Colt Stegmund of Philadelphia drove his motorcycle to Lehighton's Bike Night on Saturday even though he knew the forecast was for rain.

"I hoped the rain would hold off until the evening," he said. "This was my third time here. I heard Bike Night had a new sponsor but I always enjoyed it here so I thought I would check it out."Stegmund said he was impressed."The group holding it did a fantastic job."This year's Bike Night was hosted by the Lehighton Downtown Initiative Committee (LDIC).It was the 13th year for Bike Night, held around the downtown park. The first 12 were held by the Lehighton Bike Night Committee, an independent group of volunteers who opted to disband after last year. The LDIC stepped in and agreed to take over the event.It began raining at about 5 p.m. Hundreds of motorcyclists were at the event, with many scrambling to their bikes after the rain began intensifying.A fireworks display that was scheduled at night was canceled because of the weather.Todd Zimmerman, a member of the LDIC and a coordinator of Bike Night, said, "Unfortunately, LDIC did not raise as much money as anticipated due to the weather and thin crowds in the evening. They are already planning changes to improve next year's festivities."He explained, "LDIC is still planning on renovating both the band shell area section of the upper park and the area around the fountain in the lower park in early October. LDIC would appreciate any financial support that business members or civilians could contribute."Zimmerman said he was very pleased with the turnout of people, especially considering the weather."The police had mentioned that attendance surpassed last year's by 1:30," Zimmerman said. "Many people walked up to our booth and stated that they were happy that Bike Night stayed in Lehighton. One person traveled from York, home of Harley-Davidson, and stated that Lehighton has a much better Bike Night than they do."He added, "Many people travel for a weekend get away so Lehighton is just one stop of their weekend. It shows that communities in Carbon County should work with each other when planning activities."A highlight of Bike Night was a motorcycle judging event. The general public served as the judges.Trophy winners were:• Best of Show - Gerald Kerkeslager of Lebanon• Trike with side car - Kerkeslager• Best Radical Bike - Russ Fly• American Cruiser - Chris Kuntz• Metric Cruiser - Joe Butrie of Lansford• American Touring - Jason Gerstenberg• Custom - Fred and Penny Waltz• Antique - Bill KelsKerkeslager's bike was a blue, 2007 Honda, Gold Wing trike. He had the bike painted with patriotic artwork, including one in memory of Sept. 11, 2001.This was Kerkeslager's first time at Lehighton Bike Night.Another judged event was a tattoo contest. Several hundred people attended this event, during which nine participants seven men and two women displayed their body art.By virtue of audience applause, the winner was Ren Wentz of Lehighton, who had a large tattoo that stretched almost from his shoulder to his right elbow, and another huge one on his torso.Zimmerman said one complaint the committee heard was that there were no commemorative pins or patches available."We will have both 2011 and 2012 pins and patches for collectors next year," he assured.Brenda Koons, a member of the LDIC, said she was very happy with the turnout of both bikers and spectators."It's not the best weather and we have pretty good attendance," she said.Cameron Stoffer traveled from Nanticoke for Bike Night."I had a good time," he said, adding that he especially enjoyed the food stands. "This is about the fifth time I've been here," he said. "I'm looking forward to coming back next year."Asked if he entered his bike in any of the judging events, he responded, "Nope. I just come here to meet other bikers and just to have a good time. It's a great family event. I hope they keep having it."Zimmerman said that The Second Amazing Lehighton Race is LDIC's next event, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10. It is based on a similar format of the very popular CBS show, but with a local twist.Teams of two must race from destination to destination and at each stop perform a mental or physical challenge before they gain their next clue to proceed. The winner will earn $1,000. Anyone interested can visit

www.experiencelehighton.com for more information."LDIC would also like to thank the Lehighton Area High School National Honor Society and Red Cross clubs and the Lehighton Borough staff," added Zimmerman, "especially Jeff Smith for his tremendous help both Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, we would like to thank the volunteers at CONCERN; the Carbon County juvenile probation, and the Reichard and Traupman families of Lehighton for their cleanup services."LDIC would like to invite more members from both the business community and concerned citizens to join it in its efforts to improve the community, said Zimmerman. Their next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25 in the Lehighton American Legion.Zimmerman can be contacted at (570) 778-2384 for any details.