STURGIS, S.D. - Mayor Maury LaRue walked the entire length of Sturgis' biker-packed Main Street on Saturday afternoon, and he was recognized by only one person.

"Hi, Maury," a young woman called out from one of the vendor booths.

"A former student," the retired teacher explained as he slipped between burly bikers and camera-toting tourists. When he reached the viewing tower at Junction Avenue and Main Street with a newspaper photographer, he had to identify himself before the booth worker would let him climb the city-owned tower without paying.

LaRue, in his first Sturgis rally as mayor of South Dakota's largest city - at least this week - is clearly amused by his own anonymity.

But LaRue is no rally newbie. Sturgis has been his home for more than three decades. Over the years, he has watched the annual motorcycle rally grow from a regional curiosity to a massive event that attracts hundreds of thousands of people and generates millions of dollars for the town of 6,000.

"What used to be just a gathering of people is now an economic event," he said. And it has expanded well beyond the city limits of Sturgis, he said; the entire state reaps its benefits.

LaRue, 59, is originally from Mandan, N.D. His wife, Denise, is from Bismarck, N.D. During most of his adult life, LaRue taught government at Sturgis Brown High School and worked part-time as a professional photographer. He also has worked over the years with his longtime friend, Tom Monahan, who operates Tom's Ts in Sturgis.

LaRue's political career began in 1978 on the Sturgis City Council. He made an unsuccessful run for mayor in 1982. In 2002, he served in the South Dakota Legislature.

What's extraordinary about the Sturgis rally, LaRue said, is that it keeps growing in numbers, expanding its geography and changing its complexion as time goes on. "And not because any government or any business group has tried to foster that growth. It just keeps growing," he said.

But LaRue and Sturgis still face a number of challenges. In recent years, there's been talk that Sturgis might have lost some of its luster among bikers. Regional motorcycle rallies have popped up all over the country. Closer to home, nearby cities such as Hill City and Hulett, Wyo., have attracted increasing numbers of bikers.

And now, the prairies east of Sturgis, home of such venues as the Buffalo Chip Campground, Thunder Road and the Full Throttle Saloon, are stealing some of Sturgis' thunder.

Asked if Sturgis can hold on to its crown as the center of the biker universe, LaRue responded with a broad smile and a sweep of the hand. "Very much so," he said.

Sturgis continues to grow as a motorcycle destination, he said. Events such as the American Motorcycle Dealers magazine's World Championship of Custom Bike Building on Lazelle Street show that the industry recognizes the importance of the Sturgis event. "I think it's akin to the Detroit auto show," he said.

In many ways, the Sturgis rally has outgrown Sturgis, he said. Crowds are spilling out to the east and to other Black Hills towns eager for a piece of the action. But it's all good, he said.

"But I do say to places like Hill City and Custer: Be careful what you wish for," he said.

Sturgis learned the hard way that this seasonal motorcycle monster can overtake the town's year-around economy. Years ago, vendors would come in and rent sidewalk space for rally week. Local year-round businesses, with little regular retail traffic that week, started emptying out their stores and renting indoor space to vendors.

In the 1970s, you could buy a downtown storefront for $50,000 or so. When a Main Street hardware store sold for more than twice that amount, LaRue said, "That was the end of it." The sale raised property values, which raised property taxes, which forced more shop owners to sell out. The cycle continued for years.

Now, many Main Street buildings remain vacant for 50 weeks a year. Others have been torn down and turned into vendor parks. Year-around residents head for Spearfish or Rapid City to shop. That has implications for government, economics, quality of life and other aspects of the Sturgis community, LaRue said.

But a new trend is now emerging, and it could bode well for Sturgis and the rest of the Black Hills. More bikers are touring the Hills, but avoiding the crowds and congestion -and high prices - of rally week.

More Sturgis rally stores are staying open year-around. Motels are seeing more two-wheeled travelers all summer long. Biker vacations could be the future of the Black Hills.

Many of these travelers, LaRue believes, are turned off by the over-the-top prices for everything from hot dogs to hotel rooms during the rally. That, he believes, could be one of the biggest challenges for the Sturgis motorcycle rally.

"If you kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, who do you blame but yourself?" he asked.