The fate of Lehighton Bike Night has already been decided for 2015.

It will be hosted under the same name in a different location.The new location for Lehighton Bike Night will be Franklin Township.Borough councilman Joe Flickinger wants it back home."It's an essential part to the revitalization area; we need events like that," he said.Bike Night started in 1999 with a large amount of proceeds being donated to borough police and fire departments. Through the years the proceeds have decreased, however, and the value of the event to the community and to the borough is in question."Many different community festivals are only lucky enough to last one or two years. This one has lasted 17," Flickinger said.Councilwoman Helen Torok had questions about the proprietary rights of the borough regarding the event."If you allow this to happen, then anything can be taken away," she said.Councilman Darryl Arner asked if there might be a copyright that could be put in place."Trademarking 'Lehighton Bike Night' isn't going to keep bike night in Lehighton. We need people who are really into it to help keep it running," solicitor James Nanovic said. "We need someone who has a passion for this, and I'm not sure who those people are."Arner said the whole business of moving Lehighton Bike Night to Franklin Township "seems very underhanded.""It was scurried away from us. People in Franklin have been talking about it for a year," he said.Council Vice President Scott Rehrig does not believe the organization of bike night should fall to the council."I don't think it's a duty of our council to run bike night. The borough provided services, police and fire, cleanup and electric. But is it the main feature of the borough? No. We are not in the 'bike night' business. We are grateful for the contributions, but as everyone remembers, the cat was out of the bag last year," he said."I talked to a few individuals and it all boils down to money. Once you don't have a crowd, you don't have vendors. There are other things that go along with it that might not be family oriented," Councilman John Kreitz said."When there's an event, some vendors you book a year in advance. If you cancel, their business is hurt. This was planned. We don't have a trademark, we don't own it," Rehrig said.Torok said that all the amenities of Lehighton could be tied into the event. She counted the amphitheater as an underused asset."There are other things that can be incorporated. Lehighton doesn't have to be just a one-night stand," she said."We are moving so forward with the business district, I'd hate to see it go back by losing this event," Flickinger said."I'm not disagreeing," Nanovic said. "We just need people who are movers and shakers in this area."