From humble to rumble: Sturgis turns 70

STURGIS, S.D. — Greg Pike seems unfazed as his "chopper" putts past thousands of rumbling motors in western South Dakota's Black Hills, cruising the souped-up riding lawn mower into the world's largest motorcycle rally with his own gang: Booger the dog, Kitty the cat and Mousey the rat.
Pike is among the eclectic mix of people flooding this normally sleepy town for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The six-day event officially kicks off Monday and is expected to attract as many as 750,000 people, likely making it home to the highest concentration ever of chrome, leather and tattoos.
But these days, you're more apt to run into a hog-riding orthodontist than a motorcycle outlaw. After seven decades, the rally has morphed from a small race to a rowdy gathering of biker gangs to a weeklong party of biking enthusiasts from across the globe. Some come for the concerts — Bob Dylan and Ozzy Osbourne are among the scheduled performers — while others simply want to gawk at expensive toys.
Among the more bizarre twists, actor Pee Wee Herman promises to perform the world's largest "Tequila Dance."
They're all tumbled together, along with more than 700 vendors selling everything from tattoos to roasted turkey legs. And somehow it works.
"Anybody who has anything at all to do with motorcycles thinks this is the place," said Christine Paige Diers, executive director of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. "Doctors, lawyers or the guy who built his bike out of spare parts — Sturgis is for anybody who likes motorcycles."
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