It's Day Three of showing off our downtown to people who didn't come to see it.

Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay.
-- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Speaking of tradition, guesstimating Harvest Homecoming's attendance figures is a time-honored ritual. It usually comes a la mode with extra fudge, and is prone to much the same exaggeration as the 47 Bud Light Limes consumed by one Swill Walker.

Take it away, Bluegill:

The numbers game is a pretty lousy way to judge the success or failure of a festival's mission anyway but: The Louisville Metro Statistical Area is made up of 14 counties In KY and IN, population approximately 1.3 million. No one, including Harvest Homecoming officials, really believes that almost 40% of that entire population shows up for the festival. Yet, when HH folks cite an attendance number of 500,000 to justify nearly everything, it goes unquestioned. Think just about parking for a moment, a big deal during the festival since most attendees drive: If each car averages three occupants, that's over 166,000 cars, more than twice the population of Floyd County.