Hoka Hey – ‘It’s a good day to die’

• Local man signs up for 7,000-mile motorcycle odyssey

By Aaron Selbig
Homer Tribune
They didn’t rumble into town on their Harley Davidsons, but Beth Durham and Annie Malloy – organizers of next summer’s Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge – made quite an impression on a five-day scouting trip to Homer last week.
They even managed to convince members of the Homer City Council – some of whom had strong reservations about the event a month ago – to unanimously pass a resolution in support of their efforts.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people and we’ve really gotten a warm welcome from the general public already,” said Malloy, who will be handling operations at the Homer finish line.
The Hoka Hey Challenge, which gets its name from a Sioux phrase meaning “It’s a good day to die,” is set to start in Key West, Fla. on June 20 and end in Homer 7,000 miles later around Fourth of July weekend. One thousand Harley Davidson riders – many of them Vietnam veterans – will pay $1,000 each to enter the Challenge. The winner will claim $500,000 in Alaska gold at the finish line.

During their visit, Durham and Malloy met with officials from the city and the Homer Chamber of Commerce to scope out possible locations for a large planned gathering – including music and a fireworks display – of riders and their families at the end of the event. Possibilities for hosting the throng of 2,000 to 3,000 people include the Kevin Bell Arena, the barge basin area on the Homer Spit and the “chip pad” at the end of Freight Dock Road, which is presently being used to store scrap metal.
As for finding lodging for all those people on an already busy Fourth of July weekend, Durham said she didn’t see it as a problem.
“The people we anticipate arriving in Homer are savvy and capable of improvising,” she said. “If they aren’t able to find a bed to sleep in or someone willing to let them set up a tent in their yard, I’m sure they will accept the hospitality that’s offered.”
So far, planning for the enormous event – 10,000 people are expected at the Key West start line – is coming along nicely, said Durham.
The route, which will be revealed to riders only as they complete 1,000-mile stages, is all set and people have turned up from all over the world – including Australia and China – to participate.
“With all the efforts that we’re putting forth and the number of applications coming in, I fully anticipate we’ll have our 1,000th rider within the next 30 to 60 days,” Durham said.
Homer rider Greg Martin, a lifelong Harley fan, plans to be one of them.
Martin plans to ride his 2002 Harley Davidson Fat Boy in the Challenge, followed by his wife and his brother in a support vehicle.
And Martin says he’s not in it for the money.
“I just like to ride,” he explained. “I’m not discounting the possibility that I could win, but you’ve got to think that, with 1,000 other people, the only thing that’s going to separate the winner from the losers is who can stay awake the longest and who’s got the hardest butt.”
Martin and a handful of local supporters joined Durham and Malloy in testifying before the council on Monday.
“This is every vendor’s dream in Homer,” said Martin to council members. “Every business owner that’s in this room right now stands to make money.”
“I think it would be a shame if the city didn’t do everything possible to assist this group in its effort to bring an event like this to Homer,” said Chamber Executive Director Tina Day, sporting a long-sleeved Hoka Hey Challenge shirt. “In a time of economic downturn, we should be doing everything within our means to bring visitors into our community.”
Council members passed the resolution, “expressing support for the Hoka Hey Challenge,” but postponed a sweeping new “special events” ordinance proposed by City Manager Walt Wrede.
The ordinance, written by City Attorney Thomas Klinkner and modeled after a similar law in Key West, would set up a permitting process for large events like the Hoka Hey Challenge. The ordinance would require organizers to pay a deposit of 10 percent of the estimated costs for city services like police, sanitation and traffic control.
“I would ask for 100 percent of the estimated costs,” said council member Dennis Novak. “You can always give the money back, but getting it after the fact isn’t always easy to do.”
Council member Barbara Howard agreed that 10 percent was too low.
“I personally think this is setting the city manager up for a lot of heartburn,” Howard said. “I’d like to see us get a little more exact so the city manager’s discretion is as little as possible.”
Durham said she had no problem with the ordinance and would do everything in her power to accommodate the council’s wishes.
“We are here to assure you that we will do our utmost to make sure that everything goes seamlessly and we don’t leave a stain on your impression of motorcyclists,” she said. “We knew we were going come to Homer. We knew that we needed to come back here and give these motorcycle riders a chance to see this beautiful place.”

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Posted by Newsroom on Sep 30th, 2009 and filed under Headline News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.