MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - The Atlantic Beach Bikefest is underway on the Grand Strand amid heightened security after violence last year.
The long Memorial Day weekend is expected to bring about 400,000 people to the Myrtle Beach area for the Bikefest and the first long weekend of the summer season.
Horry County emergency officials report there have already been several motorcycle accidents and that emergency rooms in the area are running near capacity.
Local media outlets report that about 120 people gathered at an elementary school Thursday night to pray for a safe weekend.
Last year violence during the Bikefest weekend left three dead and seven wounded in Myrtle Beach.
Late at night this weekend police are enforcing a 23-mile, one way loop to keep traffic moving through downtown Myrtle Beach and directing it out of town to the nearby Carolina Bays Parkway.
Steel barricades have been placed along Ocean Boulevard - the main oceanfront drag - to prevent pedestrians from jaywalking and further slowing traffic. Police also say they are strictly enforcing loitering laws to prevent impromptu parties from taking place on private property and in parking lots.
About 200 state troopers and 180 State Law Enforcement Division agents are joining local law enforcement agencies this year - that’s 130 more than last Memorial Day weekend. They are being joined by dozens of other officers from three states.
In recent months a $50,000 social media campaign has been underway featuring everyone from police officers to ordinary residents urging visitors to respect the community and obey the law during the long weekend.
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