SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Welcome to Garth Falls, South Dakota.
The nine Garth Brooks concerts at The Denny are expected to generate some 12 and a half million dollars in direct economic impact.
Mayor Huether wants the tens of thousands of visitors expected over the next two weekends to spend, spend, spend:
"Sioux Falls: How do we welcome all these people from all over the state, all over the country, all over the world to our city?" Huether asked at a news conference Monday in the lobby of The Denny. "Sioux Falls, we can do better at that."
Huether recommends that businesses conduct Brooks related promotions and put posters in store windows welcoming Brooks and visitors.
"There's an important need for people to come into our community and enjoy it (the concernts) but really, we also need them to spend money," Huether said. "This is a city that pays for things with sales tax revenue."
When asked by KELO.com news how much sales tax and other tax revenue the concerts will generate for the city, Huether said he didn't have an exact fiture.
Teri Schmidt with the Convention and Visitors' Bureau said that "conservatively," the indirect economic impact as the money rolls through the local economy could be $37 million.
But the news conference wasn't all about money. Both Huether and Chris Semrau, assistant general manager of the facility said to expect parking issues with an expected full house of 12,000 concert goers and multiple shows on the same day.
Huether told a group of SMG employees who work at The Denny that these are good problems to have and hoped they could have fun with the concerts.
"I just thank you, thank you, thank you," Huether told a group of about ten employees. "Not everything is going to go perfectly. But what a great problem to have! Who cares? Move on and relish life, relish the good things we've got going on."
So expect a lot of Garth hype this week in the media.