Red River rolls out rebranded holiday weekend event after last year's fatal shootings

May 23—Red River is bracing for its first Memorial Day influx of visitors since a deadly shooting last year that left three dead and five injured.

The town has scrapped the old name — the Red River Motorcycle Rally, as it was called for 42 years.

This year's 43rd Memorial Day weekend event is called Mayfest in the Mountains.

The town is essentially playing down the event's image as a biker rally in favor of one geared toward families and military veterans.

Gone this year will be the biker-themed vendors that lined Main Street on previous Memorial Day events.

But how the new family-friendly event will play out once the bikes roll into town remains to be seen.

"It's all speculation right now," Red River Mayor Linda Calhoun said Thursday. "We're just planning for the event as it's always happened. But we have no idea what to expect."

The annual motorcycle rally turned violent on May 27, 2023, when gunfire erupted in the picturesque mountain town, killing three and injuring five.

Police said that all those killed and injured were members of two outlaw motorcycle gangs — the Bandidos and the lesser-known Waterdogs.

The shootings raised questions about the future of the annual event. The rebranded Mayfest emerged from a series of public meetings in Red River, officials said.

"It's a completely new event that has a slightly different purpose," said Max Khudiakov, the town's director of economic development and tourism.

"We are trying to shift the focus of the event, and this whole weekend in general, from biker-related activities to veteran focused activities, as well as family-friendly events."

The town also is plans on a muscular police presence, including 30 New Mexico State Police officers and about 10 additional officers from Taos and Los Alamos, and sheriff's deputies from Taos and Mora counties.

But visitors can still expect to see plenty of motorcycles in Red River this weekend.

"I definitely expect to have a big influx of motorcycles," Calhoun said. "The Enchanted Circle is a beautiful motorcycle ride. We know that a lot of our veterans ride motorcycles. So motorcycles are definitely welcome."

The Enchanted Circle is a scenic loop that connects Red River, Taos, Angel Fire and Eagle Nest and is popular with bikers and cyclists. The event typically attracts some 20,000 motorcyclists.

Not welcome are members of outlaw biker gangs, said Calhoun, who has served as Red River's mayor since 2006.

"We're not going to welcome any illegal activity or inappropriate activity into our community like we had last year," she said.

New security features include two license plate readers — one posted at each end of the valley community — and two security cameras streaming to a command center staffed by State Police officers.

The cameras and license-plate readers are intended to give law enforcement a better read on who enters the town.

State Police spokesman Wilson Silver said officers plan to be a conspicuous presence in Red River this weekend.

"Our guys will be visible and proactive by conducting traffic ops and patrolling the area," Silver said Thursday in an email. "We don't expect anything out of the ordinary, but our guys will have a quick response time if need be."

The shooting last year prompted an FBI-led crackdown on members of the Bandidos motorcycle gang. In August, FBI and NMSP SWAT teams raided the homes of 25 Bandidos members across the state who had threatened to kill or hurt rivals involved in the Red River shootings.

The Mayfest event will play down the biker image this year.

Past rallies featured vendors that sold biker-related goods such as leather jackets, chaps, boots, T-shirts and patches. Tattoo artists also plied their craft on Main Street.

Those vendors will all be gone this year.

"I know that our bars are not going to allow the motorcycle gangs to wear their colors inside their establishments," Calhoun said.

The Mayfest event also will feature outdoor activities, such as fly fishing, rock climbing, skateboarding and mountain biking, Khudiakov said.

"We're going to have a lot of outdoor recreation workshops, where kids, families, adults, everybody can learn more about a lot of activities you can do outdoors," he said.