WOODSTOCK – For the second consecutive year, part of the 12th annual Maine Forest Pro Rally Associations road rally will be using Concord Pond Road as a section of the Greater Rumford Area race on Aug. 1.

According to Tammy Lyons of the River Valley Chamber of Commerce headquartered in Rumford. the rally will involve around 100 cars, will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 1, and the road will be closed to regular traffic during that two-hour time frame.

“It is a timed race starting on River Street in Rumford,” said Lyons, “and running through Mexico, Peru and into Woodstock along the Concord Pond Road. After completing the run along that road it will proceed into Milton and return to Rumford. After that phase of the rally it continues on on Saturday and travels north to the Rangeley Area.”

She also stated that the cars are all street legal cars, which have to follow all traffic laws on main roads, but on back roads like Concord Pond Road, which has no speed limit, they can run at what the drivers feel is a safe speed.

Last year when the road was used for the first time, there were some concerns registered by camp owners on Concord, but according to Campers Association Secretary Doug Alford the camp owners are enthusiastic about the race returning this year as they saw no problems with it in 2002.

Meeting with the selectmen Tuesday, Lyons said the rally officials agreed to repair any damage that might be done to the road during the race. She further stated that they plan to lay down about a mile of calcium chloride along the road to keep the dust down, “especially in areas where elderly people live in order to keep dust from blowing into their houses.”

To determine if any damage is done during the race Lyons, officials from the campers association and members of the board of selectmen plan to survey road conditions prior to the race on July 31, and meet again on Aug. 2 to again survey conditions along the road. If damage should occur rally officials will pay for repairs.

“We certainly don’t want to do any damage to the road. We’re not here to wreck it, and we will pay for any work that should need to be done to return it to the same condition it was in before the race,” Lyons said.

In conclusion, she explained that the cars will be on display on River Street in Rumford during the day Friday, and she invited the selectmen to attend the rally and see for themselves what the event is like.

The Maine Forest Pro Rally is only one of a series of rallies held each year across the United States. Lyons commented that it is a favorite of the racers and was voted the best in the nation last year.

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