For the third straight summer one of Baker City’s signature events, the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally, will not happen.

Mark Dukes, a partner in High Desert Harley-Davidson of Meridian, Idaho, the dealership that organizes the rally, said in a phone interview on Wednesday, Feb. 16, that multiple factors contributed to his decision to cancel the event.

And unlike the cancellations in 2021 and 2020, the pandemic isn’t the lone issue.

Two other concerns this year, Dukes said, are a major construction project to build more than 300 wheelchair-accessible curb cuts, including on Main Street, a focal point for the rally, and a shortage of employees at his motorcycle dealership.

Dukes said he doesn’t have enough workers to both organize the rally in Baker City and operate the dealership.

“I don’t want to go up there and not have a great rally,” he said.

Although the omicron wave of COVID-19 has passed, and infection rates are plummeting, Dukes said there is still an element of uncertainty that matters with an event such as the rally, which takes at least 6 months to plan.

Dukes said the prospect of partnering with other organizations to coordinate the rally isn’t feasible in his view, because they would need to be familiar with motorcycles and the motorcycle industry.

Dukes said his goal is to revive the rally in 2023.

Shelly Cutler, executive director of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, said that although she’s disappointed that the rally is canceled again, she’s optimistic that it will return in 2023.

“It’s a hit to our summer tourism for sure,” Cutler said on Thursday, Feb. 17. “It’s an incredible event that brings a lot of revenue to the county and businesses. I do not expect another summer to go by without the rally.”

She said she understands Dukes’ concerns.

Cutler also points out that even without the rally, the roads that brought the event to Baker County more than 15 years ago remain an attraction for riders, and she expects many motorcyclists will visit the county this spring and summer.

That happened last summer despite the rally being canceled, she said.

“They still come to Baker, just not in the masses that we would see with the official rally,” Cutler said.

Also on the positive side of the ledger, Cutler said all other major summer events are slated to happen as usual, including the Baker City Cycling Classic in June, Miners Jubilee and the Bronc and Bull Riding competition in July, and the Shrine All-Star Football Game and Baker County Fair in August, and the Sumpter flea markets during Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.

Moreover, an event that also was canceled in 2020 and 2021 — the Baker City Memory Cruise car show — is back on the schedule for Aug. 20 in Geiser-Pollman Park.

A new event planned for the weekend of May 20 is the Chautauqua Music Festival in Richland. The event will include a variety of live music at the Eagle Valley Grange Community Park, as well as artisans selling handcrafted items and specialty foods.

“I think we still have a lot of good things going on,” Cutler said.

Ready for influx of visitors

Cutler is optimistic that the 2022 spring and summer tourist season will be a busy one in Baker County, as people from across the nation, as well as foreign travelers, take advantage of the waning pandemic.

That was the case during spring break 2021, she said.

“Last spring break was the busiest traffic I’ve seen in the six, almost seven, years I’ve been here,” Cutler said. “People were so ready to get out, and I expect that trend to continue, as people are feeling safer.”

Among travelers visiting the county this winter, Cutler said about 40% were from the East Coast.

“People are still taking road trips,” she said.

Cutler said very few people who call the Chamber’s Visitor Center ask about mask or vaccine mandates. But she’s still pleased that Oregon’s indoor mask mandate will end no later than March 31, according to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown.

The Oregon Health & Science University this week forecast that the number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals would drop below the 400-person threshold for ending the mask mandate by March 20.

“We always impress upon people who call that Baker County is open for business and we’re excited to have them back,” Cutler said. “I think we’re all excited to get back to normal.”

Staffing challenges

Cutler said that although some restaurants and other businesses continue to struggle to find enough employees to maintain their usual schedule, she believes the situation is improving.

She thinks the tourist season and its influx of customers could be a great opportunity for high school students, including this year’s graduates, to earn money for college.

“We always impress upon people who call that Baker County is open for business and we’re excited to have them back. I think we’re all excited to get back to normal.”

— Shelly Cutler, executive director, Baker County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center