Suburban Flight Continues [[Hoedown to Leave Downtown for Clarkston)

[masterblaster]

Definitely not true in Lincoln Park/Lakeview. They hated that weekend stuff like the air show, fireworks, concerts, road races, bike races, etc.

They would regularly shut down LSD for "special events" meaning the surface streets were traffic hell, and my sister couldn't get downtown for work [[had off hours at a hospital). Alleyways would be blocked off, so people couldn't get their cars out, and street parking would be temporarily banned. Lincoln Park was frequntly unusable because the broke city rented it out for weekend events.

The nighttime drunken horde passing out on her building stoop, feet from where her baby fitfully slept, was an added "bonus", as were the regular muggings from troubled gay youth from the South Side, who congregated nearby.

She did like the neighborhood block parties, which were small-scale and locals-only. The big lakefront events suck, though, at least if you live nearby.

Roads getting blocked off, allies getting blocked off - these were not an issue with the Downtown Hoedown. In addition, at the locations of the downtown Hoedown - Hart Plaza, Comerica Park, and the West Riverfront Park - there are not that many nearby residents [[especially West Riverfront Park, which is surrounded by the river, parking lots, vacant lots, and industrial/small office buildings).

This is a loss for downtown.

The Woodward Dream Cruise is irrelevant to the Hoedown, because they are completely different logistically. The Hoedown takes place in a defined downtown location and took place over a weekend, while the Dream Cruise takes place over a 16 mile long stretch of Woodward Av adjacent to residential neighborhoods over a whole week.

You say the economic impact to Downtown is minimal, but I remember hanging out on a Saturday at the Craft Barrel House when the Hoedown was taking place last year, and a ton of people from the Hoedown came to that bar, and I am sure many other drinking establishments downtown. You could distinguish them because a lot of those people were wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots.

[detroitsgwenivere]

I feel like we have two extremes of the same spectrum arguing when most folks' feelings fall somewhere in the middle.

I will admit, I loved the St. Patrick's Day parade until I lived in Corktown for a few years. Now I leave or hide in the house. As a kid, the first Dream Cruises were awesome and people would come from out of town to stay at our R.O. home. After a while, it became a nightmare to be anywhere near it and the only way to attend was to walk to Ferndale from my people's house off John R and 8 mile and find a curb. Now it's hard to even do that its so crowded on Woodward.

I really don't like country music, the old stuff is good, but I would attend the Hoedown to spend time around country fans, to see what the culture is up to and talk to different kinds of people from what I'm used to. I am not going to effin Clarkston to do this, I barely leave the city of Detroit. I don't even know where Clarkston is...

I also haven't been to the State Fair since that was stolen from us, wherever that went. I used to attend a few days over the two week span and plan yard parties and such around the event. Now not one person I know that used to go to the fair still does.

It seems like many of things that made Detroit worth living in for me are going away. I could give a fuck about music swings and bike lanes and weird hipster food.

I also believe this is a loss for Downtown.

[EastsideAl]

Definitely not true in Lincoln Park/Lakeview. They hated that weekend stuff like the air show, fireworks, concerts, road races, bike races, etc.

They would regularly shut down LSD for "special events" meaning the surface streets were traffic hell, and my sister couldn't get downtown for work [[had off hours at a hospital). Alleyways would be blocked off, so people couldn't get their cars out, and street parking would be temporarily banned. Lincoln Park was frequntly unusable because the broke city rented it out for weekend events.

The nighttime drunken horde passing out on her building stoop, feet from where her baby fitfully slept, was an added "bonus", as were the regular muggings from troubled gay youth from the South Side, who congregated nearby.

She did like the neighborhood block parties, which were small-scale and locals-only. The big lakefront events suck, though, at least if you live nearby.

And having all those events nearby has really hurt the value of those lakefront and Lincoln Park area apartments too.

[RO_Resident]

Because you're speaking as a visitor.

Locals generally hate "special events". I live by the Dream Cruise and it sucks. Everyone on my street leaves during that week. They're spending all their money Up North, while drunken outsiders are pissing on our lawns and having sex in our back yards [[happened to a neighbor). The "economic boost" is for Charlevoix, not Birmingham. The restaurants in downtown Birmingham are actually empty that week, unless they're selling hot dogs and beer.

This is why they can never have the Taste of Chicago, the Woodward Cruise, Traverse City Cherry Fest, and Charlevoix's Venetian Fest on the same weekend. Nobody would be there to staff the events.

[iheartthed]

Well that would kind of make sense since it was the largest event downtown outside of the auto show.

The International Freedom Festival would disagree.

[Bobl]

Gannon: I went several times, then mosyed [[sp?) over to the Greektown Art Fair and the Music Menu. Cheers.

[Johnnny5]

The International Freedom Festival would disagree.

You're right, I totally forgot about the fireworks! I haven't been since all those spectators were shot.

