Took both cars out for a Sunday drive yesterday. We figured it was a good time to stretch their legs while doing the contactless grocery pick-up and getting them washed and the tanks topped off for sitting another week or two.
We went for a drive down to Saugatuck (one town over) with each of them and found it to be completely deserted on a nice sunny Sunday in April. It was surreal. I expected it to be at least a little busy with people going for walks, but no. It was a stark reminder of the impact the coronavirus pandemic has on a big part of the West Michigan economy.
I remember well the two articles from HoustonRunner from last year: Saugatuck MI DOTS and Oppo on the Saugatuck Dune Tour.
I am in the lucky position to work for a great family-owned company in a field of business that, despite having cycles like any business, is pretty much recession-proof and actually doing well right now. It is still scary to see the impact on the local economy and what that means for Holland/Saugatuck for the next few years.
Our staple annual festival has been cancelled with a huge economic impact and serious threat to the future of the event, since it is self-financed and keeps running for each year from the income from the previous year.