Ohio Bike Week refueled for a return

SANDUSKY — Rev up the engines. After a one-year hiatus, because of COVID-19, Ohio Bike Week returns today with a spring rally. The five-day event goes through Monday, Memorial Day. While it's a lighter schedule compared to past events, all because of ongoing statewide pandemic-related regulations still in place, many motorcycle-themed activities associated with the popular festival did make a comeback. No matter residents or tourists, people can enjoy live entertainment at area bars and restaurants, group rides, poker runs and themed apparel from vendors. Coinciding with the spring rally, downtown Sandusky's Barrel House Saloon welcomes people for a grand reopening this week. The establishment — closed since March 14, 2020 — is owned by Steve Ernst, who's also the president of Advantage Entertainment, the company hosting Ohio Bike Week. Why the changes? Organizers released details on the spring rally and its truncated schedule on March 31, 2021. Most notably absent from the listing: There's no block party and its massive free concerts or dozens of food vendors. Had the governor made his announcement about restrictions easing up — such as him dropping mask mandates and loosening his stance on social gatherings — in February versus earlier this month, then the likelihood of hosting a traditional Ohio Bike Week would have been much greater, organizers said. "Our organization (waited) as long as possible to make a decision regarding this year's event-related offerings, hoping to see a last-minute lifting of the state's health orders and an ultimate end to this COVID-19-related crisis restrictions," Ernst wrote in the release almost two months ago. Ernst acknowledged Ohio Bike Week, in theory, could have hosted a block party — but it would be a logistical nightmare. "Current restrictions are such that we'd be at 30% capacity, and all of our customers would need to be sitting down to drink their beers or eat their food. And if they were standing, they would need to put their masks on," Ernst told the Register. "We'd also have trouble enforcing these issues. It's just not something that people have come to know and love about bike week." Making the best out of a bad situation Still, a spring rally is better than nothing at all, Ernst said. "We wanted to offer at least something for the people," Ernst said. "We want to walk this line as responsibly as we can. But it's a strange line we have to walk. We love having this event because it brings a lot of business to downtown and the surrounding areas." A mainstay of Ohio Bike Week has been the Founders Day Parade, a motorcycle ride from Roeder Racing in Monroeville to the block party in Sandusky. While that won't occur this year, in its place on Memorial Day, Monday, there will be a ride from Mad River Harley-Davidson on Milan Road (U.S. 250) to Ohio Veterans Home. Riders will return to the dealership. When asked if Ohio Bike Week would return with a block party in 2022, Barrel House general manager and bike week co-organizer Carl Coyne said, "Emphatically, yes. Our plan for 2022 is to have the block party."