A group of motorcyclists pass by a few of the early arrival bikes as they ride up First Street in Snohomish heading in for the Sky Valley Motorcycle Show in fall 2021.
The annual motorcycle show on the third Sunday of May will line Granite Falls’ streets, not Snohomish’s.
The show will be Sunday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Stanley Street.
The show’s been in Snohomish for all but three of its 28 years. Granite Falls is looking at this year as possibly the start of something new.
In late October, the show organizers began the process of applying to have this year’s show in Snohomish, but then didn’t follow up, said Shari Ireton, who directs the city department for coordinating events.
After meeting with Snohomish, a week later the group’s leaders visited Granite Falls’ City Council meeting asking if that town would like to host the show, Granite Falls council minutes show.
Snohomish “did not change or provide limits on the footprint, hours, or any other logistics/operations compared to what was permitted in 2024,” Ireton said.
However, Snohomish’s new slate of event fees for all events today appears to HAVE been part of it.
Granite Falls’ City Manager Brent Kirk said in March that he didn’t have many details on the switch, “but it appeared that things like the costs for hosting the event and some issues with managing the bikers in traffic control blockade areas the day of the event were becoming problematic.”
On costs, Snohomish’s permit fee for events raised from $25 in 2024 to $250. Snohomish also introduced a standard $6,000 retainer fee for all special events not co-sponsored by the city government. The retainer is forfeited when an event organizer does not follow terms of the special event contract or permit for things including security, traffic control and more.
In 2024, the volunteers at ABATE didn’t with its show.
Ireton said the 2024 show violated its contact in regards to post-show trash pickup, improper road re-opening procedures and leaving portable restrooms in the right of way.
Until it added a retainer, the city had no way to penalize at the time for not meeting the safety and sanitary rules.
Neither the coordinator of the local Sky Valley Chapter of ABATE nor the statewide ABATE organization returned a Tribune reporter’s multiple calls and emails earlier this spring for this story about the location change.
On social media, representatives have said if people don’t like the move to talk with Snohomish City Hall.
The show’s organizers, the Sky Valley Chapter of ABATE of Washington, is part of a larger nonprofit which advocates for motorcyclists’ safety in traffic, and supports legislation to utilize all parts of the road (such as lane filtering during stopped traffic).
Granite Falls has its annual Show and Shine car show and its Railroad Days events, but those are late summer and early fall.
The motorcycle show could slot in nicely. “It will be nice to have an event like this earlier in the year for the community to enjoy,” Kirk said.
Kirk said Snohomish staff didn’t have anything negative to say about the show.
The motorcycle show closed First Street and brings thousands of people to admire bikes. Kirk said he heard from Snohomish staff that its data showed closing First Street didn’t give a good uptick in business activity except possibly for its bars and restaurants.
