Shops were specially decorated...
And there was a special fan zone set up near the finish line.
We walked through the fan zone, but didn't linger. There were food stalls, merchandise, and entertainment.
Elsewhere in town, things were eerily quiet due to the road closures.
At the end of the week, there was a special light installation celebrating the town's spa heritage. This was my favorite part of the whole celebration.
While spirits seemed high during the racing, many locals were left with a bad taste in their mouth afterward. Large parts of our beautiful 200 acre Stray were left destroyed from the combination of the busy fan zone and heavy rains. Months later, there are still huge grassless patches. Also, many businesses in the town centre waited around for foot traffic that never came. I believe that some restaurants did well, but retail shops had heavy losses. The town council maintains that the exposure our town received will bring benefits well into the future, but only time will tell. I don't want to end on a negative note, but it seems that it largely matches the opinions of the residents. I predict much resistance if anyone suggests an event of this caliber again soon.
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