Backlash surprises bar owner
By Dan Daly, Journal Staff Writer
STURGIS -- Jay Allen, whose biker bar, campground and concert venue project
north of Bear Butte has ignited a political firestorm, said he had no idea that
his plan would be met with such opposition.
"I was completely surprised," Allen said during an interview on the eve of
today's Meade County Commission hearing to consider a beer license for Sturgis
County Line, the name of his venue. "I was so proud. ... I thought I was doing
a wonderful thing for everybody."
But American Indian groups, led by the Bear Butte International Alliance,
have decried his plan to bring beer, raucous parties and loud music so close to a
site that is sacred so many American Indian religions.
Allen owns Broken Spoke Saloons at motorcycle event sites in Sturgis,
Laconia, N.H., Daytona, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. In most of the cities, including
Sturgis, the saloon is open only during the event.
Last summer, he bought 600 acres of rolling prairie north of Bear Butte. In
August, he announced he was going to build a Sturgis motorcycle rally week
biker bar, campground and concert facility.
In recent years, such venues have been springing up east of Sturgis, joining
the venerable Buffalo Chip campground to offer music, entertainment and
alcohol outside of Sturgis city limits.
Allen's proposal was different. For one, it was closer to Bear Butte than the
other proposed or operating Sturgis rally venues.
And he made matters much worse by promoting Bear Butte as a backdrop and
biker bar theme. In August, Allen told reporters that he would name the new venue
Sacred Ground, and he talked about building an 80-foot-tall Indian statue on
the property.
Allen's proposal galvanized an already developing movement to preserve Bear
Butte and its environs from the noise and rowdiness of the annual motorcycle
event. Led by the Bear Butte International Alliance, a number of groups have
joined to protest what they say is the continuing encroachment on the practice of
their religion.
In the fall, after being confronted by members of the Bear Butte
International Alliance and other groups, Allen changed the name of the venue to Sturgis
County Line. He also dropped the 80-foot statue idea. But the opposition has
only increased since then.
"We do not oppose commercial ventures or the rights of private-property
owners to use their property as long as that use does not infringe on the same
property rights of their neighbors or violate local, state or national laws," the
Bear Butte International Alliance said in a recent written statement. "We do
oppose commercial desecration of a nationally protected historical landmark
that has very special local, state, national and tribal social, cultural and
religious meanings for almost all members of our community."
The alliance is organizing a series of events today, including a 10 a.m.
prayer gathering at Bear Butte, a noon luncheon at the Sturgis Community Center, a
1 p.m. march to Meade County Courthouse and the 3:30 p.m. hearing.
Turnout is expected to be big. The county has set aside the largest courtroom
for the commission meeting. The street in front of the courthouse is also
being blocked to automobile traffic.
On Monday, Allen predicted that he will prevail at today's beer-license
hearing. He sees it as a property rights issue. He bought the land, Allen said, and
he believes he meets the malt-beverage license criteria.
The only criteria for rejecting a beer license are location of the venue and
the character of the applicant.
Allen said he has a solid reputation as a good operator of saloons in several
states. And he believes his neighbors north of Bear Butte support his project
as a landowner-rights issue.
"I'm going to ask the commission to look at the facts," Allen said Monday.
"We have a right to be here."
Work has begun at the site. Allen said that for the 2006 rally, he hopes to
have the bar and the campground open. He is holding back on the concert
facility, partly to see how Rock'n the Rally at Glencoe, the new rally concert venue
south of Bear Butte, fares.
And Allen insisted Monday that his campground and bar won't disrupt the
prayers and other ceremonies at Bear Butte. "If hearing a distant Harley going down
(S.D. Highway) 79 is a problem, then absolutely. But otherwise, we're quite a
ways from the butte."
Contact Dan Daly at 394-8421 or at Dan Daly
Link to Report
Defend Bear Butte
Beer Sales Gets Unanimous OK
Bear Butte License Approved
Contents
April 2006 Reports
Last updated on April 10, 2006