I am a Chattanooga area native and a Harley passenger, and we attended the National Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Rally held in Chattanooga this past weekend with another couple from our current Georgia Chapter. I booked our hotel rooms in April and registered with H.O.G. on the very first day that Harley-Davidson opened registration for the Chattanooga event.

We paid the pre-registration amount which, to be honest, wasn’t cheap, but, it entitled us to the official rally shirt, the official rally pin, and the official rally bracelet (required for admission to all activities, parking, and was also good for discounts around town). We received our pre-registration packages about six weeks ago, and were looking forward to spending a great weekend in Chattanooga.

In our registration package was also a list of areas around town offering free parking for the event. Since we were staying at the Marriott Convention Center, the closest parking for us was Riverfront Parkway. This was listed on our schedule of events as: Riverfront Parkway (enter at MLK Boulevard – wristband required to enter at Gate C). We parked near Gate C all day on Friday and Saturday, but went across town to the Hamilton Place area for an early dinner on Saturday evening before returning to the festivities around 7 p.m. When we reached Riverfront Parkway from MLK, there was a woman security guard sitting in a chair next to her car at the intersection, who waved us on down Riverfront Parkway. When we arrived at the next checkpoint, two event security guards stopped us and told us we were not allowed any further.

We showed them our event wristbands, and stated that we had been parking in the parking lot next to Gate C for the entire event, but these two guards refused to allow us to proceed. When we asked for an explanation as to why we weren’t allowed into an event-designated parking area, and one in which we had been parking for two days, they couldn’t give us a straight answer, or any answer – other than to take an attitude, and attempt to throw around their “event-security” weight. One was just downright rude. When pressed further, one of the guards realized that his power play was being called into question, and he backtracked and quickly blamed it all on the Chattanooga City Police Department.

Ultimately, we had to turn around, weave back through traffic all the way down Market Street to the Aquarium, and finally found parking near BellSouth Park. Later that evening, I approached three Chattanooga city officers to inquire as to why we had been blocked from parking in an event-designated area, and the officers said they had no idea or information as to this restriction being something sanctioned by the city. They surmised that these security guards were merely acting on their own, for whatever reason, but couldn’t tell me who I should contact to report them.

Overall, we received a very warm welcome from area merchants, hotel personnel, business owners, restaurants, and residents. But, we did encounter more than a few situations with event staff in and outside of the gates that was less-than-courteous, and in no way professional on any level, most specifically the event security working the outer perimeters of the barricades leading into the designated parking areas each day.

Susan Reno-Gilliland
southernbelle@susanrenogilliland.com