I was in WB this evening and talked with a couple of business owners. One restaurant owner said Bike Week this year was a lot like last year; nothing special but the business was steady. He hoped for things to get better next year, and who could blame him for that?
I'd hate to be in the shoes of any business owner in the Weirs after reading this thread. Weirs Beach may be an area you love or you hate; but some folks have to make a living there and I'd be careful to be respectful of the business owners there - that's their livelihood. I'd also hate to be anyone who worked so hard to trying to organize/market the event - in these tough financial times it's probably twice as hard to sell an event like that.
Weirs Beach like the elderly aunt who still insists on wearing miniskirts and heels to prove she's young and tries to act cool with the kids. You love her, but she's really a bit of an embarrassment. You might opt to avoid her, even. But if she changed, you'd be shocked and maybe even more uncomfortable.
And as for WB rebranding itself... I'd be very careful there. There's a lot of history that could be lost if a drastic rebranding was done. I've been witness to that recently in the Virginia Beach area - the whole beach front area has been rezoned and is being demolished. It was sad to see perfectly good businesses - restaurants, stores, etc., just leveled. Many businesses had to close and others had to relocate. The new buildings have certain standards they have to meet and, in a nutshell, the area now looks like one ugly boutique. The 'character' and uniqueness has been lost.
You may not love WB, but is a complete overhaul necessary to make an event like Bike Week a success? I don't think so.
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