Soap Lake revs up for motorcycle rally

2nd annual event to provide economic stimulus for city

Soap Lake has its motor running in anticipation.

This weekend hosts the second annual Lava Love Run to the Sun motorcycle rally.

"We had a couple thousand people last year and we expect to do as well or better than last year," said Brent Blake, director of the event. "Typically, these kinds of things grow 20 percent a year or better, but some events will double or triple in size depending on advertising and whether people have a good experience."

Blake said that was the case with last year's event.

"(It was) a terrific event last year, no problems and just a laid back experience for everybody," he said.

"It brings people to the area, brings bikes to the area," said Mid Kreider, a vendor-coordinator for the event. "Our poker-run turns into a geography lesson because a lot of people haven't been up to the lakes or through the Coulees. It just brings people to the community."

The festival is designed to be another economic stimulus for Soap Lake and to just be an event for the city, Blake said. Secondarily, he said it will generate revenue for the Giant Lava Lamp Project, Inc., of which Blake is president and CEO, which hopes to build the world's largest lava lamp in Soap Lake.

"I'm a Harley rider and I've attended rallies," he said. "There's nothing really close here. This will ultimately be the biggest rally in eastern Washington."

Krieder said she also has a bike, attends rallies and is involved in charity runs.

The event is open to "bikers of every persuasion and model of bike," as well as motorcycle enthusiasts, Blake said, adding that typically an event that is not drawn to specific types of bikers will attract 80 percent Harley-Davidson bikers and 20 percent other types of bikes. He said the bike show will also feature awards for bikes.

"It's strongly supported by the community," Blake said. "Eventually an event like this will have a big regional effect."

And as for the noise level of so many motorcycles?

"The pleasant sound of hundreds of Harleys is music to a lot of people's ears," Blake said, adding that there will also be music playing in the park. "It was very laid back last year, and most of these kinds of events are that way. It's not what most people would expect."

"It's a family thing," Kreider said. "A lot of people have a conception about bike people, that we're all bad in some way, shape or form, like the Hollister days or whatnot. We're showing that it's a family, a community event … It's all breeds of people — police officers, doctors, lawyers, dentists and business owners."

The Lava Love Run to the Sun begins Friday with registration at noon at the waterfront park until the Sunday morning Christian biker church service.

Weekend music acts include Blues Attitude at the Businessmen's Club, Enders Brothers at Don's Restaurant, Pure Luck and Sammy Eubanks at the Del Red Pub and Bluebone and Colorblind at the outdoor stage in the park.