The 19th annual Lehighton Bike Night will go ahead as scheduled, at a new venue, Riders Resort in Franklin Township.

The township supervisors approved an agreement with the motorcycle enthusiast campground at the meeting Tuesday, allowing the event to go forward this Saturday, as well as a kickoff party Friday night.Earlier in the day, township officials were in court asking a Carbon County judge to block the event from taking place.The hearing on the injunction went ahead Tuesday, but the township's attorney asked for a continuance because the two sides were close to a resolution.Supervisor Rod Green said after the injunction hearing that he was confident that an agreement could be reached to allow bike night to go forward. He said the township's concern is that Riders Resort is not permitted to operate as an event venue."It's not that the township is against it, it's just we want to protect our citizens," Green said.Gary Elbert, general manager and a stakeholder in the company that owns Riders Resort, said he is just happy that bike night will continue into its 19th year. He said that the campground and bike night are a natural fit."I'm so glad we were able to come to an agreement and let this great event go ahead," he said. "It would be a shame after 19 years for it to come to an end."The agreement, which was also approved by Elbert, basically requires the owners of Riders Resort to provide security, portable toilets, and to enforce a curfew.Specifically, they must provide six security guards Saturday, two Friday night; require campers to use fire rings and keep water nearby; provide a first aid station; provide 11 portable toilets; and cover the cost of two additional police shifts for the day - somewhere between $550-600."As long as they stick to the agreement, that was our main concern," Green said. "They showed they had their own protection with security, but we also wanted police protection."David Bradley, a township resident who has helped organize bike night, suggested the township donate $600 to the VALOR Clinic Foundation, one of the nonprofits that the event benefits, and expressed concern about the township charging Riders Resort for services related to the event.Last year, Bike night raised $2,700 for VALOR, when it was held in Mahoning Township.Elbert, part of the ownership group for Riders Resort, said he's been impressed by the generosity and community spirit of the motorcycle enthusiasts he's met. He said he's been particularly impressed by Ty Poole, a bike night organizer who also owns the Boatyard Bar & Grill."They're underserved, they're underappreciated, and misunderstood. They're wonderful, wonderful people," Elbert said.The township filed for an injunction against Lloyd Otto LLC, the owner of Riders Resort last week, because officials were concerned about security, trash removal and sewage facilities, as well as the fact that the venue is not zoned for events like Bike Night.Township supervisor Rod Green said that the board became concerned because they saw advertisements that bike night would be held in the township, but they didn't have the zoning to operate as an event venue.