[Honky Tonk]

What..... more violent than the jazz festival?!?

This is a gag post, right? Violence @ the Detroit Jazz Fest?

[Bham1982]

I'm sure the 107,000 Electronic Music Festival fans don't generate much revenue.

Probably not, because the 100,000 people who otherwise would go downtown avoid it, and EDM fans aren't buying furniture and mortgages and eating 8-course tasting menus.

Drug dealers probably do very well that weekend, though.

NYC has the right idea by putting most of its summer festivals on Randalls Island, where Ecstasy-popping teens aren't bothering the residents or trashing their neighborhoods. Here in Michigan we think a concert is "economic development".

[Bham1982]

And having all those events nearby has really hurt the value of those lakefront and Lincoln Park area apartments too.

Very true. Chicago is dirt-cheap compared to the other prime U.S. cities, and property values over time have appreciated slower than in any other U.S. metro.

I doubt this has much to do with summer concerts, though. It's more because Illinois is a trainwreck.

There are very few families with kids, though, living in the lakefront blocks. The more family-oriented areas in Lincoln Park/Lakeview, are inland, well away from the park and the problematic area around Belmont/Clark L station [[which gets belligerent visiting youth from South/West side every warm-weather weekend).

The fanciest parts, where the mansions are going up, are far from the train and the lake, and that's no accident.

[Honky Tonk]

Probably not, because the 100,000 people who otherwise would go downtown avoid it, and EDM fans aren't buying furniture and mortgages and eating 8-course tasting menus.

Drug dealers probably do very well that weekend, though.

Well, Tiger games still go on, so those fans aren't avoiding it. Eastern Mark-Up is still packed, so those shoppers aren't avoiding it. DIA, DFT, Detroit Opera House, Music Hall are open and running so those art and movie goers aren't avoiding it. Bars are full, so those drinkers aren't avoiding it. I bet you there is less drug ingestion going on @ the Fest than you think. I also bet you hotels, motels, restaurants, various travel services, stores and bars see an upswing in business that weekend. Which furniture stores and mortgage companies do you think are losing 100,000 customers that weekend?

[Hypestyles]

... so where else can you go to see these daisy-dukes-wearing women for free? lol

[detroitbob]

Back when I managed restaurants downtown we could have made more $$$charging a dollar per flush during Hoedown weekend. The sport of pissing from parking garages and screwing on car hoods along with puking on the street was only enhanced by someone taking a dump in the Congress St. portico of the Buhl Bldg. The new security controls needed in todays environment are more suited to somewhere like the new site. Not a loss.

Well I for one will miss viewing the tatilgating on the parking garage roofs. the most ideal people watching...sooo much fun watching people pee on the roof as if 1000's of workers in the towers above them couldn't see them...ahh the smell of urine and puke and hopping over the river of pee near my car...the good old days

[Zacha341]

Has to be! The Jazz Fest and the African World Festival were two Hart Plaza events I used to attend knowing there were not going to be drunks falling about...

This is a gag post, right? Violence @ the Detroit Jazz Fest?

[Honky Tonk]

... so where else can you go to see these daisy-dukes-wearing women for free? lol

I like the Daisy-Duke part, it's the "Wad choo lookin' @, bawy?" part I can do without.

[G-DDT]

Oh, if only Merle were alive to hear the way you ornery varmints talk.

[Honky Tonk]

Oh, if only Merle were alive to hear the way you ornery varmints talk.

Are you sure you're not thinking of Yosemite Sam?

[canuck]

I like the Daisy-Duke part, it's the "Wad choo lookin' @, bawy?" part I can do without.

Yup, I suppose the same happened to Old Merle Haggard, RIP. He had a collection of Daisies and musta got fed up with the big hair blocking p-traps, and the grating voices.

[drjeff]

Good riddance. I actively avoided downtown when that shitshow was going on.

[canuck]

Good riddance. I actively avoided downtown when that shitshow was going on.

From your tone I detect you didn't care much for the hoedown.

[One Shot]

I've never been to one but was considering it this year. Now that its moved I'm out. I think they had a great backdrop doing it in Detroit granted the demographics. I feel its like most things today in that its about money and how much someone can make instead of delivering a quality product.

[G-DDT]

Are you sure you're not thinking of Yosemite Sam?

Well, if he's Yosemite Sam, than I'm a sleep-deprived, over-worked horse's pah-toot. Think I better hightail out of this thread while the getting is good, but not before I share this song from off of my favorite Johnny Cash album.

[ABetterDetroit]

I'm guessing the event promoters got a real bill for the security enhancements from the police department this year.

I believe this is a very accurate observation. Movement is not a inexpensive ticket nor should it be without deep pocketed sponsors.

[drjeff]

From your tone I detect you didn't care much for the hoedown.

I'm not a country music fan but it's more that the clientele of this festival were like the worst offenders of Tigers opening day times 1000.