Harley-Davidson exits North Myrtle Beach biker event

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Co. and the local Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson dealer have pulled out of the planned North Myrtle Beach motorcycle event, according to event organizers.

Business partners Harold Worley and Mark Lazarus, a current and former Horry County councilman respectively, had proposed the motorcycle event for the property where the partners operate the O.D. Pavilion amusement park on Ocean Drive during the summer. The partners said Friday that both the corporate Harley-Davidson and the local Harley-Davidson dealer had pulled out of the event.

"Harley corporate did not feel that they would be welcome because of some of the details in the arrangement," Worley said. "Another concern for the local Harley dealer was that without the other vendors, there might not be enough draw for people to come to the event."

A Harley-Davidson corporate events representative was not available Friday, and a message left with the company's communications department was not returned. North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley said she had not been notified about Harley's decision, but the city had not taken a stance on whether the event should move forward.

The event, which started out as a separate motorcycle convention, was repeatedly toned down during the past few months to eventually be a Harley-Davidson-only event with no outside vendors. The event dates were also changed to synchronize with the dates of the Harley-Davidson Cruisin' the Coast Spring rally on May 11-16.

The local Harley-Davidson dealer would have rented a storefront owned by Worley near the intersection of Ocean Drive and Main Street in North Myrtle Beach and operated a tent on Ocean Drive with Harley merchandise. A site visit by a corporate representative on Tuesday indicated the event was getting a green light, Worley said.

The city of North Myrtle Beach published a flier for the community to help explain the changes between the original request by the partners, which would have required an ordinance change or a special events permit, and the event's most recent incarnation, which would not have required any city action. City spokeswoman Nicole Aiello said the flier was published after numerous phone calls from residents.

"We had gotten a lot of requests from residents because they had concerns that we were hosting another rally. It was more of an education campaign and not intended to sway anybody one way or the other," she said. "We did say in the last section that we were encouraging residents and citizens to give us a call. As long as the business acts within the current laws and ordinances, we don't have a say."

Worley said the corporate representative said they had concerns about whether they would be welcome in North Myrtle Beach partially because of the flier.

"When Harley-Davidson saw that flier on Wednesday, they became very alarmed that if they did come to Ocean Drive, that they would be harassed by the city of North Myrtle Beach. It's obvious that they are not welcome, so they've decided not to come," Worley said.

Both Lazarus and Worley said they were disappointed by the decision. The partners said they will operate the amusement park as planned this summer, but said they didn't know if they would try to bring a motorcycle event to North Myrtle Beach in the future.

Community reaction has been split, with many residents saying they didn't want the potential noise. Others, including many business owners, said the potential business dollars from the event would have been a needed boon for the local economy. Bob Bava, a member of the North Myrtle Beach Citizen's Association, said he was in favor of the business the event would have brought, but heard a lot of complaints from residents.

"I thought, what the heck, if it's just one week, then I'm sure we could handle it. I was taking a position to support business," he said. "I think there are a lot of people who will be happy it isn't happening, but there are a lot of businesses that won't be happy."