Weather, economy drive 103rd Motorcycle Week turnout

The 103rd Laconia Motorcycle Week attracted thousands of riders and visitors to the area, and while the difficult economy expectedly deterred some, the beautiful weather for the majority of the week may have made up for it.

Father’s Day weekend culminated the nine-day rally, which organizers boast as the oldest in the world. Staff said the final weekend may have been a little tame because of the fickle weather forecast, but Friday was one of the strongest days of the week.

“The turnout was fine, and we’re happy anytime anyone is coming to Laconia,” said Executive Director Charlie St. Clair. “Our biggest thing is that people have a good time. It’s what we strive for all year, to make sure people feel welcome and go home with great memories.”

St. Clair said numbers were “a little soft,” but said this was expected. He said Motorcycle Week is a microcosm of the entire country, and when the economy is struggling, it's felt here. That isn’t just for Motorcycle Week, but tourism for the Lakes Region as a whole. St. Clair said U.S.-Canada relations may have hindered some riders coming down from the northern border.

“I expected that, and it was something I saw at other rallies over the winter and last summer,” St. Clair said.

It was important to note there were days Weirs Beach was packed, with plenty of riders out and about. Deputy Director Jenn Andrson said Monday she was still trying to process the week, but noticed when attendance was high, it was very high. Other days, like Thursday and Father's Day Weekend, due to the weather, struggled.

Anderson said she noticed the final day can be tough to gauge. It rained earlier than expected on Sunday, and Saturday's weather was a little unsure at times.

“If it is beautiful, even when people check out at 10 or 11, they will stick around and hang in The Weirs,” Anderson said. “But I was at The Weirs when that happened, and definitely noticed the crowd was decreased because of that, for sure.”

Anderson also noted some short-term rental agencies book Saturday to Saturday, which she thinks stopped people from sticking around.

Friday may have been the top day for turnout. She said, from a local perspective, there were many people off from work for Juneteenth, who took advantage of the beautiful weather.

Wednesday’s Gunstock Hill Climb, in Gilford, also brought in close to 10,000 people, and once that event wrapped up around 4 p.m., there was a huge influx of people near rally headquarters on Lakeside Avenue, in Weirs Beach. Anderson said this was the best turnout she has ever seen at the Gunstock Hill Climb.

“Those people just flocked into Weirs Beach, and you could feel it,” Anderson said. “I was blown away.”

From the first weekend through Wednesday, Anderson said they noticed merchandise sales were much higher.

“Monday and Tuesday were significantly busier than what I anticipated, and I attribute that to the weather.”

Anderson said she walked around Lakeside Avenue with a videographer for interviews, which showed the diverse crowd. People came from near and far, some from Florida, and others from California and other western states.

Anderson said when Memorial Day weekend was so slow, possibly due to rain, she was a little worried. She thought maybe the economy was playing more of a role than she thought. While this still may be the case, Anderson was pleased with the attendance at many of the events and rides.

“Thursday, that weather didn’t change over until late, and prior to that it was ugly,” Anderson said. “That hurt some of the smaller events we had planned. Outside of that, everything was well attended.”

Anderson said it was a great week, and better than she anticipated.

“It just goes to show that weather plays a big role for us, especially for the local New England crowd, or maybe broader than that, the Northeast,” Anderson said. “Weather makes a big difference.”

Safety

Fire Chief Tim Joubert said his department fielded many calls, including some serious accidents, but he was happy to report as of Monday morning, there were no deaths in the city.

The busiest day from his point of view was Friday, with seven motorcycle accidents. Joubert said this number was large, even for Motorcycle Week.

“That is high for a single day,” Joubert said.

Joubert said that day there was one bad accident on Endicott Street North, in front of Cumberland Farms, where a vehicle hit a motorcycle after someone crossed the center line. Crews were on scene at 6:01 p.m. on June 19, and brought a 65-year-old, unresponsive man to the hospital, with traumatic injuries, including to his head. Joubert was unsure if the patient was wearing a helmet. Crews left the scene by 7:45 p.m.

That area tended to be extremely active all week, at the top of Tower Street, near the entrance to Weirs Beach.

“It was the hot-spot this year,” Joubert said, adding there was also a bad accident involving a 19-year-old hit by a truck on Wednesday.

The call came in at 9:12 p.m. on June 17, and crews were on-scene within two minutes, and took the patient to Concord Hospital-Concord within minutes with a serious, traumatic injury.

The department had its hands full throughout the week, including with a significant fire on June 14, at the former Laconia State School property. There were days when firefighters responded to 25 call or more, and included medical emergencies, fire alarms, and other accidents.

“I can’t speak highly enough about our staff,” Joubert said. “They went above and beyond this week. Some people didn’t see their families the entire week, and the ability to handle multiple calls was unbelievable.”

There were times when Laconia firefighters were responding to as many as five calls at a time, and he said they did well in ensuring people were treated and taken to the hospital quickly.

“The care provided was unbelievable,” Joubert said.

Joubert said there is plenty of planning that goes into their approach to Motorcycle Week. Every year, they review their operation and staffing plans, and take mass casualty incident training. They also operate differently on weekends, using a captain with an aid in a roving vehicle.

“The captain is the eyes and ears of The Weirs,” Joubert said. “We want to make sure we have the right apparatus and people at the right incident, at the right time.”

Joubert said this is a change from the past, where they would send every piece of equipment they had to each call. That, he said, could create a hazard. Joubert said there are key spots, like the Weirs Drive-In, where they sent in an off-road vehicle, rather than an ambulance, to check on a patient.

“Time is important,” Joubert said.

Joubert said it was a full-scale effort by the entire department, and noted his office manager was doing payroll on Monday, and there were 550 hours of overtime logged.

Chief Matt Canfield was unavailable on Monday, but last week said there weren’t any major issues to note, and the turnout had been solid from what he'd seen.

Death in Meredith

While there were no deaths in Laconia, one person died in Meredith, on June 20, the final Saturday of Motorcycle Week.

Miguel Garcia Jr., 22, of Nashua, died after crashing his motorcycle on Interstate 93 South. State Police reported Garcia was operating a 2021 Honda CBR600RR motorcycle, and “for reasons that remain under investigation,” left the road and lost control.

The motorcycle slid across the median into the trees. The motorcycle was found at 3:33 p.m., and police determined the crash happened hours earlier.

New Hampton Fire Chief Scott Cathy said the highway is an area where his department, and Sanbornton Fire, respond. Cathy said it is a bustling area, as Exits 23 and 24 bring drivers to the lakes and mountains from either direction.

“It was a busy week for a lot of areas,” Cathy said. “I refer to the area as the gateway to the Lakes Region.”

Cathy said starting on June 13, calls picked up for his department. On Route 104, there was an accident between a car and a motorcycle with a passenger. They were transported to Concord Hospital-Concord with life-threatening injuries, and Cathy said the last update he received on Friday was they were alive.

Anyone with information about the crash should email Trooper Peter Kosakowski at Peter.C.Kosakowski@dos.nh.gov.

Looking ahead

St. Clair said in Laconia, the accidents he saw were mostly involving younger, inexperienced motorcyclists “doing things they shouldn’t.” He said one accident is too many, but noted with the number of people coming into the area, serious incidents remained low.

“I am always concerned about safety, all year long,” St. Clair said. “Yes, we had accidents, but when you think of the numbers, they are pretty good.”

St. Clair has been running Laconia Motorcycle Week since he took the role part-time in 1991. He moved to full-time the following year, and never looked back. There are tweaks made year-to-year, and planning for the next event began back in April.

“There is no moss growing under our feet,” St. Clair said.