By Brandon Bennett STURGIS— The Sturgis city council approved an SEL for Sturgis Brewing Company as they will be hosting the Sturgis Outdoors Mountain Bike Classic Weekend at its meeting September 8th. Rick Bush was on the hot seat again. “Sturgis Outdoors is hosting a new community-focused outdoor recreation event in Sturgis October 9-11. The event is designed to bring together residents, visitors, riders, families and outdoor recreation enthusiasts for a variety of activities centered on biking, outdoor culture and community engagement,” said Bush. There’s going to be a mountain bike film festival, events at Sturgis Brewery and the mountain bike race on October 11th. The race is a 30 mile race and will begin at 10 am. Organizers are hoping to make this an annual tradition with the potential to attract several hundred participants to town. Sturgis Outdoors is an outdoor recreation organization promoting outdoor activities and lifestyles. The special events license would allow Sturgis Brewing Company to let visitors enjoy some adult beverages in an empty lot right next to the brewery. The open container request just involves the empty lot next to the building. This will not create an open container area along Anna Street just the private property. Sturgis Outdoors committee member Richelle Bruch stated the film festival will be Saturday October 10th and she added they will have a projection screen for the film festival. Ward 2 councilor Tony Dargatz said even if e-bikes aren’t allowed he would make the motion to approve and Ward 3 councilor Jim Thompson seconded it. The motion passed unanimously.
