That rumble by the river you may hear in coming days is pure HOG heaven to a Harley owner. It’s the sound of 2,000 Harley-Davidsons that will be arriving Tuesday and Wednesday for the Tennessee State Rally of the Harley Owners Group, more commonly known as HOGs.
The HOGs will gather four days at the Chattanooga Choo Choo for the rally, whose theme is “Take Me to the River.” By the time they leave, the Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau anticipates they will have dropped $1.6 million in the city.
Only card-carrying HOGs or an invited guest of a HOG will be allowed to attend the majority of the rally events, said Jerrie Gaither, rally media coordinator. Planned activities include a poker run, chapter challenge, tattoo contest and guided rides to Tellico, Sequatchie Valley and the Cherohala Skyway.
Gaither said there will also be a Pig vs. HOG skill-riding contest that pits Harley riders again the city’s best motorcycle cops.
Chattanooga hosted state rallies in 2001 and 2004, and a national rally in 2005. After a pitch to host is accepted, a rally committee is selected and approved by Harley-Davidson.