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- NATION, Page 49American NotesSOUTH DAKOTARumble in the Black Hills
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- In the drowsy calm of a little town like Sturgis, S. Dak.
- (pop. 5,300), it is usually easy to notice when even one alien
- motorcyclist guns into town. But last week 275,000 showed up,
- along with a camp following of 42 portable tattoo parlors, for
- the 50th annual Black Hills Motor Classic. Bikers packed motels
- as far away as Sundance, Wyo., some 40 miles to the west. For
- seven days, they turned four blocks of Sturgis' Main Street
- into chopper gridlock, gathering for rock concerts (Allman
- Brothers, Steppenwolf, BTO), hill-climbing contests, an amateur
- female topless contest and motorcycle rodeos. Last year's
- rally drew 80,000 bikers and produced 2,745 traffic citations,
- 98 drunk-driving cases, 98 felony drug arrests and 21 accidents
- that killed three people. This year's visitors were no slouches
- either. Preliminary statistics show at least 150 drunk-driving
- collars, seven bikers killed in accidents, and one
- knife-wielding man shot dead by police.
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