The 30th Anniversary Circle City Classic attracted a little better attendance to both the Game and the Parade, but problems still remain. The Indianapolis Star reported that 22,537 persons attended this year’s Classic. Slightly more than last year. On a special Afternoons with Amos, the community weighed in with what was good about this year’s Classic – the Game, Battle of the Bands, Parade and other Classic events. Listeners talked about what could be improved on the events. Given the sluggish attendance at the Classic the past two years, listeners offered suggestions on what can be done for the Classic to regain its stature and luster. And whether the Classic can even survive! Here’s some of the suggestions from e-mails and text messages to Afternoons with Amos:
The bands aren’t as good as they used to be. Back in the day they had celebrities at parade and a celebrity would always come out at halftime. We need to rethink the Classic as a whole. I think expo should have young people on the planning committee. More creativity. The new classic date also coincided with a few college homecoming celebrations. Maybe they should try doing it every other year since the novelty of the event is low. I wonder if the Classic has outlived its importance for our community. There was little buzz on the airwaves and social media seemed to focus solely on ticket sales and not the nostalgia. I have felt for many years that the Expo and Circle City classic should build and leverage relationships from other communities and organizations that have expertise in hosting conferences and seminars. The “new” Expo, has placed themselves in position of “We are Expo, and We stand alone”. The(y) have single-handedly made Expo an island and have been unfriendly to collaborations. Why has Expo not followed the example of Essence Music Fest and Macy’s Music Fest? Bring in big act after big act and the people will come. Classic could do a better job of activating their sponsor relationships: Coors Light, McDonald’s and others could provide great point of purchase opportunities for promoting the event and creating awareness.
Also on this special Afternoons with Amos, Alcorn State University President Dr. M. Christopher Brown II and Grambling State University President Dr. Frank Pogue discussed the academic programs and courses offered by their respective schools. Also on the program, Indiana Governor Mike Pence talked about the Classic and several other key issues, including the Federal government shutdown, his appearance on MSNBC’s Education Nation symposium last week. The Governor was also asked about the looming crisis in major changes in Indiana’s voter registration system, changes that could force Indianapolis’ Black radio stations and other community organizations from not conducting voter registration drives. Click the Arrows Below to Hear Community Reaction to the Classic, our interviews with Alcorn State and Grambling’s Presidents and Gov. Mike Pence. ©2013 WTLC/Radio One.
Community Reacts and Reviews This Year’s Circle City Classic. Runs 83 Minutes.
Grambling President Dr. Frank Pogue. Runs 5 Minutes.
Alcorn State President Dr. M. Christopher Brown. Runs 5 Minutes.
Governor Mike Pence Runs 3 Minutes.
