Quote:
Originally Posted by no-engine
AND a few days ago, vendor tents started sprouting up: Weirs water slide parking lot (same owners as burned saloon, Drive-in, and Colonial Theatre), Heat land across from Funspot, Funspot, the corner lot at new roundabout site, and several other sites.
Some of us do NOT look forward to the "activities" to put it mildly. The vendors take their revenue money and send it home. They do nothing for year round businesses, except those selling beer, fast food, housing, a few other related items. The restaurants loose their loyal clients for the 10+ days.
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The vendors also stay at local hotels, pay vendor fees to the cities and towns they are located in, and support a tremendous amount of overtime for municipal workers. Those municipal workers (Police fire, DPW) depend on the money to help with their family budgets. I know that in some of the local towns Bike Week has been turning a profit.
Also, all of those vendors pay some of the local property owners for vendor space and the visitors pay property owners for parking. Since the 3 month summer season is so short it helps those property owners (taxpayers) to stay profitable. Without the additional income provided by Bike Week many Weirs Beach businesses could not survive.
The City of Laconia parking lot at the town beach is staffed and run by volunteers from the Weirs Action Committee during Bike Week. All of the proceeds are used for improvements to the Weirs Beach area.
An additional benefit is many of the people who come here to see what Bike Week is all about like the area and return with their families to vacation, and some even eventually buy a home in the area. This influx of visitors can only help increase the popularity of the Lakes Region.