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Street dance planned for 2011 MC rally

Though a lack of funds cancelled this year’s edition of the Rosalia Motorcycle Rally, organizers have planned a street dance to fund next year’s event.

Rita Crowl with the Brass Rail tavern said the rally was too important to the town, and members of the Rosalia Motorcycle Rally Association wanted to see it continue.

“It brought so much to our town, we figured this is a start to bringing it back,” she said.

Throughout its four-year stint, the annual August motorcycle rally stoked controversy in Rosalia.

While it was first viewed as an economic boon to Rosalia, several citizens questioned the damage the event did to the town’s reputation.

The motorcycle association took over promotion of the rally, which at one time brought a reported 20,000 people to Rosalia, in 2008.

Founder and promoter Josh Bryan was accused of withholding payments due the city from ticket sales.

Those accusations sparked off a series of legal entanglements that ended with lawsuits filed against Bryan, the town, the park and recreation district and several members of the motorcycle association.

The association put together the 2008 and 2009 rallies, but the events drew muted crowds and cost members thousands of dollars.

Citing the effect the recession has had on the motorcycle industry, and a need to gather more financial backing, the association decided not to host a rally this summer.

Instead, the group will cordon off a block of Whitman Street for a fund-raising street dance next Saturday, Aug. 28.

The dance will cover an entire block of downtown throughout the night, to allow attendees to hear the sounds of local classic rock band Nighthawk. Admission to the dance will be $5, with proceeds going into a fund to hold a rally next year.

 

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