Mobile’s Money Making Moon Pie

City Of Mobile Downtown Mobile While the Moon Pie celebration may not have gone off without a hitch some businesses are still cashing in the crowd.

by Diana Lucio

Published: Fri, January 02, 2009 - 9:28 pm CST Last Updated: Fri, January 02, 2009 - 10:07 pm CST

The City of Mobile says more than 12,000 people showed up at Cooper Riverside Park to ring in the New Year, but city leaders admit everything didn't go according to plan.

The moon pie was only lifted about 100 feet into the air, only half of what was planned, because it was too windy. City leaders also admit some of the numbers were difficult to see.
While the moon pie celebration may not have gone off without a hitch, some businesses are still cashing in the crowd.
With less than a month to prepare the event, the City of Mobile says at $9,000 tax payer dollars, the moon pie was a money maker."All we can say is look at the proof in the pudding...the numbers were here and the economic side was here so we feel good about that,"Said Barbara Drummond, a spokeswoman for te City of Mobile.

Maura Garino is the General Manager at the Holiday Inn. Garino says the holiday season is usually one their slowest, but when word got out about the moon pie they booked over 100 rooms.
"We have a new asset we can reuse the moon pie from year to year and the exposure that it gave us will probably increase our Mardi Gras business as well,"Said Garino.

The City of Mobile says the moon pie celebration was mentioned in 383 cities, reaching an estimated 8.1 million people.
Next year, the City would like to bring it across the bay and there's even talk of erecting a permanent pole.

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