NEWCASTLE — Bob Distefano happened to notice an intriguing spot last year when he and his father, also named Bob, passed through the Wyoming side of the Black Hills during their annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally road trip last year.
It was a bar called Perkins Tavern in Newcastle’s historic downtown, which claims the best bloody mary in the Black Hills. What stood out to Bob Jr. wasn’t the drink. It was the name, “Perkins.”
“My friend here, his name is Jerry Perkins,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Perkins broke his ankle last year, so he didn’t get to go to the Sturgis Rally, but he’s back this year, and the Distefanos wanted to show him the tavern.
“We thought it’d be a good opportunity to get a picture,” he said. “We’re going to have a drink, and then we think we’re going to have lunch at (Isabella’s) if they’re open.”
After that, anything goes.
The three men are looking for adventure on the Wyoming side of the Black Hills — anything fun that’s going on, wherever that may be.
Newcastle, which sits at the intersection of two roads that carry a lot of Sturgis traffic come rally time, Highways 16 and 85, is ideally situated to provide some of that adventure, Distefano said.
Even so, there didn’t seem to be anything in particular planned for Friday afternoon, or the rest of the upcoming rally week, for that matter.
“A lot of these towns in Wyoming have stuff going on, so we were thinking maybe some stuff would be going on (in Newcastle),” Bob Jr. said. “But either way, the drive from 16 through here is really nice.”
A band of Sturgis Rally goers all stopped at the Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center's restaurant, Grazers, for lunch on Friday. They easily filled up every seat. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
Every seat at the bar in Grazers in Newcastle was taken Friday at lunchtime, with Sturgis Bike Rally goers stopping in for lunch. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
It was standing room only inside of Grazers in Newcastle at lunchtime on Friday, with a group of 29 bikers walking in all at once to eat. That left some customers scrambling for a different lunch venue. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
It was standing room only inside of Grazers in Newcastle at lunchtime on Friday, with a group of 29 bikers walking in all at once to eat. That left some customers scrambling for a different lunch venue. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)
Finding The Hidden Gems
The rides are what bring the Distefanos and Perkins to the rally every year, and that’s what they’ve prioritized for the Sturgis Rally’s 85th anniversary.
“We’re kind of skipping the craziness of it this year,” Bob Jr. said. “We got out here last week, so we came a week early to try and ride the roads a little more. And we’re staying in Rapid City, so we’re not in downtown Sturgis anyway.”
Highway 16 in particular is popular with riders who want a scenic route, Bob Jr. said.
It’s a gorgeous route that winds between Moorcroft and Custer, South Dakota, while Highway 85 passes through Four Corners before leaving Wyoming and heading to Deadwood, South Dakota. Devils Tower is just a short jog north from Moorcroft.
“Last year, the center line (in Newcastle) wasn’t set up for parking like it is this year,” Bob Jr. said.
Seeing a better parking setup gives him hope that in future years they will build on that in the area, giving Sturgis Rallygoers another area to explore and find the hidden gems that make their trip one-of-a-kind.
Spreading The Sturgis Effect Around
Spreading the Sturgis Rallygoers out a little more in terms of both time and places has become a regional goal, Angela Portera, general manager at Grazers in Newcastle told Cowboy State Daily after a brief lunch rush that temporarily swamped the small burger joint.
The bar and grill is attached to the Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center on U.S. 85, and gets a healthy clientele that’s a mix of travelers passing through and locals who are regulars.
Friday, however, locals expecting a quick meal at lunchtime were greeted instead with a completely full restaurant. Every table, even those outside, was taken after 29 bikers walked in at the same time.
That kept the servers and cooks running for a couple of hours, and they were still recovering from that at 4:30 p.m., long after the restaurant had cleared out.
Those kind of waves aren’t unheard of, but not a constant thing for Grazers, which sits right on U.S. 85, a popular route up to Deadwood from Wyoming.
“The rally has gotten so big, (Sturgis) is becoming overwhelmed with it,” Portera said. “So, they’ve asked for regional help to spread things out.”
Newcastle held drag races a couple of weeks ago, which Portera indicated were aimed at drawing early birds like the Distefanos who want to explore the area ahead of the rally, as well as attempts to increase summer visitation.
