DATE: Thursday, September 25, 1997          TAG: 9709250328

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   71 lines

NATIONAL GUARD BACKS PROPOSAL FOR OCEANFRONT MOTORCYCLE RALLY

John Riley, an Atlantic Avenue tavern owner, has found someone willing to help him stage a motorcycle rally at the Oceanfront.

The Virginia National Guard has given him tentative approval for a rally in late April at Camp Pendleton, and Riley estimates 15,000 to 20,000 bikers from all over the East Coast would attend.

The Virginia Beach Hotel and Motel Association splashed cold water on the plan in August when the board of directors voted against the proposal.

``We felt we just couldn't handle the numbers,'' association president James H. Capps explained.

Riley, owner of Hammerhead's Surf Bar & Grill in the 2100 block of Atlantic Ave., thought the board had sealed the fate of the rally, but a visit to the regional State Fair at Camp Pendleton in early August gave him an idea.

``My wife and I went to the fair, and I looked around at all the space and thought this would be a great place to have it,'' Riley said. ``It's three-quarters of a mile from Oceanfront hotels and three-quarters of a mile from two large campgrounds.''

Riley envisions holding an annual biker rally at the Beach to kick-start the city's tourism season in April. A portion of the proceeds from the weekend event would be given to the Leukemia Society of America.

He received a tentative go-ahead to proceed with plans for the rally at Camp Pendleton, a 320-acre military reservation at the Oceanfront along General Booth Boulevard.

Maj. Myles E. Altimus, of the training and support office of the Virginia National Guard in Richmond, said legal technicalities involving the leukemia society and the Virginia National Guard need to be worked out.

Also, Altimus cautioned, the rally could be bumped by any National Guard activities scheduled in April. ``It could be canceled if we have training exercises down there,'' he said. ``That's a risk everybody takes.''

Riley intends to press on. The only apparent obstacle now in his way is a city permit that would allow motorcylists to park along Atlantic Avenue during the weekend. He has shelled out $100 for a permit application, which now must wend its way through nearly 10 city departments and civic groups. ``I'm just trying to do everything the right way,'' he said.

Riley made his pitch for support from the innkeepers' association in July but was told by Capps that the innkeepers would have to take the matter under study. The following month, the board of directors decided to oppose the rally. The general membership of the association usually goes along with decisions by the board.

In making his presentation to the innkeepers in July, Riley said similar biker rallies - with far larger turnouts - are held each year in Daytona Beach, Fla.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; and Sturgis, S.D., with positive financial results. For instance, he said, a recent rally in Myrtle Beach brought in an estimated $43.7 million in revenue for the coastal resort. More than 200,000 bikers attended the last Daytona Beach rally.

Riley, a graduate of Princess Anne High School and Virginia Tech, says he has staged mini-biker rallies at the Oceanfront in the past two years with no fanfare. He had the blessings of a resort hotel owner who agreed to permit visiting cyclists to assemble in his parking lots. More than 650 bikers attended the first year and 1,000 the second.

Riley said the gatherings raised $2,000 in the first year for the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia and $3,000 the second year for the Special Olympics. ILLUSTRATION: Photos

DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH photos/The Virginian-Pilot

John Riley, owner of Hammerhead's Surf Bar & Grill in the 2100 block

of Atlantic Ave. at the Oceanfront, has won tentative approval from

the Virginia National Guard for a motorcycle rally at Camp

Pendleton.

Riley envisions an annual biker rally at the Beach to kick-start the

city's tourism season in April. KEYWORDS: MOTORCYCLE RALLY

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