That would be the 30th Laughlin River Run.
The earliest inhabitants of this Colorado River Valley town were the Mojave people, but this past weekend the valley was full of Harley-Davidson riders with all the necessities (read $$ in wallets) to create a prosperous event.
With 2012 marking the 30th anniversary of the River Run there was plenty of denim and leather on display and Casino Drive even had a fresh layer of asphalt and stripping! And not one, but two law firms specializing in motorcycle accident cases attended the event with vendor booths.
The official stats have not been released yet, but early indicators from the Laughlin Tourism Board indicate that there was a 40% jump in attendance at the annual motorcycle event and was expected to give the town a $40M boost to the local economy. In fact, the River Run is the city’s single biggest revenue-generating event and accounts for approximately 10% of the revenue for many hotels, bars and restaurants.
Yep, law enforcement was out in force during the event and at times seemed to outnumber the motorcycle enthusiasts. There was a stepped up “no colors” policy which was highly visible through-out the valley on electronic reader boards and on signage at the casinos.
I was a day-tripper this year and the weather couldn’t have been better with temperatures in the mid-80’s. Besides communing with other bikers our group attended the annual “pimpin shrimp” and “pig-from-a-pit” BBQ in Needles where Dave and Manny impressed everyone with their cooking skills.
It was good people, cold refreshments and lots of fun!
Photos take by author.
The weather was great, seeing old friends and meeting new ones even better. The wet t-shirt contest wasn’t so bad either. Glad you made there & back in one piece.
No colors…well, Hell I think that is BS….Not sure it kept a lot of them from going but then again, maybe it did.
It’s a good enough event….just think the no colors sucks….it’s gross discrimination.
Respects,
WJ