Christin Storms, owner of a craft shop in Smiths Falls, poses for a photo Thursday morning. As a member of the BIA, she's also the main organizer of a monthly motorcycle meet in downtown Smiths Falls. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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SMITHS FALLS — Christin Storms, the Smiths Falls woman who kick-started a monthly motorcycle meet in this Eastern Ontario town, is uncertain about the long-term future of the popular event after learning she was on the radar of the Ontario Provincial Police’s Biker Enforcement Unit.

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Following the June edition of Bike Night, the 44-year-old mother of four and owner of the Craft Witch, a store that sells craft supplies in Smiths Falls, was summoned to a meeting with police, fire services and town officials. A couple of fellow business owners from the Smiths Falls Downtown Business Association were also invited.

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The event under scrutiny — Smiths Falls Bike Night — has been taking place for two years, landing on the first Wednesday of each summer month. Depending on the weather, it can attract thousands of motorcyclists of all ages, who park their two-wheelers along the clean, wide, recently upgraded Beckwith Street.

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Throngs stroll by to check out the vendors, beer garden, bikes and bands, as well as the town’s shops, bars and restaurants. There’s no admission charge or tickets, so it’s hard to predict how many riders will show up.

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But on a fine summer evening, attendance estimates this season have ranged from 2,000 to 6,000 bikes a night. Between the riders, passengers and onlookers, the crowd can swell to 8,000 or more.

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On a fine summer evening, Smiths Falls Bike Night can attract thousands of motorcyclists. Photo by Jacqueline Marie Photography. Us

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Storms expected the June 9 meeting would be a routine planning session ahead of the next event, scheduled on Canada Day, but the tone changed when an officer from the OPP’s Biker Enforcement Unit walked into the room.

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Instead of focusing on road closures and detours, Storms and her colleagues were treated to a PowerPoint presentation that started with a tutorial on recognizing criminal motorcycle gangs, and continued with a slide show comprising surveillance photographs from the June 2 Bike Night, including shots of Storms greeting bikers with hugs.

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When the officer observed that she hugged a “bad” guy, Storms was taken aback, then shocked at the insinuation that she was inviting crime to town.

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“Was I dealing drugs in this photo? Did I stab somebody? What were they trying to portray? And why were they telling all my community partners?” she wondered. “It was absurd; I hug everybody. So then I was sitting there having a live panic attack.”

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Storms, a former daycare operator, had come up with the idea to hold a bike night in 2024 after learning the nearby town of Winchester was not reviving a similar event.

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Having been to Winchester, she knew that motorcyclists like to park on the main drag, get off their bikes and socialize with each other. On a slow Wednesday in Smiths Falls, it seemed like a no-brainer to invite them to town.

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The first year, 2025, was deemed a success. Attendance grew quickly, businesses were happy and there were no safety concerns.

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But on June 2, according to information the police presented to Storms, up to 50 people in the crowd were identified as members of outlaw motorcycle gangs. When Storms asked if there was any risk to the public, she was told the answer was no.