Thursday was the third annual race day at the Wilkes-Barre farmer's market. I wandered around the square in the morning, and there was a lot to see, maybe too much.
A NASCAR festival is big enough to stand on its own. I wish the Wilkes-Barre people would make a trip to Corning, NY on the Thursday before the Watkins Glen race to see how a NASCAR festival is done. Keep the farmer's market during the day. Turn Public Square over to NASCAR in the late afternoon and evening.
Also, one more bit of advice: portable rest rooms!
Scranton had a NASCAR festival before the Pocono 500 a couple months ago. People who attended told me it didn't go well. The biggest reason-- the timing was off. The festival was held the day before the race-- when all the hardcore race fans were already at the track. You need a few days between the festival and the race.
At least the intent was there. For far too long, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre treated Pocono like it was on another planet.
