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High
Country Festival good for local economy
When over 40,000
people hit Boone in one weekend, our local economy starts swinging.
Whether you
stayed in town or left to accommodate the extra people, 42,617 showed
up for Franklin Graham's High Country Festival, most needing places
to sleep and eat. So many more showed up than anticipated that the
festival "would've been in a overflow situation in the Convocation
Center," said Larry Honeycutt, Associate for Billy Graham Evangelistic
Association.
Economic boosts
are certainly generated by those 40,000-plus, who generated revenue
for local retailers, as evidenced by packed hotels and busier-than-usual
retailers and restaurants. Comfort Suites of Boone was, "...full
to the gills," said Shannon Greer, Assistant General manager,
with full occupancy on Friday and Saturday and 90 percent occupancy
on Sunday. Holiday Inn Express in Boone experienced a similar situation,
as they were full on Friday and Saturday as well, like many other
area hotels.
Local restaurant
owner, Stephen Minton said the area will see a trickle-down effect
from the weekend revenue. Though his restaurant, The Caribbean,
saw a 30 percent decrease in revenue, Minton said he is not worried.
" For every $1 spent here (in Boone), the local economy sees
$7."
Minton says
that because of increased revenues in other areas in Boone, he and
other retail establishments will see more money though they may
not have directly benefited from the festival. "I may not get
it Sunday, but IÕll get it Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,"
he said.
With places
as far as Outback Steakhouse in Blowing Rock netting 18 percent
revenue increases on a typically slow night such as Sunday, you
can bet the turnaround on the festival-goers' dollar will be quick.
Congratulations
to the people from the High Country Festival for putting on a well-managed
event, one that is sure to benefit Boone, at least economically,
for a while.
Welcome
to Boone, home of cold weather and tourists
Ian Hutchinson
For those of
you just joining the reality check, you have probably noted the
climate in town just took a turn for the frigid. Well, welcome to
Boone!
I'm sorry if
the recent tropical climate threw you off, but I'm actually glad
to see it go. In fact, I hope it stays gone until next summer. I
will be sad to see the drum circles on Sanford Mall go, but other
than that, IÕm ready for fall and winter. I am all for not breaking
a sweat when I walk from Bowie to the student union, so bring on
that cool breeze.
Now, if you
think what you experienced earlier this week was cold, you havenÕt
seen anything yet. For the regulars to the Boone area, this is still
T-shirt weather. It still feels like a trip to the movies or a night
on the beach to me. If you donÕt like how cold it is now, you might
want to put in a transfer to another university.
I wouldn't
even really consider this "cold." Cold is the can of soda
that just popped out of the vending machine. Cold is Bobby Knight
on a good day. Cold is a handshake from George W. Bush or Al Gore.
No, it's not that cold yet, but it will be. And thank goodness,
because IÕd like to see some more snow before I graduate.
Of course,
there are a few downsides.
One of those
downsides is the freshmen complaining about how cold it is. I have
no clue why people always have to comment on how cold it is, because
if you're outside, I'm sure those around you are well aware of the
weather. Why tell me something I already know? Getting a freshmen
to complain about the cold is like trying to get a sorority girl
happy about, well... anything, really.
Also, this
climatic change will cause the leaves of our mountain trees to change
color. This will cause people in surrounding cities and states to
get hyped up about the wonders of nature. They will all proceed
to converge in Boone in a frenzy of mass stupidity the likes of
which have not been seen since the Democratic and Republican conventions.
I suppose that
from an economic standpoint, this would be a good thing. People
come up to Boone and local businesses benefit from a boost of tourism.
Of course, I hope the university never catches on to that. I already
get screwed out of my Stadium parking space on a near-weekly basis
during the fall; the last thing I need is the university pimping
my parking space off for another reason. Heaven forbid, I could
stand in the way of more economic prosperity!
The other downside
is this, and it mainly applies to life in the residence halls: no
matter how cold it actually gets, someone in my hall will always
think it is too hot and crack open all our hall windows.
It isn't a problem
when I'm in my room, but the arctic wind isnÕt really a fun thing
to deal with after youÕve finished showering.
Aside from
those minor snags, I'm looking forward to the cold weather. I like
the snow. I think it's a gas to watch people navigate across a frozen
Stadium Parking Lot with grocery bags in hand, because itÕs usually
an endeavor doomed to failure.
Plus, the cold
weather is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see in
the mountains which doesnÕt draw nutty tourists from Winston-Salem.
So bring on the cold... I've had enough of this senseless sweating.
Ian Hutchinson
is an Entertainment Beat reporter. He can be reached at: theapp@appstate.edu.
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