NORWAY — Coordinators for Bike Maine anticipate 350 bicyclists will stop in Norway this September when the trek travels through town.

Because this is the first time the town has hosted the event, Town Manager David Holt has some reservations about what should be allowed on the premises of the Town Office, where bikers will be dining.

Bikers will show up between noon and 3 p.m. on Sept. 6 and will leave the next morning.

Along with the 350 participants of the race, there will be a 50-person support group. Participants will bring shower stations and tents, and there will be a bicycle repair station.

“It’s still in the beginning stages with a lot of good people working together to make this a success,” Holt said at the Board of Selectman’s May 15 meeting. “Any time you have a first-time event, there are some things that you need to work through.”

One of the things that Holt wants to “work through” is deciding if alcohol should be allowed during the dinner that will be held in the Town Office the night the bikers arrive.

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“There can be no alcohol on this property,” Holt said about the Town Office, which also houses the Fire Department and Police Department. “I’m uncomfortable with the precedent of that happening.”

Holt confirmed that there are no official rules or laws stating that alcohol cannot be consumed on Town Office property. His reservations against the use of alcohol are from his comfort level of having the beverages available. In all the years that Holt has worked for the town, he said there has never been alcohol allowed on the premises.

“I’m responsible for what happens on this property,” Holt said.

“We wouldn’t want to have anything that would deter them from coming here,” Selectman Russell Newcomb said. “It’s great for the town of Norway to have them come through.”

He said that with this being the first time the event is in Norway, it would be good to have information available on trash cleanup after the event. He hopes that bikers will enjoy the area and come back to help the local economy.

To give the board an idea of the demographic of people that will be taking part in the event, Debra Partridge from the Norway Recreational Department informed the selectmen that the average age of the bikers participating is 57 years old and their average salary is $157,000.

The board agreed to continue conversations about alcohol consumption and will also discuss requiring an outdoor festival permit and public hearing for the Bike Maine event.

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