SLIPPERY ROCK - After two years of planning and landscaping, Slippery Rock Dunes has arrived.

John Huselton, 50, of Renfrew owns the 113-acre project off Barron Road that he hopes will grow into a weekend-long entertainment center.

"We want this to become a place where people can come on a Saturday, ride their quads and dirt bikes all day, see an outdoor concert Saturday night, fish and camp out and leave on Sunday," Huselton said. "That's the plan."

Huselton has been a circle track race fan most of his life. He raced at Butler Speedway in 1970 and drove a Pure Stock at Hickory Speedway in 1993.

"I've raced cars at Hickory, Mercer, Tri-City, Franklin and Lernerville," Huselton said. "I wasn't very good behind the wheel. Most of my success in racing came from turning a wrench for other guys."

Huselton owns and operates an auto repair shop in Renfrew. He's hoping to run Slippery Rock Dunes full time in a couple of years.

"It's going to take some time," he said of building up a clientele. "But I bought this land because of its easy access to Route 79."

He also bought it to give area quad and trail bike owners a place to ride without competitive racing.

Slippery Rock Dunes consists of three miles of trails, a motocross track with double and triple jumps, 250,000 square feet of sand for beginners and an eight-acre lake for bass fishing.

Huselton bought the land in August 2002. The facility opened April 17 and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to dark.

There have been 40 to 50 quads on the track already.

"It's been word of mouth so far," Huselton said of the advertising. "I'm sure that number's going to shoot up.

"Pennsylvania is ranked third or fourth among states nationwide in quad ownership. Every third or fourth garage has a quad in it, and these people needed a place to go ride," Huselton added.

Huselton and his wife of 29 years, Debbie, work together at the facility. She signs the riders in and takes the money - $8 per rider, $5 per spectator - while he maintains the course.

"This is my personal sand box," he said. "It's just that my dump trucks and shovels are a lot bigger."

Huselton hopes to have an amphitheater built on the grounds by the end of July.

"We'll start off with local bands and eventually bring in bigger names," he said.

Huselton's son - 24-year-old John Jr. - recently bought a quad and drove it here last weekend for the first time.

"This place will always have a family atmosphere," Huselton said. "Parents can fish while their kids ride or vice versa. Parents can teach their kids how to ride here."

John McCracken of New Castle, defending 40-and-over hare-scramble champion at Hopp's Switchback off Route 8, describes Slippery Rock Dunes as "a place with a whole lot of promise. It's got good hills and the conditions are fine."

Bob Fritz, a longtime race car owner and friend of Huselton's, helped supply him with equipment to complete the ground-work, along with signs located throughout the complex.

"Bob was a tremendous help to me completing this project," Huselton said.