Page 36 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch September 20, 2013 200K Bikers InArea For Events The Inlet parking lot where OC BikeFest was headquartered last weekend is pictured. Photo by Rally Rides and Howard Whaley By JOANNE SHRINER STAFF WRITER OCEAN CITY – The hybrid OC BikeFest and Delmarva Bike Week last weekend was by most accounts a rousing success with an estimated 200,000 bikers visiting the resort. For the first time this year, OC Bikefest and Delmarva Bike Week operated under a single umbrella with both events owned and operated by OC Jams LLC and event producer Cliff Sutherland. With nearperfect weather, aside from thunderstorms Thursday evening, everything line up for a highly successful Bike Week event this year with an estimated 200,000 motorcycles converging on Ocean City and across the Lower Shore. “There were probably 200,000 bikers, of which at least 150,000 were in Ocean City,” said Sutherland this week. “I have talked to a lot of merchants, hotels and restaurants and everybody seemed really happy.” While the 200,000 figure is just an anecdotal estimate, a spike in ticket sales at officially sanctioned events reveal a significant increase. OC BikeFest’s official events were held at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center and the Inlet parking lot, where the entertainment took place and the only location where attendees had to purchase tickets to enter. According to Sutherland, in 2011, there were just over 9,000 tickets sold, with 14,000 tickets sold SEE NEXT PAGE SEAMLESS EPOXY FLOORS AND POLISHED CONCRETE INTERIOR RENOVATIONS FOR HOTEL/MOTEL CONDO EXTERIOR COATINGS & WATERPROOFING SYSTEMS POOL & DECK COATINGS CALL TOLL-FREE OR OCEAN CITY 1-877-543-0700 443-664-5361 E-mail: glriii@aol.com Check Out Our New Website: PAINTING & FLOORING CONTRACTOR www.randrcoatingsinc.com DCMA MEMBER