The dates for the event this year are April 18-20. Trace Adkins will be performing, fresh off of his runner-up effort on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.
Last year the Toyota Texas Big Bass Classic was nice. There was lots of food and things to buy and plenty of booths to visit. This year they are charging $20 a head to walk in the gate so you can pay $4 for a hotdog, $2 for a coke or drink a $3 beer inside the roped off area.
I think this event will be a flop compared to last year due to the cover charge. The promoter has apparently lost touch with how to make an event a hit so that the sponsors and vendors do well and come back years later. This event was very well done last year, look back in the archives and you will see where I said that, but to charge people $20 to walk in the door means that a typical family will be out $200 by the time they pay for parking, some refreshments and a few trinkets from the vendors.
I’m glad I am not one of the vendors who agreed to pay a premium price for a booth only to find out later that the promoter has gotten greedy and is charging fans $20 to walk in the door. Between the sponsors’ contributions to the event and the amount they sell the TV rights for, there is plenty of money to be made without charging $20 at the door. The promoters are trying to get rich here and I suspect they will be dealt a dose of reality by East Texas fishing fans.