The Not So Wild Ones: Decatur Hosts Hell’s Lovers…Nothing Happens
Biker gang visits tiny town and helps destroy some stereotypes.
Last weekend, the Hell’s Lovers motorcycle club celebrated 50 years of camaraderie and friendship. The 50th-anniversary convention was set to take place in a small town in the middle of Illinois called Decatur, and there were a lot of unhappy citizens. Thanks to classic flicks like The Wild One and iconic shows like Sons of Anarchy spreading pretty awful stereotypes, members of the local community were up in arms over the planned event and what they assumed would be intimidating, rebellious visitors tearing up their town.
As real life has it, Hell’s Lovers is made up of some incredibly upstanding citizens with successful backgrounds, and they don’t go around causing trouble. When speaking to Decatur’s Herald & Review, one of the club’s leaders, “Big Al,” expressed concern about the townsfolk and the unwarranted uneasiness some of those locals seemed to be exhibiting.
The Hell’s Lovers group reportedly spent nearly $5,000 to rent large vans to transport the bikers around town because, as Al said, “We don’t want our members riding up and down the street and being messed with [by the locals], like ‘Oh look there’s some bikers, let’s get ’em.’ We’re going to be in and out of this town so fast, the only people who is going to know we was here are those counting the money in their cash registers.”
‘We’re going to be in and out of this town so fast, the only people who is going to know we was here are those counting the money in their cash registers.’
Now, we just want you to sit there and take that in for a moment. A group of bikers spent thousands on transport vans so that they could get around town without locals giving them a hard time. Biker groups don’t bust into towns and start destroying things. This is real life and not the movies.
In fact, the Hell’s Lovers only helped the city. They completely booked multiple hotels and the local convention center, and it’s estimated this event added more than $600,000 to the local economy. So, biker friends, make sure you send this to everyone you think might be frightened of riding clubs. And all of you out there who think these kinds of clubs are made of crime lords and drug addicts, maybe learn to be a little more open and accepting.
