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All over the country and indeed, all over the world, bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts will be taking to the streets to visit and participate in conventions, expositions, rallies, rides, festivals and other events. Motorcycle enthusiasts love to get together to party, look at each other’s bikes, get some new accessories, eat, watch fireworks, ride and just generally have a good time. Here are some of the largest and most popular motorcycle events in the U.S.
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Pretty much the top event of its kind in the nation, the Sturgis Rally is held in Sturgis, South Dakota during the first week of August. Considered a “classic” rally, due to its inception in 1938, the rally draws motorcycle enthusiasts from all walks of life, including families as well as die hard bikers. Annual attendance can sometimes reach over 500,000 people.
Americade
This “touring rally” bills itself as the world’s largest. It takes place in Lake George Village, New York every year during June. This event attracts over 50,000 people.
Bikes, Blues and BBQ
This is an event held in Fayetteville, Arkansas during September or October each year. This event starts of with a ride into the city from the beautiful Ozarks. The rally began in 2000 but has since grown to become the fastest growing rally in the world, hosting over 350,000 people in 2006 alone. One of the main events at Bikes, Blues and BBQ is a barbecue. This event also benefits charity and is considered to be very family friendly, with many bikers bringing their children.
Daytona Beach Bike Week
This event consists of a rally, street festival, concerts and many parties in Daytona Beach, Florida. Regularly attracting 500,000 people and up each March, this event competes with the Sturgis rally for the title of the largest and most popular motorcycle event during the year. A motorcycle race is a big part of this event, covering a 3.2 mile course that switches back and forth between pavement and beach. The event is held over a period of 10 days and also hosts a classic and custom bike show as well as a clambake and seafood festival.
Laconia Motorcycle Week
This is another rally type event held each June in Laconia, New Hampshire. Laconia Motorcycle Week features a wide variety of events including vintage races, swap meets, tours, fireworks, concerts, bike demos and bike shows.
Laughlin River Run
The largest motorcycle “run” in the western U.S., the Laughlin River Run is held each April in Laughlin, Nevada. Festivities include concerts, bike shows, charity events and a Poker Run.
Love Ride
A Southern California event, it bills itself as the largest one day motorcycle event. Largely a fund raiser, the ride boasts a range of celebrities as participants including talk show host Jay Leno, a well known auto enthusiast. Also joining the ride, celebs like Larry Hagman, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Hulk Hogan, Steven Tyler, Mary Hart, Pat Boone, Nancy Sinatra and Pamela Anderson. This event takes place each October and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2008.

Every region of the United States has its barbecue specialty: pulled pork sandwiches in North Carolina, racks of ribs in Memphis, “burnt ends” in Kansas City and chopped brisket in Texas. The roots of American barbecue run deep in the South, where even neighboring counties can have different approaches to barbecue, not to mention different states.

Consider North Carolina, a state with a long barbecue tradition .. In eastern North Carolina, you would probably find shredded meat from an entire pig, doused with a peppery vinegar sauce, and if you chose to drive West a few hours from the coast, and you will most likely be served meat from just the shoulder of the hog, with a tomato based sauce. Throughout Carolina, there is a clear preference for barbecue pork and thin vinegary sauces, which is a distinguishing style echoed throughout the state.

Memphis, Tennessee is another superb barbecue location, home to “Memphis in May,” which is the largest barbecue competition and festival in the world. The city boasts over 100 barbecue restaurants and several different barbecue styles. Like North Carolina and much of the South, pork is the barbecue meat of choice in Tennessee and pork ribs are the most common cut, but the city is divided between “dry-rubbed” and “wet rib” versions. Dry-rubbed ribs are generously rubbed with a mixture of spices, smoked and then served with sauce on the side. Wet ribs are lacquered with tangybarbecue sauce before, during and after cooking. Another Memphis favorite is the pulled-pork sandwich – smoked pork shoulder stuffed inside a hamburger bun and topped with coleslaw.

Kansas City is the barbecue capital of the Midwest. Like Memphis, it’s also home to over 100 barbecue restaurants and hosts an annual barbecue competition an an event called American Royal. In Kansas City, both pork and beef are barbecued and it is best known for its BBQ sauce, which is traditionally heavy on tomato and uses molasses as a distinctive sweetener. The traditional thickbarbecue sauce you buy in supermarkets is based on Kansas City style sauce. The bottled varieties are much different from the small batches of sweet zesty sauce cooked up by Kansas City pitmasters. For those that aren’t familiar with the term, “Burnt ends,” are the crunchy, charred ends of brisket slabs, are a Kansas City specialty not to be missed.

Texas is famous for its cattle, and beef brisket is the barbecue meat of choice. But chopped beef and beef ribs are also state favorites. Texas barbecue isn’t only about the beef, it is also about spicy pork sausages, called “hot links,” and pork ribs are also common barbecue fare. Almost all Texas barbecue is cooked without sauce. The meat is rubbed with spices, known as BBQ rub, smoked and, sometimes, a sauce is served on the side. Barbecue in other states is most often smoked over hickory, oak or a handful of other similar hardwoods. But Texas barbecue usually uses mesquite, which gives the meat a distinct and unique flavor.