Tons of beer, rally girls, burnout pit: Suck Bang Blow readies for Myrtle Beach bike rally

On the Tuesday before the start of the Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally, there is much to get done at Suck Bang Blow.

Bars need to be built, coolers need to be cleaned and beer needs to be stored. Employees mill around, carrying pallets of hard iced tea with forklifts and chatting as they drill together pieces of wood.

Suck Bang Blow is one of — if not the — most popular spot for bikers to hang out at during the Spring Bike Rally. Every year the Murrells Inlet establishment, located at 3393 U.S. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet, sees more than 100,000 people come in during the nine-day motorcycle festival, said special events coordinator Bill Barber.

This year, Spring Bike Rally — also known as Spring Bike Week, Harley Davidson Bike Rally and Myrtle Beach Bike Week — will be held May 10 through May 19. Bikers will begin filing in over the next week and it’s expected to be busiest the second weekend.

The bike rally tends to spread across the Myrtle Beach area, with the most popular spots being on the southern end near Murrells Inlet. There is no one in charge of the rally, Barber said. Instead the bikers are the ones who own it.

Creating an entertaining space for bikers

Suck Bang Blow has become popular for the ways its innovated entertainment for bikers, Barber said. Two of the main ways it draws people in is through the burnout pit and the entertainment lineup.

Barber said the old owner used to allow burnouts in the restaurant, but that hasn’t been done in years — although you can still see pieces of rubber stuck to the ceiling. Now there’s a dedicated burnout pit in the back.

The burnout pit has become so iconic that after bikers died, they requested their ashes be thrown into the pit. Barber said they’ll get thrown in at the beginning of the rally and by the end, he can still see some of the ashes.

There’s also constant entertainment at the two stages located on property. Live bands start playing in the early afternoon and don’t stop until the night.

There used to be more motorcycle games, Barber said, but they no longer have the space. Suck Bang Blow used to have an 11-acre property called the Four Corners that’s been sold. The current space also gets so many people that it’s impossible to walk around, let alone play bike games.

A year in the making

Planning for the next rally begins as soon as the last one is over, Barber said. It takes a year to organize bands, put together a schedule and figure out drink orders. Before the motorcycle rally begins, event manager Justin Rooks said all the alcohol orders have been put in.

Barber did not share how many cases of beer are sold, but on Tuesday there were six pallets of beer and hard iced tea sitting outside and likely more already stored in the cooler. The bar also gets a new shipment every morning.

It’s important the shipment comes in the morning or else it can’t be put away, Barber said. The space gets so crowded that simply walking from bar to bar can be impossible, let alone putting away cases of liquor.

Setup begins the week before Spring Bike Rally. On Tuesday, the sound of drills and the scent of cleaning products hung in the air as employees built the bars and wiped them down. Stacks of chairs and bar stools sat around waiting to be setup as employees moved around, trying to get everything ready as soon as possible.

The stage manager walks around with what appears to be the security manager, telling him where security guards are needed. She points at a small space between a portable toilet and a wooden fence, saying a guard is needed there because someone slipped through the hole and went backstage before.

There will be well over a dozen bars constructed around the property specifically for the rally. Barber said he wants to make sure customers have multiple options of where they can order a drink.

Rooks said the setup is hard, but once the rally starts, all he has to do is “keep it oiled.” The planning and setup allow them to focus on providing the best service they can to customers.

A cross-country team

Every year during the Spring Bike Rally, a crew of around 80 to 100 people work at Suck Bang Blow, Rooks said. This is a mix of local and out-of-town employees.

A team of what can best be described as professional rally workers join the year-round employees at Suck Bang Blow every year, Barber said. The out-of-town crews move across the United States, working at other motorcycle rallies, such as Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sutrgis, South Dakota, and Daytona Bike Week in Florida.

This includes the rally girls who come in. Barber said he has some of the best rally girls working for the Spring Bike Rally. He clarified there’s “nothing illegal” going on with the girls and that they’re great, hard-working bartenders.

They also stellar entertainers. While working, they’ll stand on the bar and blow fire or crack a whip, exciting the crowds.

There’s a sense of camaraderie among the staff. While speaking to The Sun News, Barber would stop to give the stage manager a hug and give greetings to staff milling around. The employees chatted as they put together the bars. While in an interview, Rooks set up a bar with another person while answering questions.

Barber compares working the Spring Bike Rally to being in the military. He says the grueling work often bonds everyone into a family. During the rally, people may work 16-hour days in a packed outdoor bar. He sees everyone, including himself, getting worn down as the week continues.

Despite the exhaustion, Barber said he loves Suck Bang Blow and Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally. At 69, he’s sad he’s had to switch from working from full- to part-time.

“I wish I was here 24/7,” Barber said.