BMX event expected to draw thousands to Hagerstown; organizers ask permission for camping

Hagerstown will be the site of a regional BMX finals event that's expected to draw hundreds of families from throughout the East this October, hopefully setting the city up for a larger finals event in the future, according to organizers.

Hagerstown BMX, which operates BMX racing at a dirt track at Fairgrounds Park, and Visit Hagerstown, the local visitors and convention bureau, briefed Mayor Tekesha Martinez and the Hagerstown City Council on the Oct. 13-15 competition during a work session Tuesday afternoon.

One of the reasons the two groups appeared before the council is because they want permission to charge for parking at the event and to allow camping during the competition.

Overnight camping is prohibited at Fairgrounds Park.

The USA BMX Gold Cup Series involves riders counting their best two scores from Gold Cup Qualifiers in different regions. The Hagerstown event will be a northeast final.

How would camping be offered at the event?

Organizers told the council that they want to allow camping at the event because often there is a shortage of hotel rooms when an event that size comes to Hagerstown. And allowing camping allows for a fun family atmosphere where race families can remain together at the park for the event. It would be for recreational vehicles, and only for "dry camping," meaning there will not be any water or electric hookups.

Hagerstown BMX said collecting money from parking and camping fees will help it raise money to buy a new start gate at the track, which will cost $20,000 at a minimum. Raised money will also be used to acquire more bikes for kids who need them and make improvements to the track surface.

Parking will be $10 per day or $25 for the weekend.

Although council members didn't object to either request, they mentioned several issues.

Councilwoman Shelley McIntire said she wants to make sure people will still be able to use other features of the park, such as the dog park, while the event is being staged. There was mention of alternative parking being set up.

"That's what we've got to figure out," said Eric Deike, director of public works for the city. Deike said a lot of event details are being worked out and said one reason organizers wanted to come before the council now is to make sure the mayor and council members liked the idea of it.

Deike said city fire marshals have expressed some concerns, but that the fire officials believe the issues can be worked out. The fire marshals pointed out that RVs have propane tanks and they don't want to allow pull-out grills, Deike said. Space requirements are also a priority, he said.

"They (organizers) will be hiring security to enforce the rules," Deike said.

Putting Hagerstown on the BMX map

Councilman Kristin Aleshire said allowing camping at the park will not be like camping at campgrounds in the county where there are not a lot of surrounding homes. Aleshire said he wants to work out those logistics to achieve a good balance between the camping and the neighborhood.

In a Council wRap talk after the meeting, Visit Hagerstown President Dan Spedden said such an event will elevate the profile of Hagerstown as a preferred destination. People coming to the competition will also help the local economy by eating at restaurants, staying in hotels in some cases, and enjoying other retail offerings, he said.

"If we impress USA BMX with the way we handle this event, we'll be a top contender for an even larger event," Spedden told Council wRap host Wes Decker, the city's communications officer.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: USA BMX picks Hagerstown Maryland for north east finals cup