Friday night was the first humid hot summer night in the South Strand. It was also the start to weekend motorcycle parties as part of the annual spring Myrtle Beach Bike Rally. The rally draws thousands of visitors and locals to the Murrells Inlet area, where outdoor bars host vendors, musicians and motorcyclists. By 5 p.m. Friday, Spokes and Bones had dozens of people hanging out and enjoying music from one of two stages. There were more than 50 motorcycles parked In the front of the venue. One of them was custom, built by Shawn Harper from Wilmington, North Carolina.

Harper said he’s been riding motorcycles for 30 years. He works as an auto mechanic, and decided it was finally time to build his own custom ride to take to bike weeks across the country. Outfitted with shiny navy paint and a Marvel-themed back, Harper said this is the second bike week he’s taken his custom bike to.

“I told my wife, ‘I can do that,’ and she was like, ‘All right,’ and let me do it,” he said of how the custom bike came to be. “For years I’ve been seeing everybody and been like, ‘Man, I want to build one of those.’” As of Friday, he said the bike has over 21,000 miles on it. On the other side of Spokes and Bones, Heather Golon and her husband were enjoying the shade. She said she’s been coming to bike week for years. Originally from the Midwest, Golon now calls the Myrtle Beach area home. Before retiring, she taught middle school health and physical education for 17 years.

Golon’s husband is a motorcycle rider. She said her favorite part of the bike rally each year is “just riding and seeing all the different bikes.” Similar to Golon, Taylor Adams’ favorite part of bike week is “being on the back of a bike.” Originally from the Myrtle Beach area, Adams said she now lives in Colorado and works as a professional body piercer. She currently owns two shops, one in North Carolina and the other in Colorado. Adams said she’s back for the weekend for bike week festivities, and that she hasn’t missed a year since she was 18.