Fat & Skinny Tire Festival Bringing Races Back To Downtown Warsaw
January 20, 2023 at 10:37 p.m.
Fat & Skinny Tire Festival Bringing Races Back To Downtown Warsaw
By David [email protected]
At the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, Greg Demopoulos, representing KCV Cycling, requested road closures for May 19, to be staged in sequences, for the racing. The closures are for Main Street from Lake to High streets; Center Street from Lake to High streets; Market Street from Buffalo to Indiana streets; Lake Street from Main to Center streets; Buffalo Street from Fort Wayne to Market streets; and Indiana Street from Fort Wayne to Market streets.
“It’s hard to believe we’re less than four months away from the Fat & Skinny Tire Fest, so with the weather today it kind of feels like it’s a ways out, but spring is on its way,” he said. “We’re excited because this will be the 18th annual Fat & Skinny Tire Fest.”
For a number of years, the event featured events downtown Warsaw, but the pandemic caused a hiatus, returning in 2022. Last year, the kids events, the BMX stunt show and music were hosted downtown. Many of the other events are held in the county, specifically Winona Lake.
“We want to bring back the racing. We used to have the time trial that went out to Boggs to Zimmer, but we’re going to forego that. That’s a bit too much of an undertaking, but go back to the old downtown days of having the race around downtown with live music, kids events, the BMX stunt show kind of right here in the middle,” Demopoulos said.
The request for road closures is similar to what they’ve done in the past, he said, but expanding a little more for the road race this year and done in a staged sequence. Andy Cochran, KCV, has been working with Warsaw Police Department Capt. Joel Beam on the closures.
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce also is scheduled to have its Third Friday event on May 19 so Demopoulos said they’ve been working with the Chamber on the “entertainment stuff.”
The three stages of the road closures for May 19 start at 2 p.m. when organizers will start coning off blocks north, south, east and west specifically from the Center and Buffalo streets intersection. Demopoulos said that’s after the lunch rush and will allow them to start getting things into place.
Starting at 4 p.m., staging of the barricade needed for the road racing course will commence. Start/finish begins right outside of City Hall on Center Street. The race will then come down Buffalo, turn left onto Market, left on Indiana, left on Main, comes down to Lake, over to Center and then loop to the end.
At 6 p.m., “after the rush hour traffic has come through,” Demopoulos continued, that’s when three spots will be closed off: Lake Street, Market Street and right in front of the fire station. USA Cycling will be on site so their officials will need time to check the course and make sure it’s safe, and riders will need about 30 minutes of warm-up time before the first race starts.
Demopoulos said they’re shooting for races to begin at 7:30 p.m. so multiple categories can get their heats in. Lights will be in place for the last couple of races because it will be kind of twilight. The goal is to have the races completed by 10 or 10:30 p.m., with the roads back open by midnight.
“So that’s why they call it a twilight criterium,” he said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “We’ve spent some time with this. We talked to (Warsaw-Wayne Township Fire Territory) Chief (Garrett) Holderman about station 1, and they’re willing to stage a fire truck possibly at station 2. I didn’t want to make that happen until around 6 p.m., so I want to keep that fire station open until 6 p.m.”
He also talked with Demopoulos about keeping Lake Street open until 6 p.m. or a little later if possible. Market Street also will stay open until 6 p.m.
“People leaving work will have Market and Fort Wayne Street to get over to 15 to get through town. We worked on a lot of the details. I imagine there will be more details and changes to this, but I appreciate staging this at 2, 4 and 6 and trying to minimize the disruption to downtown,” Thallemer said. “But, I would liken this to a grand prix race in a downtown where there’s a lot of activity and it’s just a wonderful event. Hopefully, we can make it easy for folks to get downtown and enjoy this (event).”
Board member George Clemens said it sounded like the police and fire departments approved it. Board member Councilman Jeff Grose made a motion to approve the road closures, Clemens seconded it and it was approved 3-0.
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Member Relations Manager Scott Wiley, representing Main Street Warsaw, then presented three road closures.
The first was for Third Fridays - instead of First Fridays - on April 21, May 19, June 16, July 21, Aug. 18 and Sept. 15. Third Fridays will be from 5 to 8 p.m., with the road closures being 3:30 to 9 p.m. Roads to be closed are Center Street between Lake and Indiana streets, and Buffalo Street between Main and Market streets.
Wiley explained that First Fridays were moved to Third Fridays because there were too many conflicts with First Fridays, forcing people to choose which event to go to.
The second request was for Downtown Spooktacular to be held 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27, with the same roads closed from 3:30 to 9 p.m. The Spooktacular is in place of October’s and November’s Third Friday and is on the last Friday of October.
