Fire & Ice a success despite bike wreck

By Jim Tiffin
Staff Writer

GRANTS — An accident injuring a motorcyclist from Gallup early Saturday morning was not an omen for a bad weekend for the annual Fire & Ice Bike rally.

Michael Lovato, 52, was heading into Grants eastbound on Interstate 40 at exit 79 about 8:30 a.m., when a dog ran onto the road in front of him, said Lt. Jimmy Glascock, New Mexico State Police.

"He was with a group of bikers and he tried to avoid the dog but clipped the back of another biker resulting in an accident," Glascock said.

"He suffered head injuries and was air evacuated to Albuquerque by Lifeguard," Glascock said.

He was not wearing a helmet.

Lovato worked for the Gallup Fire Department for about 26 years and served as fire chief for the four years leading up to his retirement in 1999.

Robert Garcia, current fire chief for the department, said Lovato is currently employed as a safety officer for the University of New Mexico's Gallup campus.

Garcia said he worked at Lovato's side for a number of years and has been trying to check on his condition since the accident.

"We hope he gets better," Garcia said. "It's a tragedy somebody has to wreck, especially during a bike rally."

Otherwise, the rally was a success.

"There were more people Saturday this year than there were last year (at the rally)," said Grants Police Sgt. Steve Sena.

"It was a quiet weekend, but there was a lot of traffic in town," said Cpl. James Spidle, Grants Police.

Jerry Stephens, Milan chief of police, said the traffic was increased in his community as bikers drove to and from the three-day event Friday through Sunday, but it was mostly quiet in Milan as well.

All statistical information is not in yet from law enforcement agencies about the total number of arrests and what the arrests were for, but there were at least 14 DWI arrests made in Grants by state police, Glascock said.

Three people won 2005 motorcycles, two in Grants and one at Sky City Casino Hotel.

On Saturday night, Ben Chavez of San Rafael won the American Ironhorse Legend motorcycle at the casino. Also that night, in a drawing held in the Fire & Ice Park, Ricarda Tafoya won the 2005 Harley Davidson Softtail motorcycle.

In another drawing at the park, Charito, of Albuquerque, whose last name was not listed by Main Street officials, won the 2005 Harley Davidson Sportster.

Grants Police recorded several warrant arrests during the rally including placing a number of people into protective custody because of being intoxicated, Grants police said.

During the weekend, there were a variety of calls to Grants Police that were not related to the rally, including several of domestic violence, a dangerous dog, 911 hangups from various locations and fights.

At noon Monday the last of the dozens of vendor tents were coming down in the park and in the Riverwalk Park area at Fifth Street and Santa Fe Avenue.

The beer pavilion was already down and gone and only the fencing was still standing as workers were preparing to remove it.

Main Street officials only last week received funding from the City of Grants for the event, as city councilors questioned the accounting practices and why there have been several executive directors who have come and gone in the past year.

There were less vendor tents for the rally this year than last year and not as many out-of-town people on Friday and Sunday.

"We had more people at the event Sunday than last year, but they were mostly local," Sena said.

Staff writer Leslie Wood contributed to this report.