After two seasons of mediocre attendance and weak reviews, the Killington Classic Rally is back. This year, the rally was better organized, better attended and vastly improved over last year. The rally took place September 10th through 12th a in Killington VT.
“This year was a big improvement over last year”, said Mo Shyne of Salem NH, who has attended all eight previous Classics. Shyne said she was so disappointed in last year’s rally she asked for her money back. She cited the revitalized parade and block party as reasons for this year’s satisfaction.
“Hundreds of bikes, all in a parade; how cool is that?” said Melanie from Buffalo, a parade spectator. She was in town with her mother on a senior citizen’s bus tour
Rally registration was up 500% and 1,000 motorcyclists participated in the weekend events, according Seth Webb, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for the town of Killington. Webb is one of the event’s organizers. He reported that area lodging and restaurant businesses did well over the weekend. A full report on the economic impact of the event is due out at the end of the month.
The improved signage and a consolidated vendor area were signs of the improved organization. Vendor participation was up this year over last with twenty vendors taking part.
Joey Leone played at the block party on Friday night and was excellent. The band played well to its audience, playing songs by the Allman Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top and the Rolling Stones.
The Saturday bike show highlight was a 1971 CB750 entered by Mike Vachon of Rochester NH. Vachon’s father was the bike’s original owner and passed the bike to Mike who restored it eight thousand miles ago.
“It was pretty grody,” he said. “I started out by finding the pipes. They were the key.” Vachon redid the motor and the other restoration work. The professionally redone sparkling orange paint is the bike’s original color.
Vachon rides the bike regularly having put eight thousand miles on it since the restoration. “It’s not a lawn ornament,” he said.
The rally can improve for next year. The bike show had nineteen classes, but fewer bikes. Shyne commented that she would like to see more vendors, since she believes it would draw more rally participants. She also said that few stores were open downtown during the block party, which was a disappointment for her.
Despite the room for improvement, the jump in quality over last year cannot be understated. The organizing committee appears headed in the right direction and has set the standard for next season’s rally at a high level.
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