Volunteers needed for Wharf Rat Rally

“At this point we have between 35 and 40 people who are donating two or more hours of their time,” says Nella Pidutti, a new member of the Wharf Rat Rally’s board. “We actually need double that number.”

“There’s a lot of excitement the weekend of the event,” says board secretary Tammy Robertson. “So people tend to show up and decide they want to help out. But we really need to know ahead of time who will be on hand so we can ensure every job is covered.”

Tasks for volunteers include directing traffic and offering information. “Our volunteers are really ambassadors for Digby and the region,” Pidutti says.

Volunteers are necessary because attractions at the Wharf Rat Rally are free—and that ‘free factor’ is also one of the draws that keep people coming back year after year. “When we’ve gone to other rallies we’ve heard people complaining about there being charges for everything—including access to the vendors,” Robertson said.

Participants receive a gift bag when they register at the Wharf Rat Rally and there’s no charge for registration. There are free concerts, stunt shows by Street Punishment, and a jet-ski exhibition. This year there will also be a wharf jump, time trials at the airport, a strong man competition, a fire truck pull, fireworks and a beer belly contest.

And Joshua Moonshine, one of the event’s biggest attractions from previous years, will be back.

So how does the Wharf Rat Rally pay its bills? Each of more than 100 vendors who sell and promote their products pays a fee to set up their booth.

Peter Robertson, chair and co-founder of the Wharf Rat Rally, says he expects attendance to be 10 per cent higher than last year, which means hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts will be full not just in Digby, but throughout the region.

The weekend event results in a $2.5 million injection into the region’s economy with the spin-off being even greater, he said.

With the town’s population quadrupling, a number of local charities take advantage of those numbers and hold fundraisers that weekend.

Many of the people who roll into town for the rally are affluent baby boomers. They’ve been known to return to the town for family vacations. There have also been real estate sales made to people who have first visited the area during the rally.

The rally has resulted in the town receiving national and international media coverage. In the biker world, Thunder Press, MoJo, Motorcycle Events, and Biker TV have run features on the rally.

Peter Robertson adds proudly that the Wharf Rat Rally received the Motorcycle Award of Excellence award at the International Motorcycle Supershow in Toronto in January. The event was named the best motorcycle rally east of Toronto.