Hours before the first twang was scheduled to ring out over Hart Plaza, country music lovers and their kin folk were arriving downtown Friday afternoon for the annual Downtown Hoedown.I'm a fan of any event that brings people to Detroit, even the Hoedown, which I admit is an impressively huge festival considering it's free. But this is like the SuperBowl of People Watching. It's a surprisingly diverse group of folks – people of all ages, people of all colors, people chewing any flavor tobacco are welcome.
I, for one, hope it goes well this weekend, that the thousands of people spend a bunch of money at the bars and restaurants, enjoy the big-name country acts on the docket, and then spend more money at the bars and restaurants. Judging by some of the stumbling going on two hours before the gates even opened, I'm thinking a few hotel rooms should be filled too.
