10 - Collegian Magazine Friday, Oct. 9, 1981
Football weekends profitable
Some
By SUZANNE M. CASSIDY
Collegian Staff Writer
The crowd is cheering, the Blue Band is
playing and downtown, the stores and
restaurants stand ready to greet the post
game deluge. -
Football weekends mean big business in
State College and downtown merchants
expect the Homecoming weekend to be no
different.
Because of the relatively large number
of football season ticket holders, it is more
difficult to speculate how many people
come back to Happy Valley for
Homecoming than it was in the past, said
Thomas Kidd, associate director of the
Penn State Alumni Association. In the
past, more single game tickets were sold
and there was a greater emphasis placed
on the tradition of Homecoming, said
Thomas Kidd, associate director for the
Penn State Alumni Association.
"Certainly, alumni who are only going to
visit one weekend may come Homecoming
weekend because of the activities
available to them," Kidd said, "but it's
hard to speculate how many come just for
the Homecoming weekend." •
However, several downtown merchants
said that they are definitely anticipating a
busy and lucrative Homecoming weekend.
"We double up on everything football
weekends are always a lot more for us
than any other weekend," said Liz Pierce,
manager of Take Six, 100 W. College Ave.
and Mr. C's, 112 W. College Ave. "And
Homecoming is a weekend that people
come and tend to stay the weekend, so we
have to get ready."
predicting large turnout
Since Homecoming weekend activities
traditionally extend beyond those of a
regular football weekend, several of the
downtown merchants said they anticipate
capacity crowds.
"We hope it's going to be a better
weekend than the last football weekend
we're fully booked and we certainly expect
an increase in our restaurant business,"
said Mathis Heinz, general manager of the
Penn State Sheraton Inn, 240 S. Pugh St.
`lt's an exciting time to be downtown. 1 enjoy it because
there's a Homecoming atmosphere, and it's an exciting
atmosphere.' •
of the Student Book Store
and chairman of the Downtown Business Association
Heinz said that the hotel has planned
several activities especially for the
Homecoming crowd, including two pep
rallies with local radio stations.
Stephen Long, manager of University
Book Centre, 206 E. College Ave., said his
store hires additional help for football
weekends and stocks extra merchandise
because of the increased amount of
business.
Homecoming weekend is usually an
especially profitable one because
activities such as the parade draw people
downtown, and so many people are caught
up in the Homecoming atmosphere, he
said.
"It draws an extra spending crowd for
downtown merchants, I think," Long said
"It's normally a little bit bigger than a
regular football weekend would be."
J.S. Takie, an employee of Ye Olde'
College Diner, 126 W: College Ave., said
that because the diner offers the
traditional Penn State "sticky,"
Homecoming is always a very busy
weekend.
"Last year, on Homecoming weekend,
—Ted Connolly, general manager
we were busy for six or seven hours
straight," Takie said. "We have our
famous stickies and last year, they were
all gone."
Diane Kulp, proprietor of the Candy
Shop, 352 E. College Ave., also said she
expects a large number of alumni to shop
in her store during Homecoming weekend.
"A lot of alumni come back to the Candy
Shop because it's all candy," Kulp said.
"They like to come back to the quaint
shops because a lot of them come from big
cities."
Ted Connolly, general manager of the
Student Book Store, 330 E. College Ave.,
and chairman of the Downtown Business
The Penn State Alumni Association
presents
its
sth Annual
V ALUMNI
( HOMECOMING
OKTOBERFEST
1
' Sat., October 10
4:30 to 7:30
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Alumni, join us after the
game for hot dogs, cider,
beer and a band, downstairs
in the Colonial Room at
the Nittany Lion Inn.
Meet your friends there!
Association, said he expects Homecoming
weekend to be as busy as most football
weekends usually are but the traditional
spirit of the weekend should make it a
particularly enjoyable one.
"It's an exciting time to be downtown. I
enjoy it because there's a Homecoming
atmosphere, and it's an exciting
atmosphere," Connolly said.
"As a business association, we don't do
anything special as a group for the
Homecoming weekend, but we like to
cooperate with the University's
activities," he said.
Several of the merchants, however,
think Homecoming weekend will not be
nearly as busy as the weekends that the
Alabama and Notre Dame football teams
come to Happy Valley.
"There will be a lot more people in the
area, but Homecoming doesn't necessarily
increase sales. Sales are pretty consistent
throughout the football season," said John
Shaeffer, manager of Lion's Pride, 114 E.
College Ave. "I expect the Notre Dame
and Alabama games to bring in more
business than the Homecoming game."
Pat Daugherty, manager of The Tavern
Restaurant, 220 E. College Ave., said that
the Notre Dame and Alabama game
weekends should be busier than the
Homecoming weekend.
"We don't have to make any extra
preparations for Homecoming because we
won't serve as many for Homecoming as
we will for Alabama and Notre Dame; so
many at Homecoming have places to go
after the.game," Daugherty said. "It's a
pretty busy football weekend, but this
year, we'll have two that are better."
HOURS:
Monday,- Friday: 8:30-5:30
Football Saturday: 9:00-1:00
Sunday-Gifts & Clothing Dept.
1:00-4:00
SUPPORT A TRADITION • • • •
Shop at the Official Bookstore of the
Pennsylvania State University
Tenn State 4 3 ookstore
on campus
Owned and operated by the Pennsylvania State University
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Collegian Magazine Friday, Oct. 9,
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LOCATIONS:
Hetzel Union Bldg.
Keller Conference Cente
Johnston Hall
es t, Flee 0401
iFkelal S.. WOO Me,
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