As Sturgis Visitors Arrive, Some Businesses Close

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — As motorcycle enthusiasts begin arriving in the western South Dakota city of Sturgis for an annual rally, another group of people is heading out.

Several Sturgis business owners close their stores and clear out their merchandise to make way for temporary vendors that pay big money to rent prime downtown space for the rally.

Antique shop owner Jessica Kerlin is one of them. She tells the Rapid City Journal that she's moving out so a tattoo artist can move in. She plans to work at a bar during the rally to make money.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally draws hundreds of thousands of people to the region each year. This year's rally begins Monday and runs through Aug. 11. It's the 73rd year for the event.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.