Vroom! -- Eureka was full of the sights and sounds of bikers having fun last weekend as Bikes, Blues & BBQ spread across Northwest Arkansas from Fayetteville. Photo by Chip Ford [Order this photo]

The ninth annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ weekend brought an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 bikers to Fayetteville and the Northwest Arkansas area, and the overflow filled the streets of Eureka Springs with the sound of pipes and the shine of countless gleaming chromed motorcycles -- but no crime, and very few accidents.

"It was basically a fairly quiet weekend," said a spokesman for the Eureka Springs Police Department. "There were a couple of accidents but nothing out of the norm."

Neither the Carroll County Sheriffs Department nor the Eureka Springs Fire Department reported anything out of the unusual.

Business up

Despite the influx of traffic and noise, and the problems arising from that, most merchants seemed happy with the weekend.

"Business was up," said Fred Howard, owner of the White River Tobacco Company. "Anytime we have more people in town, I find that hard to knock. People having a good time usually make a little more noise."

Howard said some merchants might have done better than others due to the nature of their shops.

"We're such a diverse community of merchants," Howard said. "Blues Fest is always good for us, for example, but other shops will do a lot better with War Eagle. It all goes into the same tax base, though, so everyone benefits in the end. It's called commerce."

Loud pipes rile some

Not everyone agreed.

Bike noise has long been an issue in the city, some arguing the noise cancels out any monetary gains.

"I hate straight pipes," said one downtown shop owner who spoke on condition of anonymity. "You don't know what I'd like to do to those guys. I had four sales to bikers. And I have had to explain to people, who came to town [and had to deal with the noise and traffic] and said they were never coming back, that it isn't always like this."

Straight pipes are illegal in Arkansas. State law 27-20-104 says standard mufflers are required on "all motor-driven cycles and all motorcycles used upon the public streets and highways of this state."

Police reported only one noise complaint the whole weekend.

One merchant said the town seemed unprepared for the weekend.

CAPC helped prepare visitors

Karen Pryor, Administrative Assistant for the City Advertising and Promotion Commission, described the weekend as "loud and crowded and wonderful."

"I told people for a month who called about visiting town there were going to be a lot of people in town. Scenic highways surround Eureka Springs, perfect for bikers, so I told them to please come but to be prepared for the extra traffic and noise. I tried to prepare everybody. I thought it was wonderful."

The Pied Piper Pub & Grill hosted a poker run which drew more than 850 bikes to downtown.

Diverse businesses benefitted

Other businesses less directly involved with the biker event also said sales were up and reported no problems with the crowds.

"They tripled my sales on Sunday," said Emily Nelson of Twice Born Chainsaw Apparel on Spring St. "And they were the nicest people. We do well on Diversity weekends too."

Joyce Zeller, owner of the The Spa Shop, said, "It wasn't a buying frenzy, but considering the economy and how it's been in Eureka lately, I'd say it was better than average for sure. I have a regular clientele, and they made most of the larger purchases, but nobody was hanging over the balconies yelling stuff down at people, either. The crowd seemed older, more hobby bikers than lifestyle bikers."

Alvin Byrd, owner of the Inn Convenience Store and A Byrd's Eye View, said, "We did okay! It was a nice weekend at both stores. In fact, it was actually one of the few weekends up over last year."