August 17th, 2008. Reed City, MI. Warm and overcast.
Business continues to be off in rural small town MI. A year ago the economic data for MI pointed to a rough time of it outside the metro- Detroit suburbs. The collapse in housing values in MI rivals declines in parts of California and Florida. That creates a credit crunch arriving at the same time as a slump in MI manufacturing.> Not exactly sure why so few shows actually look at localized economic and demographic data in booking. Certainly in the “Golden Age” of the circus business management and general agents were keenly aware of th health of local economies.
Business continues to be off in rural small town MI. A year ago the economic data for MI pointed to a rough time of it outside the metro- Detroit suburbs. The collapse in housing values in MI rivals declines in parts of California and Florida. That creates a credit crunch arriving at the same time as a slump in MI manufacturing.> Not exactly sure why so few shows actually look at localized economic and demographic data in booking. Certainly in the “Golden Age” of the circus business management and general agents were keenly aware of th health of local economies.
