It’s one thing when D.C., New York or any number of other big cities host international summits. But what happens when it’s left to Frederick, Maryland, population 65,000?

That’s what legislators and officials in the small town 43 miles northwest of D.C. are currently pondering as they prepare for the G8 Summit scheduled to take place at Camp David on May 18-19. The summit was originally set to take place in Chicago, which will be hosting a NATO summit only days later, but in early March President Obama announced the change of venue. For protesters, Obama and G8 leaders were simply finding a way to avoid large-scale protests, and if so, they chose well—Camp David is a presidential retreat that’s fully closed off to the public, and it’s 20 miles north of Frederick, the closest place protesters would likely gather.

That’s not something Frederick officials are used to, and they’re preparing for the worst. A release put out by the Frederick Police warns that past G8 protests “have resulted in riots and significant disruption to the operation of the host cities” and warns businesses not to leave sandwich boards or tables and chairs outside and have plywood and other materials on hand to fix broken windows and doors. The release also warns of flash mob protests, though it does stress that peaceful demonstrations will be allowed to take place.

Last week, Frederick legislators pondered a ban on camping to avoid a repeat of a week-long Occupy Frederick protest that took place in January; the vote was put off after protesters said they had no plans to camp in city parks during the summit.

It’s not clear that there’s much that city officials have to worry about, though. The current schedule of events includes an Occupy G8 People’s Summit at the town library on May 18 and a Counter-G8 Community Bloc Party the following day. There’s also a rally planned for 10 miles from the summit itself, but no further information was available on that. (It won’t be at Cunningham Falls State Park, though—the Secret Service is closing the park during the summit.)

Even Thurmont, the town of 5,500 closest to Camp David, is preparing itself. Police Chief Gregory L. Eyler recently posted a statement saying that he was taking “a proactive approach in providing a safe and secure atmosphere to prevent and eliminate any unsafe or hazardous conditions during the event.” A group of protesters have planned a “legal, non-violent vigil” on public sidewalks during the summit; a private campsite for 30 that’s five minutes from town has been reserved.

G8 Summit Information