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Filmmaker Michael Moore, a Flint native who has made Traverse City his adopted home, established film and comedy festivals. Other events have food, beer, wine and art themes. There's an equestrian festival and a tall ships festival. The most sought-after venue is the aptly named "Open Space," an expanse along the bay front where people jog, toss Frisbees and take in the scenery. Diminished access to the treasured spot is a pet peeve of those with festival fatigue. Other complaints include noise, traffic snarls and trash. For some, the last straw was a Christian rock festival over Labor Day weekend that could be heard 10 miles up the coast. "We had our windows open and we could clearly hear what was being said onstage, never mind the music and thumping," said Ross Richardson, a candidate for the city commission in next month's election, who lives 1.5 miles from the site. It's made for lively debate in local media and social networking sites
-- to the discomfort of some in the business community who worry about giving visitors the impression they're unwelcome. Sam Porter, whose company promotes festivals, warned that putting more restrictions on entertainment could make it hard to draw top talent. "You tell a band they can't play at a level that's standard in the industry? It will not work." George Nemetz, manager of a downtown party store, wrote in the Traverse City Record-Eagle that he wished there were festivals every day. "For us, it's a necessity to make your money during the summer festival season because once winter comes around, the coffers are quite bare," he said in an interview.
Colombo said he doesn't want to shut the festivals down, just limit the time they occupy the Open Space. "It's a beautiful spot for people to go out and enjoy the bay," he said. Estes, the mayor, said he sees the silver lining even as he seeks a happy medium. "I've heard from a lot of communities that would love to have the problems that we have," he said.
[Associated
Press;
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