DeNeal: Rock Bouncer event shows tourism is viable

Saline County is no stranger to economic decline.

I previously worked for this publication a little more than 20 years ago, and at that time, the financial outlook for the county was not good.

Every county board meeting included concerns from board members, officeholders and members of the public who were rightfully concerned about Saline County's economic prospects.

At that time, the common refrain heard was, "it can't get much worse."

Unfortunately, such statements often have a way of proving themselves wrong. Saline County wasn't in great financial shape then, but we still had coal mines and the high-paying jobs they created to help bolster the local economy.

Sadly, in the present, no coal mines remain in production. The financial impact of that development likely will be felt for many years.

Fortunately, people are not giving up on Saline County.

When those people are members of the county board, great things can happen, and one of those things happened last weekend.

County board member Casey Perkins brought the county's first "rock bouncer" event to Williams Hill Pass in the southern part of the county. A rock bouncer is a modified off-road vehicle capable of clawing its way up steep, rocky grades. Perkins touted this event as something that can be groundbreaking, figuratively and literally, for the county.

Turns out, he was right.

The event attracted about 1,500 people, many of whom were from outside the county. As an extra incentive, he held a drawing for a high-dollar Yeti cooler. To enter, a person had to show receipts proving at least $30 had been spent in the county during the days in and around race day. Each $30 yielded another entry.

Plus, as our worldwide pandemic begins to subside, people are ready to get outdoors in scenic areas to enjoy a weekend. The fact that venue was outdoors, and the fact that riding in a side-by-side naturally helps create a certain amount of social distancing, certainly didn't hurt.

Aside from that, Perkins had done his research and found a great model for business. He found something that is growing in demand and brought it to an area where it never had been before. He said fans would show up from across the country to follow the racing, and he was right.

A second rock bouncer event is scheduled for June 19, and he thinks it will be as successful in drawing a crowd as the first one.

Not unlike the rock bouncer racing course, Saline County has a long, bumpy uphill road to climb to start replacing the loss of our coal mines, but this past weekend was an excellent example of how to do it.