Bikes, Blues & BBQ events to be seen inside, outside Rogers, Arkansas

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ROGERS -- Space for "social distancing" is one of the perks Bikes, Blues & BBQ got when it moved to Rogers from Fayetteville, organizers said.

The venues for the Oct. 5-8 motorcycle rally will be enjoyed from the Benton County Fairgrounds to Eureka Springs, said Tommy Sisemore on Thursday. Sisemore is the executive director of the charity event.

Even Harrison businesses will welcome motorcycle enthusiasts this fall, he said.

Sisemore said negotiations with various venues are continuing. He expects an announcement of the confirmed sites and events in about two weeks.

Sisemore spoke Thursday at an informational meeting for Rogers city officials and tourism specialists at the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce building. Most attended the meeting via Zoom.

Raymond Burns, the chamber's president and chief executive officer, listed some of the more probable sites for events, including the Rogers Convention Center, the Arkansas Music Pavilion, downtown Rogers and areas along Hudson Road, where four motorcycle manufacturers sell all year.

The car show at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale will continue there, Sisemore said. And events that aren't officially part of the festival, but draw motorcycle enthusiasts, will continue in Eureka Springs.

For 20 years, Fayetteville served as host city for the event that grew from about 300 participants to around 300,000 in recent years. The rally grew to include official events at Baum-Walker Stadium, home of the University of Arkansas baseball team.

The rally was canceled in 2020 and 2021 in the face of the pandemic, and the baseball stadium wasn't available in 2022, leading organizers to move the event, Sisemore said.

"Downtown Fayetteville had become very compact, and they are infilling most open spaces," Sisemore said.

"In Rogers, we will have room to spread out. It also will give us the opportunity to grow."

Read full story at: ArkansasOnline.com