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Biker rallies on go By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photo by Sue Watson
Convincing city leaders
Andy McMillon and Charles Terry get the approval of the city board. |
Andy
McMillon and Charles Terry with the Holly Springs Main Street promotion
committee have convinced the mayor and board of aldermen to close off
North Center Street this summer on Thursday nights to promote the blues
trail. The rally begins at 6:30 p.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Holly
Springs has many motorcycle enthusiasts, including one alderman, one
college president and many businessmen. They will likely participate in
the celebration of the blues trail on the street where blues enthusiast
David Caldwell has his famous collection of blues recordings at Aikei
Pro’s on North Center Street. Terry and McMillon
said they want to hold a motorcycle rally every Thursday night from
July 22 through the end of September. It will be a night out where
motorcyclists can gather for fellowship, Terry said. “Motorcycling has become a family-oriented thing and wives and children ride,” he said. Mayor Andre’ DeBerry asked how a rally would benefit the city. McMillon
said it would first promote the city and bring attention to a town that
needs promoting and to the area that is in need of cleaning up. “The
people who ride will be people like Dr. Beckley - not the show-off
type,” he said. “There will not be a lot of noise and they will leave
the place the way they found it.” McMillon said
the cyclists would visit the local restaurants like JB’s, Annie’s,
Copper Kettle, Victor’s and Michael’s and their presence would help
promote downtown. “I went to Beale Street two
weeks ago just to see,” he said. “These people spend a lot of money on
motorcycles. We will have no activities at first but, hopefully, will
do the blues festival later.” The rally, dubbed
“Hidden Treasures of Holly Springs,” will require that North Center
Street be closed to traffic from College Avenue to Park Avenue and the
north lane of College Avenue be closed. And it will require some
portable restroom facilities and more garbage containers, he said. DeBerry suggested the Tourism Bureau be asked to help rent the portable restrooms. McMillon
said Main Street would like to change attitudes about the area which
has a reputation as a hangout. He suggested calling the area by its
name - North Center Street - with hopes it would change the character
of the area. At some point a local bluesman may be invited to play on the street at one of the rallies. “We
want people to come out and help remove the stigma of North Center
Street,” Terry said. “We would want the public to come out to look at
the motorcycles and to support it.” “I think it’s a good idea,” said the mayor. “People from out of town do not know ‘the Alley’ by its reputation,” Terry explained. “The
Alley has history and was once an economic center as it relates to
African American history,” DeBerry said. “I think the culture needs to
be resurrected as a positive.” The discussion
ended, and the board of aldermen unanimously approved the blocking off
of the area for weekly motorcycle rallies. |
