STURGIS - Law enforcement officials took the precaution of clearing people from one block along Main Street and called the bomb squad Saturday when a suspicious item was found in the area about 9 p.m., according to Sturgis police chief Jim Bush.

"The state's Division of Criminal Investigation came in, and we whisked it off," Bush said. "It turned out to be innocent."

Bush said it took about an hour and 45 minutes to clear the third block of Main Street west of Junction Avenue and remove the item.

With the Sturgis motorcycle rally's official start on Monday, Bush said things were "normal" in town.

The bomb scare was "kind of exciting," he added with a chuckle.

After a lull in the traffic late in the week, rallygoers were streaming into town Sunday, according to interim rally director Pepper Massey.

"They're coming," she said.

Venders said Saturday was a little bit slow, which Massey attributed to the increase in rally activities spreading throughout the Black Hills.

"It's a good thing," Massey said. "We're happy to share."

Massey said the bomb scare was the only significant incident that she knew about so far, unless it's the stress of finding a parking place.

As usual, parking is a challenge for rally attendees, Massey said.