The roar of motorcycles will once again fill the air, and the sidewalks of downtown Fort Smith will be packed with people for the 2024 Steel Horse Rally.
The ninth-annual rally gets underway at noon on Friday with activities, live music and more planned throughout the two-day event.
New this year is the “Bikes and Badges” vintage motorcycle show that will be held in the parking lot of the United States Marshals Museum on Saturday.
Admission to the museum will also be free on Saturday, allowing visitors to tour the new museum and experience the exhibits at no cost.
Steel Horse Rally President Dennis Snow said the motorcycle rally is a family-friendly event where safety is always a top priority.
“One of the biggest draws for The Steel Horse Rally is the fact that you can park your motorcycle right in the middle of one of the widest downtown streets in the United States and that’s Garrison Avenue,” Snow said. “Only thing we ask is put your front tire on the yellow line.”
Beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday night and again at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, Garrison Avenue will be open only to motorcycles.
Traffic will be detoured along Rogers Avenue, as well as North A Street and North B Street through downtown Fort Smith.
“One of my favorite memories of the rally is watching on Saturday morning, the mom walkers out there with their children and handing their infant to a big old burly biker that she doesn’t know and taking a picture,” Snow said. “Come down, spend your money, have a great time, and I promise you we will keep you safe.”
Organizers estimate more than 210,000 people attended last year’s motorcycle rally and that it was a $25 million boost to the local economy.
“We had some people last year from Britain, we had some from New Zealand, so each year it grows,” Snow said.
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