As kids in Weatherly, Kenny Mehlig and Chuck Witner were constantly looking for places to ride their BMX bikes.

Twenty years later, Mehlig's own son followed in his footsteps. And as a father, he discovered the same problem still existed for BMX riders in the borough. It led him to call up his old riding buddy and build a new venue for cyclists in Eurana Park."In the '90s, we were huge into this, and it kind of died off. Now that our kids are into it, we're back into it," he said.BMX riders and skateboarders aren't always looked upon fondly in small towns. They're often a target for neighbors concerned about property damage, who in turn call the police."Usually when you get bike riders in town, grinding on rails, grinding on ledges, trying to sesh on curbs and loading docks, you're looked at negatively instead of as a positive thing," Witner said.The alternative was traveling to a purpose-built park, but that could be more than an hour away.Mehlig wanted something local, so he built obstacles so his son could practice tricks in the skating rink at Eurana Park. But after the borough said that their insurance couldn't cover it, he had to look for an alternative.He found an ally in Beth Dice, a mother whose son is also hooked on BMX. She said she was tired of the kids getting in trouble for something as innocent as bike riding."People complain that they're home, then they complain that they're out," she said.Together they talked to borough officials, and compromised on a "pump track." The track consists of a series of dirt jumps that are placed so a rider is carried by his momentum, rather than the pedals of the bike.The borough gave its blessing, and their dump truck, but much of the work had to be done by hand.Over the course of about a week, they shoveled truck loads of dirt by hand, with some help from Kyle Feaster of David Feaster Excavating."All you need is dirt and shovels. Kids get into BMX, they're young; 12, 10, even 8 years old. They don't have any money, and their parents aren't going to let them take their shovels down to the local BMX track," Witner said.The first run was completed just in time for the Weatherly Festival last weekend. Spectators lined the side of the track as the BMX riders put the new track to the test. Riders came from out of town to try the new jumps.If Mehlig's own son is a barometer, the track is popular already."My son, right after school, it wasn't even five minutes and he was out here," he said.The next step for the track is to add two more runs, including something for younger kids. The smaller track will be more geared toward kids 7 and under."As long as you can pedal a bike, you should be all right," said Joey Hancharick, a Weatherly BMXer who helped with the project.The track is open to the public during normal park hours. The jumps are kept under tarps so they don't get ruined by the elements, but riders are welcome to use them.The guys plan to continue working through the fall, until they cover up the jumps for the winter. They are open to any donations - especially shovels and gift cards to Lowe's so they can buy more supplies.For more information about the park, or to make a donation, contact the borough office at 570-427-8640.