The rumbling you might hear coming from the Longview Fairgrounds this weekend is inviting you to let your hair down.
The fourth annual Party in the Pines Motorcycle Rally draws riders and riding clubs from throughout Northeast Texas to Longview for a Memorial Day weekend of music, scooter games and tours along Piney Woods back roads. “It’s quite an event,” said C.C. Gower, chaplain of the Longriders Motorcycle Club and pastor of Longview’s Church in the Wind. “Bikers are kind of a breed apart,” Gower said. “We don’t play silly games with each other. It’s an honor thing with us.” The weekend closes with a 3 p.m. Sunday patriotic parade through Longview to which residents are encouraged to bring flags and wave the riders along. Organizer and LOBO officer Jana Smith said daytime activities &mdash the music, games including a biker version of Texas hold ’em and the Dyno-Drag race simulator &mdash are family friendly. Participants loosen up during the night, she added. “We say, kid-friendly during the daylight hours,” she said.
The preacher said much the same thing.