Flint summer wraps up with events like Bikes on the Bricks - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(09/17/12) - From Back to the Bricks to the Crim Festival of Races, it was a summer packed with fun events in downtown Flint.

But with summer winding down, what was the overall impact these events made on the bricks and surrounding areas?

More than 14,000 runners, walkers and wheelers participated in the 2012 edition of the Crim festival of Races.
     
Back to the Bricks brought a massive four-day car show that filled up downtown Flint and other parts of the county.
    
And it was another year of growth for Bikes on the Bricks, just completing it's sixth year. Organizers say they too are contributing to Flint's economy.

"The Crim was one of the biggest, Back to the Bricks, Bikes on the Bricks, everything grows because people are feeling more comfortable coming to downtown than they did 10 years ago," said Chris Everson, with the Downtown Development Authority.

In previous years, the City had to cover overtime costs for Flint police at these massive events.
     
But Back to the Bricks organizers tell us things have changed.
    
They received two grants, one from CS Mott Foundation and from Genesee Community Mental Health, that paid for Flint and out-county policing.
    
The Downtown Development Authority who organized the Bikes on the Bricks tell us their $250,000 grant, also from CS Mott is funding policing and new additional events.