Old Bridge gives green light
to summer Harley festival
OLD BRIDGE — A celebration of Harley-Davidson motorcycles will be coming to Old Bridge this summer.
The Township Council has approved an application that will allow Harley-Davidson to bring its 100th Anniversary Celebration Tour to Raceway Park, Pension Road, for three days in August.
The event does not involve motorcycle racing. The event will bring a movie theater, a restaurant and performances by several popular bands to the drag strip.
According to a resolution drafted by Township Attorney William Ruggierio, the approval is also subject to an agreement between the town and Harley-Davidson that the sponsor provide its own security, emergency medical personnel and cleanup crews during the event, which is scheduled for Aug. 16-18 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
At the request of council Vice President Reggie Butler, Old Bridge Police Capt. Bill Cerra presented Harley-Davidson’s proposal.
"This is not a racing event," Cerra said. "This is a world’s fair event for Harley."
Cerra said Harley-Davidson would exercise full control of the event, including 10 days of pre-event setup and 10 days of taking down its displays. The event would focus on selling Harley-Davidson merchandise, he said.
Harley-Davidson would be including Old Bridge as part of the fair’s 11-city tour. Other cities on the itinerary include Atlanta, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Mexico City.
The company would set up its own temporary restaurant designed to seat 1,000 patrons and a movie theater designed to hold 2,000 people, Cerra said. The movie theater would be used to screen a Harley-Davidson-related film.
The event has many corporate sponsors, Cerra said, adding that Harley-Davidson plans to donate a minimum of $1 million to the Muscular Dystrophy Association from proceeds raised on the anniversary tour.
Cerra referred to the promotional materials which predict attendance of 8,000 to 10,000 people per day.
The event will feature a concert with Three Dog Night, the Eagles and the Charlie Daniels Band, which will be hosted by comedian Drew Carey.
In response to Mayor Barbara Cannon’s question about the possibility that the police department might incur overtime as a result of the traffic exiting Raceway Park, Cerra said the event’s coming-and-going nature will allow for a smooth flow of people at all times.
Councilman Gerald Cucchiara asked Cerra to ensure that Old Bridge receives credit as the host community rather than nearby Englishtown. Raceway Park’s mailing address is Englishtown although the drag strip is on Pension Road, Old Bridge, near the Manalapan border.
"Please tell them it’s Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, not Englishtown," Cucchiara said.
— Sue M. Morgan