BROOKLYN, Mich. (News 10) – The FireKeepers Casino 400 is three days away, and businesses in the village of Brooklyn are gearing up for their biggest sales weekend of the year.<\/p>\n
But what used to be three major weekends for the village has shrunk to just one. Those event cancellations over the past few years have taken a toll.<\/p>\n
The Michigan International Speedway is set to bring in big crowds on June 6 and 7, and this year the FireKeepers Casino 400 is more important than before.<\/p>\n
Fewer events mean tighter margins<\/p>\n
The village used to host three big events over summer: two race weekends in June and August, and a weekend for the Faster Horses country music festival in July.<\/p>\n
But this year, Faster Horses has been cancelled indefinitely, and NASCAR has called off the August race, leaving just the one event in June.<\/p>\n
Despite the cancellations, Sara Bieda, owner of the Brooklyn Village Creamery, said her shop still draws plenty of traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just vehicle traffic, but also foot traffic. On Thursdays, we see a lot of the campers and buses come in. On Saturdays and Sundays, we see just a lot more cars,\u201d Bieda said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to staff a little heavier on race weekend, just so that the lines aren\u2019t long and we can move people through quicker,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Brooklyn Village Creamery has served their customers the same way for years, but when it comes to race weekend, businesses say things just aren\u2019t the same.<\/p>\n
Adapting to change<\/p>\n
Chris Gorton from Sweet Caroline\u2019s said they\u2019re finding new ways to adapt.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo address that, we\u2019re staying open later because we are seeing more and more people come into Brooklyn during the week,\u201d Gorton said.<\/p>\n
She said instead of depending on the speedway to bring in business, the village needs to become more independent.<\/p>\n
\u201cMIS isn\u2019t going to bring the traffic into Brooklyn. We just have to be aware of that and bring our own traffic, create events, make sure we\u2019re staying open,\u201d Gorton said. \u201cWe\u2019re doing art in the park, we\u2019re having a ladies\u2019 luau on June 18th, just trying to plan our own events that maybe provide opportunity for people to come to Brooklyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Things at the track may look different in Brooklyn this year, but the community is remaining confident that they\u2019ll make it to the finish line.<\/p>\n
Since 1968, Michigan International Speedway has been one of the biggest economic drivers for the village of Brooklyn. It currently has a maximum capacity of 56,000 seats.<\/p>\n
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