By ANDREW DONFRIO nclocal@ncnewsonline.com
Producers of Fisher’s ATV World, a cable access television show, got their feet wet while filming in Wampum. Camera crews, riders, and the show’s host, Brian Fisher, rumbled through the mud-bogged trails of Mines and Meadows ATV Riding Resort on Ashwood Road off Route 18 last week. During breaks, the crew was treated to an outdoor barbecue cooked by Texas Roadhouse Grill, a restaurant chain with 250 locations nationwide. Texas Roadhouse employees said, though it was a first, they have plans to barbecue at the ATV resort on a monthly basis. Dave Tullis, Mines and Meadows vice president of operations, explained why Fisher’s ATV was interested in the resort. He said the show is well-known in ATV circles for its coverage of big events within the sport. “We contacted them to see if they would be interested in filming our park,” Tullis said. “Because as far as we know it’s the only underground riding facility east of the Mississippi.” “We actually have 11 underground acres,” he said. In total, the resort has 600 acres and more than 20 trails, Tullis noted. He explained the resort’s owner, Bob Svihra struck a friendship with Brian Fisher during a chance encounter at another large ATV event in Pennsylvania. Svihra said, though he considers himself a real estate developer first, he also enjoys trail riding and attends many different national ATV contests. “We bumped into each other at Quad Fest,” Svihra said referring to an event last July at Mountain Ridge Trails Resort outside of Shanksville, Pa. “And our personalities were such that we just really liked each other, and we kind of agreed if we had a chance to do something together, down the road, it might benefit the both of us.” “We are trying to make this like the Seven Springs of the ATV riding centers,” Svihra said, alluding to the ski resort in Champion, Pa. Brian Fisher of Dover, Pa. is the show’s host and executive producer. Broadcast in over 107 million households, the show lists coverage of unique riding locations as part of its mission statement. Fisher, a former circuit rider, had dreams about creating a television forum dedicated to ATVs as he raced in various courses throughout the nation. In 2003, he turned that dream into a mud splashed, full throttle reality. “What we do,” Fisher said, “is we highlight ATV adventures and lifestyle stuff where people can go and do the same things we do. “We have some higher-end trips in South Africa, New Zealand, and Hawaii, but we also go to places like Pennsylvania and Ohio,” he said. “Areas that everyday people can go ride.” Fisher said that next year he will start another show called ATV Adventures, which will air on Versus, a cable/satellite access channel formerly called OLN. He explained how that show will differ from Fisher’s ATV World. “We will do basic parks and intros for ATV manufacturers,” he said. “If an ATV manufacturer comes out with a brand new ATV, we will look at it and review it before it ever gets to a dealership, before anybody ever knows about it.”
