Dave Bremmer is still a relative newcomer to Galax, but he’s going full speed ahead with his dreams.
The Oregon transplant and his wife, Shihua Xu Bremmer, are working to bring a motorcycle campground to the south end of Galax, where Jack Higgins’ old junkyard used to sit, off Chestnut Drive.
Skeptics may scoff, but Bremmer, who purchased the land in question, has already cleared the land and plans to open Phase I by July 4. He’s not too worried about the deadline – it’s something impressive to shoot for – but he’s already accomplished the remarkable feat of getting rid of several tons of junk, scrap and brush.
Bremmer announced his plans in late 2022, along with fixing up the Doctor’s Inn and the home next door, the old Dannelly House, both on West Stuart Drive.
He is able to bring the motorcycle park to fruition thanks partly to Galax City Council's decision at its March 11 meeting to grant his zoning request. Bremmer had asked to have the property rezoned from residential to general business, and went through a full process with the Galax Planning Commission and other departments.
Phase I of the campground involves several features, including a waterfall pool beach and several landscaping amenities; a motorcycle repair shop; “Rebel Town South,” a 1950s-themed structure that will look like a gas station but house showers; a photography studio you can ride your motorcycle into and pose in front of various backgrounds; a sidewalk with a vent that blows air upwards (and a Marilyn Monroe dress to wear while posing on it); and three restaurants, including a barbecue spot called “Bacon’s Rebellion.”
There will be plenty of photo opportunities and diversions for both locals and visitors, like the “Wanderlust Waterfalls,” an eye-catching rock creation with room in front for a pool.
On site on Monday afternoon, clearing and landscaping to prepare for all this, Bremmer was as friendly and chatty as you’d hope to find someone who’s invested in creating a fun space.
“All my things are alliteration,” he said. “We’ll have ‘Fast Freddy's Motorcycle Repair.'" Pointing to another spot, he says it will be the "Tiki Torch Lounge.”
He strode across the property – about 7.5 acres – describing the vision.
“I just want it to be fun and have a lot of photo opportunities,” he said, “because motorcyclists love to show their photos to their friends.”
Phase II, which is a ways off yet, will involve a “motorcycle access-only city,” (with fire and rescue access for safety reasons, though) and a motel, he said at the council meeting.
Though it’s certainly conceived of as a motorcyclist’s paradise and travel destination, locals are more than welcome to enjoy it, he said. “I want this to be a four-seasons spot, not just a motorcycle-season one,” he said.
There will be a regular car-centric parking lot to one side and, Bremmer hopes, eventually a scenic walking trail around the perimeter to give everyone another option for outdoor hiking and bicycling.
Bremmer noted that the “Rebel Town” aspect isn’t about the Confederacy and won’t feature Confederate flags – he said he wants everyone to feel welcome and included – but is a salute to former property owner Jack Higgins, who he feels was something of a rebel.
“In America, I feel we’re all sort of rebels,” he noted, smiling and ready to get back to work.
At the meeting, David Hankley, who had acted informally as Bremmer’s consultant in getting the project going, was enthusiastic about it.
Hankley — the city's former commissioner of revenue and former fire chief - said to council, “If there is a T-shirt available of citizen of the year, Mr. Bremmer deserves it for what he has done. I encourage all of you all to go out there and see it. I took about 50-60 pictures of what it looked like before he got it, because that’s how much junk was out there, and it’s all gone.”
Hankley continued, “When I met him in January or February of last year, he said it would be gone a year later. I thought, ‘Well, we’ve got state mental hospitals, because that's crazy. He’s not going to do it.’ But he did. It’s just been remarkable.”