NUT RUN CANCELLED THIS YEAR

A twenty-two-year Colorado autumn motorcycling tradition will take a year off in 2008.
The Nut Run, the unofficial last run of the riding season, has been cancelled this year.

“We’re not going to do it this year,” said Arlen Fatland from 2-Wheelers Motorcycle Shop in Denver, Fatland has been the driving force behind the Nut Run since its inception. “This is the first time we’ve not held the run in all these years.”

Fatland said the reason behind the decision to cancel the run this year was simple—there just isn’t anywhere to hold the event. The Nut Run moved from Severance, Colorado, to the Bayou Steak House in Lucerne, Colorado last year after Bruce Roth, who hosted the party in Severance, died shortly before the 2006 run. Bruce’s Bar, the center point of the Nut Run and the provider of all those Rocky Mountain Oysters, was closed down right after the 2006 run, forcing the Nut Run to find a new home, thus, the move to Lucerne. Then, earlier this year, the Bayou Steak House changed owners, and was no longer an option for the run.

“The new owners didn’t want bikers there in Lucerne,” Fatland explained. “I don’t even know if they’re still open. We started looking for someplace top host the party. We’ve really been working on it but it just hasn’t worked out. There were a couple places that were interesting, but nobody that was able to handle the crowd this run usually has.”

Typically, the Nut Run draws at least 3000 motorcyclists from along the Front Range and Southeast Wyoming. Riders even come from Western Nebraska, Colorado’s West Slope, and as far away as Trinidad, Colorado, and Casper Wyoming, to be a part of the annual event. Before the move away from Severance, attendance had grown to over 4500 people.

“It has never been about seeing how many people we could get,” Fatland explained. “It was just a party. We want to keep it that way, and since we couldn’t find anywhere that could handle all the people, all the food, beer, and everything else, we decided we’d have to call it off this year.”

The good news is arrangements have already been made for the 2009 Nut Run.

“We’ll be back up in Severance next year,” Fatland said. “Bruce’s has a new owner…his name is Bruce, too…and they want us back. We tried to get it together to have everything back up in Severance this year, but things just aren’t going to be ready there. It’s too short a notice. They’re trying to get Bruce’s back up and running, but it’s taking a little longer than anyone expected. It’s just uncertain enough that I don’t want to plan to go there this year and then not be able to. I don’t want to make plans and do everything only to have a failure. We’re just going to take a year off and start it back up right in 2009.”

Since it began, the Nut Run, named for the main attraction—Rocky Mountain Oysters, has been held on the third Sunday in September. This the first time the event has not been held.

Fatland launched The Nut Run more than 30 years ago, with Rene Romero, who owned the old Harley dealership in Boulder, Colorado. When the dealership closed in 1986, Fatland kept the party alive and moved it to Severance, where it stayed until 2007.

During that time, the Nut Run became a staple of Colorado biker events that thousands of bikers planned on. Riders from all across the Rocky Mountain Region have made the trip to Northeast Colorado to knock back a cold one, eat some oysters—deep fried bull testicles—and soak up one of the last rides of the season.

The Nut Run has developed a personality all its own over the years. It is a laid-back, mellow affair that takes over the town of Severance. Riders bask in the autumn sun, socialize, and get in the wind for what is all too often thee last really good riding weekend of the year.

“It’s just a good party,” said Fatland. “That’s what it’s always been. Everyone comes up and has a good time and go for a little ride. That’s really what it’s all about, and we’re going to keep it that way.”

Next year can’t come soon enough.

“It’s too bad we can’t do it this year,” Fatland said. “But we’ll be back next year, in Severance, on the third Sunday in September.”