Cool weather provided an enjoyable setting for the music fans who made it to the second annual Mini-BikeFest this past weekend.

A production of the Deep South Riders to raise money to continue developing the new BikeFest grounds, the Mini-Bikefest featured two nights of free live music, camping and a field day. Organizers said they were pleased with the turnout, estimating that about 600 to 700 people and about 60 RVs/campers showed up at the new grounds on Pondtown Road in northern Decatur County.

Ray Lyn Johnson, BikeFest secretary, said one of the main uses of the donations collected from attendees during the weekend will be to fund continued installation of electrical hookups for camp sites at the new grounds.

Until 2009, BikeFest had been hosted for about nine years at the Commodore Decatur Industrial Park in Bainbridge. However, several factors, including a shrinking space on which to set up the festival’s camp sites due to businesses moving into the industrial park, led to organizers purchasing and developing the new property.

“Currently, we have 60 electrical hookups at the new grounds,” Johnson said. “Our goal is to try and get 100 to 120 hookups ready for the big BikeFest in September.”

One of the staples of the main BikeFest, which raises money for a variety of charities, is the Saturday Poker Run motorcycle ride. A Poker Run held this past weekend raised $1,028 for Priscilla Whittaker, a local businesswoman who is being treated for cancer, Johnson said.

The Mini-Bikefest featured solid performances from several talented bands, including Underground, fronted by local businessman Ken Markham, Generations Band, the Just Us Country Band and Stormy Monday from Blakely, Ga.

Stormy Monday, who mix covers of both classic and modern rock songs, will be one of the featured acts at the 2010 BikeFest, set for Sept. 15-19. While not quite ready to announce the full lineup, Johnson said music fans can look forward to two well-known acts—one country, one rock—to grace the BikeFest stage in September.

BikeFest is currently accepting requests for charitable funds it will raise from the 2010 BikeFest. Interested parties should send requests to BikeFest, P.O. Box 7752, Bainbridge, GA 39818.