The final request for closure of the same roads was for the Downtown Warsaw Christmas Celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1, with the roads closed from 3:30 to 9 p.m. That event actually is on the first Friday of December.
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At the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, Greg Demopoulos, representing KCV Cycling, requested road closures for May 19, to be staged in sequences, for the racing. The closures are for Main Street from Lake to High streets; Center Street from Lake to High streets; Market Street from Buffalo to Indiana streets; Lake Street from Main to Center streets; Buffalo Street from Fort Wayne to Market streets; and Indiana Street from Fort Wayne to Market streets.
“It’s hard to believe we’re less than four months away from the Fat & Skinny Tire Fest, so with the weather today it kind of feels like it’s a ways out, but spring is on its way,” he said. “We’re excited because this will be the 18th annual Fat & Skinny Tire Fest.”
For a number of years, the event featured events downtown Warsaw, but the pandemic caused a hiatus, returning in 2022. Last year, the kids events, the BMX stunt show and music were hosted downtown. Many of the other events are held in the county, specifically Winona Lake.
“We want to bring back the racing. We used to have the time trial that went out to Boggs to Zimmer, but we’re going to forego that. That’s a bit too much of an undertaking, but go back to the old downtown days of having the race around downtown with live music, kids events, the BMX stunt show kind of right here in the middle,” Demopoulos said.
The request for road closures is similar to what they’ve done in the past, he said, but expanding a little more for the road race this year and done in a staged sequence. Andy Cochran, KCV, has been working with Warsaw Police Department Capt. Joel Beam on the closures.
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce also is scheduled to have its Third Friday event on May 19 so Demopoulos said they’ve been working with the Chamber on the “entertainment stuff.”
The three stages of the road closures for May 19 start at 2 p.m. when organizers will start coning off blocks north, south, east and west specifically from the Center and Buffalo streets intersection. Demopoulos said that’s after the lunch rush and will allow them to start getting things into place.
Starting at 4 p.m., staging of the barricade needed for the road racing course will commence. Start/finish begins right outside of City Hall on Center Street. The race will then come down Buffalo, turn left onto Market, left on Indiana, left on Main, comes down to Lake, over to Center and then loop to the end.
At 6 p.m., “after the rush hour traffic has come through,” Demopoulos continued, that’s when three spots will be closed off: Lake Street, Market Street and right in front of the fire station. USA Cycling will be on site so their officials will need time to check the course and make sure it’s safe, and riders will need about 30 minutes of warm-up time before the first race starts.
Demopoulos said they’re shooting for races to begin at 7:30 p.m. so multiple categories can get their heats in. Lights will be in place for the last couple of races because it will be kind of twilight. The goal is to have the races completed by 10 or 10:30 p.m., with the roads back open by midnight.
“So that’s why they call it a twilight criterium,” he said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said, “We’ve spent some time with this. We talked to (Warsaw-Wayne Township Fire Territory) Chief (Garrett) Holderman about station 1, and they’re willing to stage a fire truck possibly at station 2. I didn’t want to make that happen until around 6 p.m., so I want to keep that fire station open until 6 p.m.”
He also talked with Demopoulos about keeping Lake Street open until 6 p.m. or a little later if possible. Market Street also will stay open until 6 p.m.
“People leaving work will have Market and Fort Wayne Street to get over to 15 to get through town. We worked on a lot of the details. I imagine there will be more details and changes to this, but I appreciate staging this at 2, 4 and 6 and trying to minimize the disruption to downtown,” Thallemer said. “But, I would liken this to a grand prix race in a downtown where there’s a lot of activity and it’s just a wonderful event. Hopefully, we can make it easy for folks to get downtown and enjoy this (event).”
Board member George Clemens said it sounded like the police and fire departments approved it. Board member Councilman Jeff Grose made a motion to approve the road closures, Clemens seconded it and it was approved 3-0.
Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Member Relations Manager Scott Wiley, representing Main Street Warsaw, then presented three road closures.
The first was for Third Fridays - instead of First Fridays - on April 21, May 19, June 16, July 21, Aug. 18 and Sept. 15. Third Fridays will be from 5 to 8 p.m., with the road closures being 3:30 to 9 p.m. Roads to be closed are Center Street between Lake and Indiana streets, and Buffalo Street between Main and Market streets.
Wiley explained that First Fridays were moved to Third Fridays because there were too many conflicts with First Fridays, forcing people to choose which event to go to.
The second request was for Downtown Spooktacular to be held 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 27, with the same roads closed from 3:30 to 9 p.m. The Spooktacular is in place of October’s and November’s Third Friday and is on the last Friday of October.
The final request for closure of the same roads was for the Downtown Warsaw Christmas Celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1, with the roads closed from 3:30 to 9 p.m. That event actually is on the first Friday of December.
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