As temperatures rise, more motorcycles are hitting the road — and safety is top of mind for riders and drivers alike. The bikes this week have pulled into Lake George for one of the town’s biggest annual events: the Americade motorcycle festival.
The event runs from Wednesday to Saturday in Lake George, featuring rides, tours, a trade show, factory demonstrations and more. The event website claims, “The latest figures again show that Americade Week is the biggest shoulder-season week of business for the Lake George Region resort community and the biggest single boost to the local economy.”
Ahead of this year’s events, one family is sharing their story to help prevent tragedies on the road.
“It’s been almost a year now, and you know that the grief is never going to go away,” said Kelsey Bevins. “But I think that it’s easier to look at it now with happy memories than, than just focus on the fact that we can make any more.”
Bevins knows all to well the pain that comes with a motorcycle accident. His brother-in-law, Brock Pynes, died in an accident last August.
“He was 12 when I met him. You know, we kind of just clicked… that kid was such a brother to me, and he was there for me,” Bevins said.
The accident scene is forever etched in his memory
“Everything was blocked off. And then the one thing that we saw was his bike on the guardrail right next to the highway,” Bevins recalled.
Brock was just 19. Now, Bevins speaks on behalf of his family, hoping to spread awareness and prevent another family from experiencing the same loss.
“I think for us personally, as a family, I think it’s important to use what we have with the situation that Brock’s given us to educate and hopefully spread the message that this stuff is serious,” Bevins said.
He’s sharing that message at Americade, one of the largest multi-brand motorcycle touring rallies, held every year in upstate New York.
“Started off 42 years ago as a 3,000-person event, and this year, it’s somewhere north of 50,000, somewhat less than 100,000 motorcycles,” said Christian Dutcher, president and director of Americade.
Safety is front and center — for riders and drivers alike.
“Motorcycle safety is something we take very seriously, and it is so important to remind people making those rides how important it is to be aware and to be safe,” state Department of Motor Vehicle Department Deputy Commissioner Mary Tanner Richter said.
Dutcher added, “When we’re making a left-hand turn to look twice because a car is 10-feet, 19-wide, a motorcycle is, you know, three-feet wide. They’re very easily missed.”
According to law enforcement officials, even small safety steps, like the right gear, can make a difference.
“Motorcycle riders — wear a DOT-approved helmet,” State Trooper Sgt. Joe Constantino said. “Wear your eye protection. We often see more severe injuries with crashes involving riders wearing the novelty, or non-DOT helmets.”
“In 2023, there were more than 4,600 crashes statewide. In those, 187 motorcyclists were killed,” Richter said.
This year’s Americaid features, among other events:
- Block parties on Canada Street from 4-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, including live bands and a motorcycle stunt show;
- A “Slow Ride World Championship” at Shepard Park from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday at Saturday, with in-person registration at the course location;
- Boat cruises Wednesday (7:30-8:30 p.m.) and Saturday (noon-1 p.m.) on Lake George, as well as a Friday fireworks cruise from 9-10:30 p.m.;
- A comedy show featuring “Last Comic Standing” winner Alonzo Bodden (8 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday)
For the full event schedule, check the Americade website.
Demonstrations will be held by at least 18 separate motorcycle companies, including Harley-Davidson, Can-Am, Triumph, Suzuki and Yamaha. Expo hours are from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, with demo and display hours from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Free parking is available on Beach Road.
