GALVESTON, Texas – The annual Lone Star Rally is back in Galveston celebrating its 17th anniversary.
The four-day event is expected to bring in 400,000 people over the weekend, bringing $115 million to the city.
At the strand – one of the main areas of the event -- organizers said there will be easily more than 200,000 bikes lining the streets Saturday. It is a bike lover’s dream.
“It’s an awesome feeling to see so many people in one area and enjoying the love for motorcycles,” said Ann Marie George, who traveled from Richmond with her whole family to attend.
The rally was founded in 2000. This will be the 17th anniversary.
“We’ve been coming down for years. We rent three beach houses, bring about 100 people down,” said John Lotz, who rides with the Freedom Cruisers Riding Club, based in Sugar Land.
The goal is to appreciate each biker's craft, a lifestyle and a tight-knit community.
“It’s kind of like a brotherhood. It’s kind of like being in the military. For those of us who ride motorcycles, we got each other’s back,” said Phil Ferraz, who traveled from Austin.
“This year’s a throwback to the motorcycle and the parts and the history of the motorcycle,” said promoter Mark Gray.
“It’s just a highlight of my year. It’s what I plan for all year long, so this is great. You can’t beat the weather. I love the people, I love the noise,” attendee Van Jensen said.
Many bring their motorcycles to showcase in different bike shows, like the “In Motion” bike show, which invites the top 12 builders in the country to showcase their work in a competition that awards the winner $10,000.
“You have to be able to ride the bike in – you can’t just show up with a beautiful bike,” Gray said.
Juan Gonzalez helped his friend with one of the bikes.
“Every bike has part of their little soul in it,” Gonzalez said. “They work really hard. Late nights, building them making it look right.”
The event goes until Nov. 4.