Ag Center & Inspiration Landing: A Match Race

If you aren't a sports fan, the term match race designates a competition between only two entities. We're going to apply this term to the Ag Center and Inspiration Landing; which will be finished first? 

Readers who have commented on the two projects have indicated the Ag Center will open its doors first. This is a good guess since the AC is funded totally with our tax dollars. Yet Inspiration Landing isn't a completely private endeavor. In an era when cities complete for something called a Buc-Ee's convenience store, you can bet Sheffield is up to its neck in financial commitment to its now doubtful project.

At this point, the future of Inspiration Landing seems to hinge on recruiting investors. Those who pump money into a project usually want a large financial return, meaning IL has to bring the tourists to Sheffield in droves. Yes, John Elkington's Beale Street project was a huge success, but owing to the size of Memphis, most of its visitors are locals out for a night on the town. How far would you drive/boat/fly to visit a resort set in a geographic area where such things as fall and winter exist? Just to tour certain recording studios? Perhaps even more importantly, could IL count on any repeat visitors? 

Agriculture Center in Baton Rouge

Still, we'd be more apt to bet on success for IL than for the AC. The proposed Ag Center will have 10,000 seats. How many does Von Braun have? How about the BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo? Both facilities also seat 10,000 and are very well established non-USDA projects. The Agriculture Center in Baton Rouge seats just under 6,800. Like many agriculture centers, the Parker facility is connected to a major state university - in this case LSU.

Will big acts come to the Shoals? Don't count on Pink Floyd anytime soon. Most of these ag-centers host music festivals similar to the Keller or Watermelon Festivals and not major concerts. Could the Lauderdale Ag Center count on even that? How about 4-H shows? We doubt there are that many people in the area who don't wish to pretend cattle commit suicide in order for us to consume the British national dish, much less want to look at the poor little things before they're led away to slaughter. Horse shows? Dog shows? Cat shows? Should Westminster be concerned about the competition?

Democrat Lora Morrow who opposed Rep. Lynn Greer last year has asked what happens if every county in the state builds an agriculture center. Look at the facility in Lee County, Mississippi, that many confuse with the BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo. It was pretty much a failure, with local government eventually handing over ownership to a local college. 

We can at least envision the possibility of success for Inspiration Landing. The Ag Center? Obviously there's something there that the average Joe & Jane Shoals aren't aware of. Perhaps it's all a cover for a new presidential bomb shelter in case the Krazy Korean decides to push a few buttons?