Hells Angels coming back to Eureka

20 years ago -- Then-mayor Richard Shoneninger, at left, met with the leader of the Hell's Angels, Sonny Barger, at right, when the Angels last came to town 20 years ago. See related story on page 10. [Click to enlarge]

  It's been 20 years, almost to the day, since Eureka Springs Mayor Richard "Schoe" Shoneninger rode into town down Benton St. hog-by-hog with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club's legendary maximum leader, Sonny Barger.

  Shoneninger has long-since departed from his mayoralty but Barger is still an active member of the Angels' Cave Creek Chapter in Arizona. Eureka Springs is still here and the Hells Angels are on their way back, July 25 through 28.

  The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (or Corporation) is a world-wide motorcycle club for Harley Davidson riders only. The Angels are estimated to have 1,800 members in 22 countries. The club was founded in 1948 in San Bernardino, California. The visit to Eureka has been dubbed "Hells Angels 2007 USA Run."

How many Angels?

  As with any in-bound group of Eureka visitors, the first question is "How many?"

  The answer to that depends on whom you ask. According to Eureka Springs Police Department Detective Morris Pate, "300 to 400." Arkansas State Police Troop L Commander Capt. Les Braunns, based in Harrison "guesstimates" "400 to 500."

  According to an April 14, 2007 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette account, Jo Ashing of the 1876 Inn & Restaurant on US62E said her establishment will be the host resort for the gathering. Ashing, who is president of Tahlequah, Oklahoma-based Total Concept Management Corporation which operates the 1876, would not estimate the number of Angels coming but said, "We'll have more coming than we originally expected. Because of who they are, I won't release the number. They have a lot of followers who just want to hang out with the Hells Angels."

  Ashing said the 1876 has 72 rooms and they are all reserved for Angels.

Host motels

  On either side of the 1876 located at 2023 E. Van Buren, the Rodeway Inn Swiss Holiday Resort at 2015, the Traveler's Inn at 2044 and possibly others will also accommodate Hells Angels in late July.

  According to manager Gary Wilson, Traveler's has 58 rooms. Swiss Holiday has 47 rooms, but determining how many will be reserved for what is being styled as the "Hells Angels 2007 USA Run" private reunion is hard to pin down.

  Swiss Holiday owner Joe McClung Sr., when asked about his late July bookings, said he was under a "gag order" which forbids discussing details.

  McClung said that after Swiss Holiday manager Kara White executed a contract for the accommodations he was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement about the booking. "I took it to my lawyer and we came up with something I could live with," he said. "I didn't know it was the Hells Angels until I was told by the FBI."

  When asked how many rooms Swiss Holiday was reserving for the Angels, White only said, "We have 47 rooms and they're all rented."

  Management at two biker-friendly bars said they have received calls from Angels. One call was from a South Chicago Chapter, which indicated about 200 members might like to visit Eureka Springs, and one came from a California Chapter inquiring whether they would be welcome.

Camp followers

  Angels wannabees and hangers-on are not the only camp followers who will journey to Eureka in late July. A sizeable, although unspecified, number of law enforcement personnel will also be here.

  According to Eureka Springs Police Chief Earl Hyatt, Detective Morris Pate is ESPD's "point man" for the Angels' reunion.

  Pate said he has received inquiries about the gathering from a number of organizations and expects some of them to station personnel in the area. At the federal level, they include: the U.S. Department of Treasury's Secret Service; and the Justice Department's Bureaus of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service and Drug Enforcement Administration.

  At the state level, Pate has been in contact with the Arkansas State Police and State Police in the surrounding states of Missouri, Oklahoma and Louisiana. In Arkansas, he has fielded inquiries from municipal and county authorities in areas the Angels are likely to travel through on their way to Eureka.

Not to worry

  "I'm not worried about these guys. They don't want trouble," Pate said and added "I am concerned about local, rival one-percenters trying to make a name by seeing who's king-of-the-hill."

  Pate explained that a one-percenter (sometimes distinguished by a 1 percent patch on their clothing) is an "outlaw biker. They don't comply with the rules and all Hells Angels are one-percenters."

  "However," he added, "I don't anticipate any problems from the Angels. They are known to police their own organization." Pate said Angels' security will be the responsibility of probationary members and "Nomads," whom he described as Hells Angels not affiliated with any specific club chapter.

  Pate said ESPD will "protect their rights as long as they play by the rules."

  Capt. Braunns said Arkansas State Troopers will also be on hand to "protect their rights."

  Pate said he spoke with the run's coordinator, Robert "Bugs" Moran of the Angels' Rochester, New York chapter, and was told an Angel had spoken with "Bandidos headquarters in Little Rock" and the Angels were assured no problems were foreseen because "the Hells Angels are coming to vacation, not to try and take over territory."

  The Bandidos are another interntional motorcycle club with chapters in Arkansas.

Economic boost

  Ashing underlined the recreational nature of the run. "I've talked to a lot of Hells Angels and they all say this is their vacation. They want to hang out with their families and they consider the brotherhood their extended family.

  "It's an excellent opportunity for Eureka Springs to recoup some of the revenues that were down this year. I estimate this could generate about $500,000. The Angels want to go where they will be well received to spend their money and enjoy their vacation time. I want to refer my customers to places where they'll be well received and not intimidate locals who don't want their business." Ashing said.