally with her father and uncle.
The different people and bikes rolling into downtown also piques her interest, she said.
"It's really nice seeing everybody from different backgrounds kind of come together," Owen said.
Owen was excited to see what the rest of the weekend had in store, she said.
Drake Kreg, an eight-year attendee of the event from Hot Springs, said it was the relationships that continued to bring him back.
"We just like to get out and ride, and, you know, it's about the camaraderie," he said. "It's about meeting people and hanging out. It's just a good time."
Kreg said he typically travels with a group to the event or plans to meet friends he only ever really sees at rallies similar to Bikes, Blues & BBQ.
The city saw 275,000 to 300,000 attendees last year and is planning for closer to 325,000 to 350,000 attendees this year, Tommy Sisemore, executive director of Bikes, Blues & BBQ, said last month.
Organizers tout the event as the world's largest charity motorcycle rally, having raised more than $3 million since its inception in 2000. This is the rally's fourth year in Rogers.
This year will also be the 10th anniversary of the Frisco Inferno Barbecue Competition.
A sauce competition was set for 6-8 p.m. Friday. Saturday's main event runs from 12:30-3 p.m., and people will be able to sample turkey and pork to vote in the People's Choice Awards. Judge's Choice Awards will be given as well, and winners will be announced Saturday night.
Rogers police Cpl. Don Lisi, the department's public information officer, said Thursday the event was running smoothly and police had only made one arrest Wednesday in connection with criminal mischief.
Lisi asked drivers to continue to be patient with the increased traffic and to be careful. He also encouraged motorcyclists to be courteous to other vehicles on the road.
LOCAL BUSINESS
Though downtown traffic has increased, many retailers said they see a decrease in business traffic over the Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally weekend. Melissa Heinze, manager at Women's Pavilion, said she does not mind the event and can schedule around it, but some designated parking for her customers would be helpful.
Women's Pavilion, located on South First Street, offers services for those going through cancer, such as wig and topper fittings, and many of the customers are undergoing chemotherapy, Heinze said.
Sherry Puttkammer, owner of the Dotted Pig boutique store, said she sees a decrease in local foot traffic, but still has tourists who were unaware of the rally stop by.
There are other events that benefit her retail business, so she does not mind the one weekend of Bikes, Blues & BBQ, Puttkammer said, especially when she knows how much it benefits the non-retail businesses.
Dominic Smith, owner of Underbrush Books and Dandy Roll, said he saw seven people in the bookstore Thursday, whereas he typically averages about 20.
Lindsay Dolan, owner of Woof and Wander, said that business also sees a decrease in foot traffic over the Bikes and Blues weekend due to locals avoiding the downtown area.
Both Dolan and Smith said they can manage with the one slow weekend if their business is the only one being negatively impacted, but would like to see something done if this is a broader issue for downtown businesses.
Representatives from Destination Rogers, a part of the Rogers-Lowell Chamber, and the charity bike rally met with business owners in July to share details about this year's slate of events. J.R. Shaw, executive director of Destination Rogers, said at that meeting positive economic impacts from the rally would obviously not be felt by every business in Rogers.
"I am cautiously optimistic that the city will circle back, that the chamber will circle back, and do an impact study on how the rally impacts all of downtown Rogers stakeholders," Smith said.
Something as simple as communicating with downtown businesses earlier than July about how the event will be managed could make a big difference to how the business prepares for the possible drop in business, Smith added.
Bikes, Blues & BBQ continues through Saturday in downtown Rogers. The weather is expected to cooperate, with clear skies and temperatures reaching as high as 83 on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.