“I could see it from the deck,” she said. Luka had a better spot during this weekend’s Hardy’s Highway Race for the Lake . She was one of the vendors parked near the lake selling varieties of Luka Popcorn flavors.
“It’s been really busy,” she said. “This really helps with the Decatur economy.” Spectators, volunteers and other businesses were impacted the return of the races to Lake Decatur on Saturday and Sunday.
“It just goes to show how much Decatur really has wanted these races back,” said race announcer Mylas Copeland. As the executive director of the Decatur Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Teri Hammel, heard from fans and businesses regarding the races' impact on the community. Restaurants, hotels and gas stations were affected the most, she said.
"I ran into two families that came here from Georgia just to see the races," Hammel said. "And some racers stayed for one more night." Less than 24 hours after everyone had left the Nelson Park area, race organizer Sean Bowsher was studying the outcome and preparing for the future.
“I was overwhelmed,” he said. “I knew it meant a lot to a lot of people. I did not know it meant this much.
” As a Decatur police officer, Bowsher often hears negative responses among the community. “But everybody was supportive and positive about this,” he said. “I think we were well prepared, but I think we had a lot more people than we were expecting.
And that’s a good problem to have.” Saturday’s races .
