Vulcan Bike Week
Vulcan Bike Week was a motorcycling rally which was to have been held in the Summer of 2010 at the Birmingham Race Course. It was organized by G Entertainment LLC, incorporated by John Gibson, Sr and his son Johnny Gibson.
In addition to racing competitions and aesthetic judging, the week-long event was to have featured live music, dance shows, vendors and prize giveaways. The featured event was the Thunder on the Mountain Drag Race at the Alabama International Dragway in Steele, with an announced $90,000 total purse. Headline entertainers for the inaugural Bike Week were to include the Dan Lawson Band, Wes Jeans, the Pat Travers Band, and Tracii Guns' L.A. Guns.
Speculation about the ability of the unproven organizers to pull off a high-profile event made participants skittish. The details of the races were changed several times, announced by postings to motorcycle racing message boards. Few riders showed up and the first band performed for only a handful of vendors. Difficulties with permitting for vendors led the Gibsons to scramble, moving the entire event to Steele, despite having already cashed a $25,000 check from the City of Birmingham to support its projected economic impact. The projections proved absurdly optimistic as most of the few riders and vendors who made the trip turned around at the gates. The promised purse failed to materialize and track owner Jason Curtis contributed the gate receipts to offset the competitors' expenses.
After receiving numerous phone calls complaining about the event, O'Reilly Auto Parts stopped selling tickets to the event from stores in the region. Mayor William Bell assigned an aide to look into recalling Birmingham's funding. On July 22, Mayor Bell's chief of staff Chuck Faush announced that the Gibsons had returned the $25,000 to the city.
References
- Gray, Jeremy (July 2, 2010) "Vulcan Bike Week moving to Steele but keeping $25,000 from Birmingham." Birmingham News
- Underwood, Jerry (July 3, 2010) "Vulcan Bike Week loses corporate sponsor, report says." Birmingham News
- Cavanaugh, Paul (July 5, 2010) "Vulcan Bike Week goes off with a fizzle, tempers flare" DragbikeLive.com
- Diel, Stan (July 8, 2010) "Birmingham officials embarrassed they didn't check motorcycle rally promoter's background." Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (July 22, 2010) "Promoters of failed motorcycle rally return $25,000 to city of Birmingham." Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (July 25, 2010) "Vulcan Bike Week's promoter denies any shady intent for failed event." Birmingham News
- Pelfrey, David (August 5, 2010) "Dead City Diary". Black & White
External links
- Vulcan Bike Week website (music plays)