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Pickleball, wrestling and novelty activities get mixed reviews; commission to refine placement and scheduling
Summary
The commission reviewed ancillary activities: pickleball tournament (25 teams), Brew City Wrestling (large draw but younger crowd and high tent costs), golf simulator (low turnout). They recommended reconsidering timing, vendor placement and whether some activities should be free or treated as paid vendor attractions.
Commission members reviewed non-headline activities at the July festival and reported mixed outcomes: the pickleball tournament attracted 25 teams (short of a 40-team target) and got television exposure; Brew City Wrestling drew a large, younger crowd but the tent and production costs were high; a golf simulator attraction had low participation and did not offset costs under its revenue arrangement.
Members said the pickleball organizer handled registration and ran a last-minute surge of entries; because many players had other July 4 plans, registration grew mostly in the final days and the commission suggested moving the tournament to a different day or to the Sunday after the main holiday. Commission members noted TV exposure was a positive outcome for the tournament and recommended continuing a partnership with the tournament operator.
Wrestling was praised as a crowd draw but commissioners said the audience demographic did not translate to concession sales. The commission discussed tent size and equipment negotiation to reduce costs and the risk of cancelation due to weather when extensive set-up is required. The golf simulator — provided by a local Franklin business — was noted as an experiment that did not pay off financially; the commission said such attractions could be allowed again under a food-vendor-style arrangement or treated as a free activity rather than a paid attraction.
No formal decisions were made; staff will return with proposals on scheduling adjustments and vendor agreements to clarify revenue-sharing or vendor-fee arrangements for nonfood attractions.
