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Update 5/24: The first report of 300,000 bikers for this years Memorial Day Bike Fest has been bumped up a bit to 500,000. 

That might sound a little high to us, but we will see. WMBF has the full updated report with video. While saftey is the most important thing, we also hope fun is had by all. 

Additionally, Carolina Live has a nice story of a man whose been coming to the Memorial Day Bike Fest for 35 years. Jerome Woods not only stumbled upon the weekend on  trip to Myrtle Beach but also wound up meeting his future wife that same week. Read the full story of his time at the rally these days over at Carolina Live. 

First Report 5/23: This past week we along The Grand Strand saw the annual Harley-Davidson Cruisin the Coast rally, now North Myrtle and Atlantic Beach are preparing for the 31st Annual Memorial Day Bike Fest.  

This past Harley Week the area saw more bikers than last year. Some cite the now defunct helmet law others the uptick on the economy. This week the Memorial Day Bike Fest is expected to draw 300,000 bikers. William Booker, town manager of Atlantic Beach says they are putting the finishing touches on getting vendor permits straightened out, cleaning and getting the volunteer staff ready. 

The familiar orange traffic chutes will be back this year to help control the flow of traffic, however there have been some changes to the traffic flow to Atlantic Beach for cars. Additionally, with some out of town police officers helping the city of North Myrtle Beach the National Guard will be flying helicopters to help locate traffic problems and other law enforcement. 

Head on over to Carolina Live to read the full story on the traffic changes. Also, check out WMBF's list of where the out of town officers will be coming from and watch their report.