Fayetteville merchants, police discuss this year’s BB&BBQ

BY KATE WARD Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Wednesday, September 20, 2006

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The Fayetteville Police Department is planning not only to vamp up security during this year's Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally, but also bolster its relationship with local merchants. That was the message police department representatives communicated to a roomful of Dickson Street business owners who attended the police department's merchant meeting on Tuesday to discuss plans for Bikes, Blues & BBQ.

"As representatives of downtown Dickson, we know you have some valuable information," said Sgt. Shannon Gabbard of the Fayetteville Police Department. "We anticipate that this going to be a pretty big gathering again and we want input from all of you about how this can be a safer, better event or everyone."

The 7 th annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ rally is set to run from Sept. 27 through Sept. 30.

Matt Partain, special events coordinator for the Fayetteville Police Department, said the merchant meeting is designed to address any issues or concerns that local businesses may have from last year.

"We had some merchants upset last year because their employees didn't have anywhere to park," he said. "Bikes, Blues & BBQ has worked on that issue and this year they're distributing 65 parking passes for employees."

Partain said street closing for the event will begin on the first day of the rally.

"Street closing will be pretty much the same as last year, but this year, all side streets will be blocked off," he said. "All of Dickson Street will be closed up to St. Charles (Avenue ). On Wednesday, we'll start closing off the rest of the streets starting at Locust and moving up as it gets more crowded. The only access people will have to Dickson Street is through Arkansas Avenue and St. Charles."

Partain said three shuttle busses will be at the Randal Tyson Track Center and will circulate every 15 minutes. The busses, he said, will begin their route on Sept. 28 and run until 2 a.m. each night. All three busses, he said, will pick up and drop off passengers near the intersection of Spring Street and West Avenue. Three taxi drop-off points, he said, have also been identified near Dickson and University Avenue; Spring and West and St. Charles and Dickson.

"We'll have maps that identify all the city parking lots people can park in," he said. "Please tell your employees that we'll be working harder on parking enforcement this year. It's gotten out of hand and we've found that most of the people who violate parking laws are locals."

In addition to improved parking accommodations, Partain said the city has also improved its street lighting.

"We found six or seven light bulbs that were out and changed them," he said. "We're trying to light up that area not only for the participants, but also for the employees that go home at night."

Partain said street signs will also be placed at either end of Dickson Street this year reading "No Weapons Allowed. "In addition, he said, officers from other police agencies such as Benton County, Rogers and Washington County, will be assisting local law enforcers with patrol on Dickson Street.

"It will be business as usual as far as the police department is concerned - firm, fair and courteous," he said. "Making an arrest is our last option. It takes officers off the streets. That's why we rely on you to point out some of your concerns, so we can address them before they become a problem."

Nelson Driver, executive director for Bikes, Blues & BBQ also attended Tuesday's merchant meeting.

"One of the things we're doing to alleviate pressure on Dickson Street, is moving half the event out to the Randal Tyson Track and baseball arena," he said. "We have a 90, 000-square-foot indoor stage and beer garden at the indoor track. We'll move anything with motorcycles, parts and accessories out there."

Driver said this year's barbecue contest will be nearly twice as big as last year's event.

"The barbecue contest will be confined to the mall area," he said. "We're also going to have some more stunt performances and those will also take place at the mall. One of the reasons we're spreading this year's event out a little more is to prevent people from riding up here, parking and not touching their bikes until they leave. One of the main reasons people come here is to ride their bikes. We want them to be able to get out a little more and see everything."

Driver said Bikes, Blues & BBQ has also cut out 39 food vendors during this year's rally.

"We cut some of them out by natural selection and others were not invited back for various reasons," he said. "We know that all the restaurants will be packed during this festival, but we don't even want to risk competing with local businesses. That's one of the reasons we've purposely priced our beers in the beer garden at $ 4 each."

According to Sharon Crosson, parking and telecom manager for the city, Bikes, Blues & BBQ vendors must have permits identifying that they've paid their sales tax. In addition, vendors not associated with Bikes, Blues & BBQ must obtain a transit merchant license.

"If you want to set up and sell, you still have to pay your sales tax unless you have an Arkansas Sales Tax License," she said. "Code compliance will be going through and looking for permits."

Partain said vendors found in violation of code compliance will face harsh consequences.

"We're not so concerned with Dickson Street, it's the merchants who set up everywhere else. They end up making several thousand dollars and leaving the very next day without paying a dime to anyone else. If your going to make a little money here, you need to put some of that money back into the community. If you get caught selling without a permit, the penalty could be up to $ 500."

Driver said the Bikes, Blues & BBQ Board is focused on keeping this year's event family friendly.

"I had one guy call me and complain that there were too many baby strollers," he said. "Well, if he has a problem with that, he can go to another rally. It's of paramount importance to keep this event family friendly."

Driver said cleanup for the event will occur between 2 and 3 a.m. each day.

"Our final cleanup will begin at 6 a.m. on Sunday," he said. "Our goal is to look like we were never even there, by the time we're finished cleaning."

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