DAYTONA BEACH — Adorned in a shaggy, Muppet-worthy helmet, Charles Craven attracted plenty of attention as he painstakingly backed his Harley-Davidson into one of the rare parking spaces still available at lunchtime on Sunday, closing day of the 77th annual Bike Week.
It was a trifle hard to hear Craven from inside headgear that was a textural cross between Elmo and Oscar the Grouch, but he was clear about what he’d improve about Bike Week:
“More parking!” said Craven, who rode from Middleburg, south of Jacksonville, for his fourth Bike Week with his wife, Victoria. “We’ve been bouncing around here and there and we’ve enjoyed it. The events at the race track we love, Main Street is always great.”
If the congested Main Street motorcycle traffic on Sunday afternoon was any indication, many bikers were sticking around for a long, lingering goodbye to Bike Week 2018.
Sidewalks were clogged with pedestrians and outdoor merchandise stands selling T-shirts, patches and other accessories, often for a closing-day discount. On the street, exhaust pipes rumbled as the motorcycles gleamed in bright sunshine that lifted temperatures into the low 80s.
“We’ve had such beautiful weather, and that has played into keeping people out and about,” said Janet Kersey, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, official sponsor of Bike Week, a 10-day event that opened March 9. “They love to come down here for that Florida sunshine and we sure served it up this time.”
Organizers estimate that nearly 500,000 visitors attended the event at various points, Kersey said. Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Kim Montes reported that by midday Sunday, only one motorcycle-related fatality had been reported in Volusia County from March 9-18.
Although veteran Bike Week visitors this year often observed that crowds looked smaller than in the past, Kersey attributed that perception to the fact that the event has expanded its reach from traditional hubs on Main Street and Beach Street in Daytona Beach, as well as the Destination Daytona complex at Interstate 95 and U.S. Highway 1 in Ormond Beach.
“The crowds were there, although they ebbed and flowed like they traditionally do,” Kersey said. “All the while, the footprint is continuing to expand and we’re seeing more outlying areas participate with more activities for folks riding even farther out to enjoy the area.”
Although Steve Estes, 71, and his wife, Shannon, ventured to the Boot Hill Saloon for motorcycle- and people-watching on Sunday, the Oak Hill couple said they generally stayed closer to home for activities in Edgewater and other spots in southern Volusia County.
“It has kind of spread out,” said Steve, adding that the couple have traveled to Bike Week annually since 1999, before moving to Oak Hill two years ago. “At a spot like Destination Daytona, it’s such a zoo there, with so much traffic, and we can go there anytime we want now.”
Bike Week’s expansion hasn’t necessarily been positive news for Main Street vendors, including some who reported a decline in business this year compared with previous events.
“It was slow,” said Jason Austin, as he sliced and sauced beef brisket at his stand outside Boot Hill Saloon. “I haven’t really looked at the dollar figures, but my product (consumption) was down, and when your product is down, your sales are down. If I had to guess, I’d say I’m down 20 to 25 percent.”
Sales also were down for T-shirt vendor Hector Sequis, who was hoping to rally on Sunday with a sale that offered four commemorative Bike Week T-shirts for $25.
“It’s slow,” Sequis said. “Not too many bikers. A couple years back, we had a lot of bikers, but every year it’s a wonderful rally. It’s good to have it.”
Although the event’s impact on hotel occupancy isn’t immediately clear, one local leader in the hospitality industry offered a prediction.
“What I’m hearing is that it may be a little less than last year in terms of hotel rooms and overnight stays,” said Bob Davis, president of the Lodging & Hospitality Association of Volusia County. “There was the increased number of winter storms in the east and the north. When something like that happens, people have to take care of themselves and take care of other things, besides vacations, after the storms.
"I’m also hearing that (online peer-to-peer booking company) Airbnb is taking a lot of the vacationers. Because of those two factors, I’ll predict we’re a tad down from last year.”
News-Journal staffer Katie Kustura contributed to this report.