Last week's American Idol auditions brought more than 2,500 contestants to Bowling Green's Fountain Square Park.

Many contestants and spectators waited hours to audition, some coming from as far as 5 hrs away.

During that time, they visited businesses, and some got to see what downtown Bowling Green had to offer.

The event was part of the show's 12th season's Small Town Bus Tour.

City officials say it was a rare opportunity for Bowling Green to be seen in the national spotlight.

"Overwhelmingly awesome chance for bowling green to get such great exposure," said Bowling Green Area Convention and Visitor Center's Marissa Butler.

With the exposure, comes a price. Police were paid to regulate traffic, and constables were used for security. The constables were hired and paid by American Idol, while police were paid by the city.

Officials think the small price was outweighed by the benefits it gave the city.

"It really allows people to see us. Like I said, not just the couple thousand people that were here... that stayed in our hotels and ate in our restaurants, but also the millions of people who are going to see Bowling Green in such a great light when they watch American Idol," said Bowling Green Public Information Officer Kim Lancaster.

Many businesses saw the benefit with increased traffic and profit.
Tea squares reports having quadrupled their sales on Friday.
Spencer's Coffee House saw similar results.

"We had people from Larue County... people from west Tennessee... people from all over step in here for the first time," said Spencer's Coffee House Owner Justin Shephard.

As with any event of this size, there clean up was necessary. Bowling Green and Warren County Parks and Recreation teamed up to clean up. Warren County used 4 full time staff members and 15 inmates doing community service.

"People did not make too much of a mess. They respected downtown. It was an easy cleanup. There was over 15 hundred feet of fencing, and none was damaged, so it was a great event," said Warren County Parks and Recreation Executive Director.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau says they couldn't be more pleased with the success of the event.

You can watch for the auditions when they air during American Idol's 12th season as part of the Small Town Bus Tour episode. The tour involves ten towns across America.