An Alberta suburb is gearing up for one hell of a street party this weekend, hosted by none other than the local Hells Angels chapter to celebrate their 10 years in the area.
Preparations were in full spring on Friday as caterers delivered food and crews supplied porta-potties for the guests.
CTV Calgary reporter Sneha Kulkarni saw several Hells Angels members in colours ride up to the clubhouse on Friday.
"You can see several bikes parked in front of one of the party tents and we have seen ten or 12 members just arrive," she reported.
"As for the expected numbers, police aren't giving us estimates."
Calgary police and RCMP are keeping a close eye on the get-together which is supposed to attract members from Montreal, Vancouver, Winnipeg and other local chapters.
They conducted spot checks on several bikers and truck drivers making their way into the city for traffic violations and having illegal equipment on board.
Winnipeg police told CTV Calgary they saw some 50 members ride into their city a few days ago; however, the weekend party is expected to attract members from across the country.
Police held a press conference Thursday to let the public know they'd be on hand in case of any disruptions at the clubhouse east of Calgary.
"We felt it would be best to advise the public they were coming but also to assure them the police here in Calgary and along with the RCMP are also aware of that, It's not catching us by surprise."
The biker gang moved to the southeastern outskirts of Calgary when they were kicked out of their location in Ogden two years ago.
The Hells Angels are often accused of being associated with drug trafficking, illegal gambling, extortion, intimidation, fraud, theft, murder and prostitution.
Nonetheless, neighbours told Calgary's 麻豆影视 the Hells Angels have been nothing less than neighbourly.
Terri Kuntz said she's more concerned with the party's noise level rather than the possibility of a ruckus.
"They kind of do their own thing," she said. "They don't really involve other people. It might get a little noisy but that's the only thing I'm concerned about."
Another neighbour, who didn't want to be named, said members of the gang have participated in community gatherings and even brought their own food to a pot-luck dinner.
In fact, Brian Ferris, a resident who lives in the area, said the Hells Angels have even gone as far as inviting him to the party.
"They just said they were having a get together, jamboree thing, so come on in and join us," he said. "They're being neighbourly. They're nice guys."
One woman who lives in the area said she's a little wary of her neighbour's affiliations but so far, she hasn't had any run-ins with them.
"The leader lives over there," said Nariman Youseff, pointing to an adjacent property. "We've never had any problems. I'm a little worried but I don't think it will affect us much."
With a report from CTV Calgary's Sneha Kulkarni
