Clear Lake’s mayor says community will be impacted by cancelled summer events, but he continues to see out-of-town traffic in the community (AUDIO)

CLEAR LAKE — Clear Lake’s mayor says the community will be impacted by not having certain summer events in the downtown area, but he remains optimistic about people continuing to make the town a destination for recreational opportunities.

It was announced a couple of weeks ago that the community’s 4th of July celebration, which has a $10 million economic impact, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other events scheduled for this summer have also been postponed such as Bicycle Blues & BBQ and the Clear Lake Auto Social Society car show.

Mayor Nelson Crabb says retailers will feel an impact from some of those event cancellations.  “I feel for those folks. Winters are not the best time for retail business anywhere, especially in a small town like ours that we are noted for tourism and resort folks coming in during the summer, and they don’t in the winter. The retail folks really depend upon those four or five months in the middle of any year for them to have a good year business wise. That will just be different this year.”

Crabb says despite those event cancellations, he observes many out-of-towners in the Clear Lake area.  “I drive through downtown daily. I should keep my mind more on the road, but I also am looking at the license plates, and what county are they from, or what state are they from. We are seeing different states here, different counties here. That’s encouraging in itself. We usually think of it being good when that one section of Main Street from 3rd to 4th is filled with cars, but I’m seeing 4th to 5th now being filled up with cars, just on a regular weekday afternoon. That’s a wonderful sight, and we aren’t in the heart of summer yet.”

Crabb made his comments on the “Ask the Mayor” program on AM-1300 KGLO earlier today. Listen back to the program via the audio player below.