A lot was different, and a lot was the same at the 17th annual Lehighton Bike Night on Saturday.

The big difference was the location. This year the event was held on the Franklin Township Fire Company grounds instead of the Lehighton Park where it was held the first 15 years, or the Lehighton Community Grove, where it was staged last year.Frank Potoczak, one of the main organizers, said the Lehighton Bike Night was put together by Carbon County Entertainment LLC, which decided to host the event after former sponsor Lehighton Downtown Initiative canceled the event June 29.Potoczak was a coordinator of last year's Bike Night and announced in December he was stepping down from the position.He came back on board with Ty Poole and others to pull together the event.Poole said within the first couple of hours, about 3,000 motorcycles had pulled into the fire company parking lot.Video cameras stationed in the lot will help to determine an accurate count."I think it was an amazing turnout," Poole said. "Way more than anyone could have anticipated. We had only four weeks to put it together."Both he and Potoczak said the excellent weather helped with the attendance.Potoczak said, "All we got was nothing but positive feedback."He said Lehighton Bike Night will possibly remain in Franklin Township."I'm proud of the team we put together in a little under four weeks," Potoczak said. "Not just the volunteers but businesses who have helped us. Our motto is, 'Failure isn't an option.'"Last year's Bike Night, moved from the borough park to the Community Grove because of work being done at the time on the Thomas J. McCall Memorial Bridge, raised $4,572. Of that amount, the Lehighton Downtown Initiative donated $1,500 to Lehighton Fire Department, $1,500 to Lehighton Police Department and $500 to Franklin Township Fire Department.Potoczak said it is too early to determine how much money will be raised this year. Franklin Township will receive a portion of the proceeds, with other recipients to be determined.He said there were more costs this year because of starting fresh with a new organization at a new site.Mark Dietrich of Summit Hill rode onto the grounds on his 1985 Honda Goldwing with his grandson, Anthony Dietrich, 7."I've been to all but the first Bike Night," Dietrich said. "Anthony has been with me to the last three." Some riders said they have attended all 17 Bike Nights.Kathy Bauer and Lisa Kresge, both of Palmerton, rode their bikes to the event.Bauer said she was impressed with the Franklin setup, adding, "I like it better than the park."Kresge said her father, the late Larry Schnell, was one of the original founders of Bike Night."I love it," said Roy McLaughlin of Toms River, New Jersey, who last attended Bike Night several years ago.Preacher Vavek of Harding, Luzerne County, said, "I've been coming to Bike Night for years. I like this location better. There's lots of room. Everything's connected."Riding on his motorcycle was Lucy Lloyd of Blakeslee, who echoed his comments.Vendors sold everything from helmets to leather apparel, from french fries to souvenirs.Several nonprofit agencies also set up booths, including recently formed Turn To Us Inc., based in Jim Thorpe, whose motto is "helping those with major or chronic illnesses in Carbon County."The pamphlet distributed by volunteers Alicia Kline, Marie Dunn and Nicole Dunn said, "Turn to us because no one should have to walk this path alone."Bike Night opened with a Skill Run, sometimes called a poker run, with over 100 riders taking part. Poole said the grand prize winner of the event was Todd Zellers, who won $500 and donated $100 of it to the Franklin Township Fire Company.Potoczak said many of those attending Bike Night this year also attended and even camped out at a Vintage Bikers Movie Weekend held at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater, about 6 miles away.