It looked like a scene from Sturgis with bikers from all over the state congregating at a roadhouse in Pierre. But there’s more to the Oahe Blues Festival than meets the eye.
The Grey Goose Store and Social Club hosted the festival, which also doubles as a fundraiser.
Karl Schweiss is the President of the Oahe Chapter of the Bikers Against Child Abuse motorcycle club. He said the Oahe chapter started the event to raise money for abused children in the area.
“If we have to travel to surrounding areas to be with kids while they’re in court with their families, the funds help the families pay for their hotel room, help our chapter members pay for their hotel room," said Schweiss. "There’s been cases where the kids are scared, so we buy security lights and put up on their houses. We pay for therapy if we think the kids could benefit from therapy. We’ve paid for kids to take karate lessons because that helps build their self-confidence. The money’s spent a lot of ways but it’s always directly for the kids.”
Schweiss said the international club started 28 years ago in Utah when the founder — a registered play therapist working with children — realized that while the kids would make progress in therapy, sometimes their accused abusers would unravel that progress when the kids were back home through threats, stalking behaviors, and harassment. So, he started asking his biker friends to make their presence known around the kids’ houses.
Since then, the international organization has expanded into 48 states and 18 countries. The Oahe Blues Festival became so big the Grey Goose took it over.
Ryan Reidy is the General Manager of the Grey Goose and a BACA club member. He said the event is important to him because it helps generate awareness and funds to help abused kids and do something that no one else can do.
“And that’s not a bragging fact. That’s just something people tell us in the courtroom," said Reidy. "People don’t show up and do what you’re doing for people, for other children and we do. We make a difference to children that feel afraid. There's no question—we make a difference to them."
The ninth annual event featured live blues music from Omaha’s Héctor Anchondo Band and Indiana’s The Cold Stares as well as a poker run.