More summer events during the rally and other times of the year are something she hopes will happen more often in this Weston County community, which many residents feel is an undiscovered gem when it comes to outdoor adventures.
“It’s definitely a good business model,” she said. “To have people coming at different times, getting to tour the areas and going different places.”
Portera said this is her first Sturgis rally, but so far, it’s been fun.
“The Sturgis guys are so friendly,” she said. “They’re so gracious and kind. They can be fun and flirty, and they tip very well.”
That had her and another server comparing their tips after the Friday rush with tired, but happy, smiles.
Downtown Businesses Can Use A Boost
Newcastle business owners also hope to spread the rallygoers out a little more in their town.
The downtown area seems to be overlooked, Sandra Dee, one of the co-owners of the Antlers Bar & Grill, told Cowboy State Daily.
The business opened its doors three weeks ago, but Dee is keen to see more of the Sturgis Rally crowd find her restaurant.
Her goal for the restaurant is to become a must-go during rally week.
“I want this to be, ‘Hey, they have the best food, they make the best drinks, let’s go there,’” she said.
How to go about doing that, though, is elusive so far.
Downtown doesn’t get as many rallygoers as the areas closer to the crossroads of Highways 85 and 16, said Brandi Montagne, a bartender at Isabella’s.
“We don’t get a lot here,” she said. “We used to get more.”
Friday, Montagne said the business had a few biker groups, mostly in the morning.
By afternoon, things were quiet and clear at the business, which offers burgers, wings, and other bar-style foods, as well as pastas and steaks.
To Dee, the lack of Sturgis Rallygoers feels like a huge, missed economic opportunity. She wants to see Newcastle get on the Sturgis Rally map.
“It’s the 85th for Sturgis this year,” she said. “And they expect 2 million people to come through. We’re getting none of that traffic, and we should. But they don’t stop, and our downtown doesn’t see the potential to bring them here. So that’s my goal. I would like to make this inviting enough to see the potential to come here.”
Sturgis Rally Helps Entire Black Hills Area Of Wyoming
Dee’s not wrong that more rallygoers could provide a huge economic boost for businesses in Newcastle’s downtown.
Hulett, Sundance and Aladdin are three towns that regularly appear on the Sturgis map, highlighted as part of Wyoming Wednesday and what’s called the Devils Tower loop ride.
Wyoming Wednesday is the Wednesday of the first full week of August during the rally.
All three of the towns go all out for Wyoming Wednesday and treat the whole month of August like it’s Christmas on steroids.
Restaurants in Hulett have told Cowboy State Daily they’ll see much more traffic throughout the month of August. On Wyoming Wednesday, however, when they’ll see as much as 10 times more than their normal business.
Michael Dean Coronato, owner and chef for the Ponderosa Café in Hulett, for example, serves a pared down menu that day and expects to serve upwards of 1,000 lunches for that one day. A more normal day for his business would be closer to 60 lunches.
Similar impacts are seen in places like Aladdin’s General Store, which comes up with a creative drink menu for the rally and Wyoming Wednesday, and in Sundance, where the Dime Horseshoe Bar stages a burnout.
Not Just Food And Fuel
But it’s not just restaurants and bars that benefit. It’s gas stations, hotels, convenience stores — anyone that carries anything that 400,000-plus bikers on an epic road trip might want to spend money on while they’re passing through or exploring the Wyoming side.
Those can be practical things like food and fuel; or fun like beer and T-shirts; or kitschy, like souvenirs that say, “Don’t pet the fluffy cows.”
Bob Jr., in fact, bought a magnet that said “Don’t pet the fluffy cows” last year, he said with a smile.
This year, he expects to spend around $100 a day on his Wyoming journeys between food, fuel, beverages and souvenirs, before heading home. Multiply that by the number of riders, and it’s easy to see the impact is huge.
Bob Jr. and his dad are hoping to see Newcastle add things for bikers to do during the rally.
“It’s right on the edge of the map,” Bob Jr. said. “And last year when we were in Sundance for burnout Wednesdays, I said, ‘What if we try going this way?’ And so that’s why we came down here.”
That’s the fun of a road trip, Bob Jr. added, finding the unexpected in places no one knew anything about before going.
“It’s going around to the different towns during the rally,” he said. “It’s finding the little hidden gems. That’s what makes it a fun trip.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
