OCEAN CITY — Now less than two weeks away, OC BikeFest is officially a go after resort officials this week approved the final memorandum of understanding.
In July, the Mayor and Council reviewed the draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) with staff. The MOU outlines both the town’s responsibilities and those of the event’s promoter, OC JAMS. While generally satisfied with the MOU as proposed in July, the Mayor and Council directed staff to clarify a few minor issues in the document and bring it back for final approval.
The final MOU came back before the Mayor and Council during Tuesday’s work session and the elected officials approved it unanimously. It’s not as if OC BikeFest was hinging on final approval of the MOU. The event was coming anyway. The MOU simply clarifies each party’s fiscal responsibilities, and the provision of in-kind services, for example.
Last year, OC BikeFest was cancelled as a formal event because of COVID-related restrictions, but many of the participants came anyway for the long weekend, despite no major concerts of other attractions. This year, OC BikeFest returns as a formal, sanctioned event for the town.
The MOU covers a request from OC JAMS to take over the Inlet lot for the entire week from Monday, Sept. 13 through the following Sunday. A free concert has been added this year on Wednesday of OC BikeFest week and the producer needed additional days on the front end for the event set-up.
I don’t mind bike week at all as a local. Even though motorcycles are not my thing, and the constant loud engines become a bit of a pain, it has been my experience that they are, for the most part, polite, educated and respectful. They tip well and are largely well behaved. Sure, there are a few bad apples in every crowd, but they are a welcome and sanctioned event. I am not looking forward to the end of the month with the H2oI crowd/Pop up event. You would think that after all the fines and impends last year (along with a 90% conviction rate) that they would get the message.
I would have LOVED to see bike week scheduled the same week as that pop up mess. I, for one, would really enjoy watching those entitled, snot nosed, millennial/Gen Z or whatever they call themselves get their collective heads handed to them.