Ladies, gentlemen; start your engines

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Times & Transcript

Location: D4

Topics: Miscellaneous, Editorials, Major Events

We Say: Motorcycle events as much about 'economic engines' as bike motors

Starting tomorrow, Main Street and all of Metro Moncton will hear the roar of engines as we host motorcycle enthusiasts from across the Atlantic region and all of Canada with two special events, MotoMoncton and the 17th Canadian National Harley Owners Group (H.O.G) Rally.

Both events can be described as 'festivals' of sorts, no different from the larger city's annual celebrations of, well, practically everything; from books to fine wines to a good laugh to the simple joy of flying a kite over our unsullied, wide open skies.

Where the H.O.G. rallies move all over Canada, MotoMoncton is all our own, started by the City of Moncton and local motorcycle dealers last year as replacement for Atlanticade, a similar festival born here and now continuing its success in various communities in the Maritimes.

The success of such events, much like Moncton's annual car show the Atlantic Nationals, is borne not merely out of Canada's abiding love for the automotive engine in all its forms but out of a love for the open road and the wide open spaces of our country, which speak so eloquently of freedom and the prospect of an open future full of surprise and new opportunity.

Thus, we invite all New Brunswickers, whether or not they are 'born to be wild,' to come on out and enjoy the fun for the next four days. More than 3,000 registrants are expected for the combined events and they will be an entertainment in themselves, but so will all our restaurants and bars, tourism amenities such as Magic Mountain, Magnetic Hill and Casino New Brunswick, the beaches of the Northumberland Strait, our two national parks, what is built so far of the Fundy Parkway and all our wonderfully friendly towns and villages.

Indeed the success of the motorcycle rallies is a thing to be celebrated by the entire region as the bikers provide an always-welcome boost to our seasonal economy, but there is more to it than that.

Greeting all our 'come from aways' gives us a chance to hear about our region from our visitors, and to gain perspective from beyond our doorsteps about this great land of ours, as seen from the open road.