No Smoking Signs Bring Record Business at Sturgis

Oh, what is the world coming to? The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally should be an event the anti-nanny-staters can celebrate: few rules, few clothes, real Americans reveling in freedom and drinking and smoking what they want (except for Bob Newland, who has to settle for taking pictures)! Yaarrr!

And then a bar/restaurant in the middle of the rally posts no smoking signs and blows the arguments against South Dakota's pending smoking ban all to heck.

Located right on Main Street, the Loud American Roadhouse is always a popular Rally restaurant, and managers say the switch to non-smoking hasn't changed that. In fact, they're not having problems filling tables at all.

"Actually, we're having a record year, by far. We are way, way up over last year," owner Dean Kinney said.

Kinney hung the non-smoking signs last November. Since that time, business has boomed, but the real test was the Rally. By the looks of things, his restaurant passed.

"In fact, it almost feels like so many of the guests are from out of state from places where it's kind of the norm so we have literally heard almost nothing about it whatsoever," Kinney said [Karla Ramaekers, "Switch to Non-Smoking 'Positive' During Rally," KELOLand.com, 2009.08.07].

Gee, did anyone else stop and think that folks who spend all day riding in the open air might actually enjoy fresh air indoors too?

The Rapid City Journal's Jessica Kokesh covered the Loud American's smart business move last week. Kokesh also notes management at First Gold Casino in Deadwood got similarly good responses from customers and employees on creating smoke-free spaces.

Maybe the nanny-staters are right: we don't need government to ban smoking. Businesses will just realize on their own that going smoke-free is just plain good for business.

Tourism: When Economy's Tough, Play to the Locals

I'm looking at the numbers for the Sturgis Rally and the State Fair and wondering if I can come with a moral for our summer tourism story. Sturgis saw an 18% drop in rally attendance this year. Of course, that also meant less garbage, fewer parking tickets, and fewer emergency room visits, although our man Perry Groten notes more folks still managed to get themselves arrested for drugs and non-traffic violations. I guess the folks with the irrational inclination to break the law are also more likely to have the irrational inclination to drive across the country to Sturgis on $4/gallon gasoline.

Meanwhile, the State Fair continues to prove it may not need that $750K state subsidy. In the midst of economic turmoil, the State Fair saw 4% more people come through the gates in Huron. Everything was up, really: exhibitors (5%), camping revenue (6%), carnival sales (9%), vendor revenue (11%), FFA entries (14%), livestock exhibits (23%), and grandstand revenues (53%).

I would like to think these numbers prove that we put our economy on a more stable footing when we focus on our own people and resources. When we rely on tourists from other states for our economic viability (as is the case with the Sturgis business model), we run the risk of down years when those folks won't want to make the long drive. Focus on giving folks here in South Dakota some easily accessible family entertainment, and you can turn a profit even when the economy turns sour.

But then I look again at the numbers: even down 18%, the Sturgis rally drew 415,000 visitors, plus a bunch of early vistors who drove Sturgis's July sales tax collections up 18%. The State Fair drew 157,000. The 6,000 or so extra visitors the State Fair drew are swamped by the 90-some thousand who stayed home from Sturgis.

Even if everyone in South Dakota goes staycationing, we still won't be able to make up for the tourism revenue we lose thanks to high energy prices and other economic factors. We may have to look for a better source of local revenue to replace tourism as our second-largest industry.

Blizzards for Bikers -- Stop in Madison!

So you're on your Harley, you've toured the Hills and the Badlands, shaken John McCain's hand and passed his daughter Meghan a Bud Light at the Kellie Pickler/Kid Rock concert. It's time to hit the open road and head home. But which way to go?

Forget the Interstate—all good bikers know that South Dakota Highway 34 is hardcore Harley heaven! 351 miles from Sturgis to Madison makes for the perfect full-day ride across the sprawling prairie. Highway 34 is like Main Street, South Dakota. See the Cheyenne River Valley, the State Capitol, the spectacular view topping the ridge at Wessington Springs (plus the Shakespeare Garden!).

And if you make the trip Thursday, you can top off a good day's ride be taking part in the biggest Blizzard sale in the country at the Madison Dairy Queen! Pull into Madison around suppertime, down a double bacon cheeseburger, then grab a couple Blizzards to take back to camp to enjoy with sunset at Lake Herman State Park.

Now even if you can't make it to Madison to help DeLon's crew sell the most Blizzards on the continent for the third year in a row, you can chip in for the Children's Miracle Network by picking up a Blizzard or three at any DQ in the state, including the Sturgis DQ on Lazelle St. Enjoy the ride... and enjoy your Blizzards!

McCain and Biker Babes: The Whole World Is Watching

I love it when South Dakota makes the headlines:

Topless Women, Kid Rock, Bikers, and John McCain

The town of Sturgis, South Dakota will witness, on Monday, the rare fusion of drunken debauchery, public stripteasing, motorcycle rallying, a live performance by Kid Rock, and - last but not least - a veterans-themed speech by presidential candidate John McCain. Seriously.

...As the presumptive nominee takes the stage, the "Ringin' Wet & Wild" women's wrestling event will be taking place on the main amphitheater. Two hours before then, the "Miss Buffalo Chip Beauty Pageant - Bikinis on the Beach" will be staged at a different venue. That affair is described by ESPN's Jim Caple as "essentially a topless beauty pageant. And occasionally bottomless, too" [Sam Stein, Huffington Post, 2008.08.03]

Sounds like a Grand Old Party to me. I wonder who's enjoying the press more: McCain or South Dakota Tourism?

Sunday Potpourri: Free Health Care, Big Brother for Bikers, Energy for Education

Here's a potpourri of South Dakota notes on issues related to various Madville Times topics:

Group Offers Socialized Medicine in Sioux Falls; Social Fabric Remains Raveled: The Sioux Falls Parents Communication Network offered free health care yesterday. Parents could bring their kids to the SFPCN's back-to-school fair for free mini-physicals. The taxpayer-funded group's efforts do not appear to have caused overutilization, decline in quality of care, or general irresponsibility that the insurance companies and free-market fundamentalists need you to believe will happen if we choose to take care of our neighbors the way Europe does.

Big Brother Spanning the Globe from Beijing to Sturgis: Think Big Brother is limited to China? Ha! Go to the Sturgis Motor Rally to get your face on Government Candid Camera. The city of Sturgis has permanent surveillance cameras around town, and the state Department of Transportation has extra cameras it sends during the rally. State officials watch the live feeds to surveil and improve traffic flow. Really.

Neither Sibby nor I feel much safer. Nor should we: there's little hard evidence that such cameras fight crime.

Meanwhile, surveillance camera maker Axsys Technologies reported 40% growth in Q2 sales. Another company making snooping its bread and butter says networked video surveillance is seeing a sustained 44% annual growth rate.

Energy Crunch on Schools' Minds: In the latest Madison Central newsletter (available online, but PDF alert!), both Superintendent Vince Schaefer and new Board President Craig Walker mention energy costs as a big issue the district faces. As my wife observes over breakfast, it sounds like it's time for Madison Central to follow the lead of Rutland and Harrisburg and look into erecting its own wind turbine!