6Raitipage '89The Daily Tar HeelFriday, September 29, 1989
Game will boost
By TOM PARKS
Business Editor
Football Saturdays are always good
business days in Chapel Hill, and this
year's Homecoming should be no
exception.
"In terms of downtown business
Homecoming is a great weekend. Any
football game is great," said Debbie
Dibbert, co-director of the Chapel Hill
Downtown Commission Corporation.
Gametime directly affects the
amount of time fans spend down
town, and this year's late afternoon
kickoff gives fans time to browse and
lunch downtown, and then return for
dinner after the evening parade, which
should be good for businesses within
walking distance of Kenan Stadium,
Dibbert said.
If attendance Saturday is high and
fans spend more than the usual amount
of time in town because of the late
kickoff, the local economy could
easily recieve a boost of close to $1
million.
Last year, UNC's six home foot
ball games brought more than $3
million to the area, according to a
survey by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro
Chamber of Commerce and the Uni
versity. But the figure is very conserva
tive, said Sherry Powell of the cham
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ber of commerce. The survey did not
include expenditures by students or
local fans only season ticket hold
ers who traveled more than 25 miles
to come to the games.
Alicia Hardin, manager of Johnny
T-Shirt, said Homecoming, and most
football game days, are among the
store's busiest days of the year.
On football days a lot of browsers
come in, but the store still does busi
ness comparable to its busiest days
the day after bid day and the last
few days before Christmas Har
din said.
The amount of business done on a
game day depends more on the op
ponent than anything else, Hardin said.
Bob Loomis, manager of Spanky 's,
agreed. "If (the opponent) is a big
name school with a big following, its
heavy."
Loomis said homecoming was
traditionally one of the restaurant's
busiest days, but he, too, said how
much business he recieved depended
on the draw of the opponent and the
game's kickoff time.
He said that more alumni than usual
came to the restaurant for Homecom
ing, and that they provided a pleas
ant change of pace.
"We enjoy homecoming because
we get an older late night crowd. Its
mm
j
V
business
not a wild crowd," Loomis said.
On the other hand, Larry Troll in
ger, manager of Ken's Quickee Mart
in University Square, gets a wilder
crowd on game days.
Trollinger said a good portion of
his business came from people at
tending the aftergame party in Little
Frat Court, and if attendance at the
party were down he could tell the
difference.
"If they don't have a band, you
have a slack day."
Trollinger said the Homecoming
game did not bring his store more
business than other football games.
"I can't tell any difference."
John Nelson, front desk manager
the Holiday Inn on U.S. 15-501 By
pass, said the game would generate a
good amount of business, but not as
much as it did in years past.
The game brings in about the same
number of people now as it always
has, but over the past five years hotel
space in Chapel Hill and the Triangle
has increased noticeably. "The sta
dium still holds the same number of
people," Nelson said.
Homecoming does not bring as
many people to the Holiday Inn as
either the Clemson game or Parents'
Weekend, he said.
Earlier this week, there were still
rooms available at the hotel for Sat
urday night, but the weekend of
Parent's Weekend was booked up a
month and a half ago.
"Parents really don't show up for
Homecoming," Nelson said.
133 W.
pen:
M-F 10 am-7 pm
Sat 10 am-6 pm
Much of campus
has caught Fever
By MARGE BAILEY
Staff Writer
Carolina Fever, UNC's quickly
expanding spirit organization, has
been the driving force behind many
of Homecoming Week's activities
and events.
Carolina Fever regularly organ
izes and decorates for pep rallies,
places 10,000 pompons in the sta
dium and schedules bands and other
events for each game.
In addition to helping with the
regular pre-game activities, mem
bers of Carolina Fever blew up
balloons every day this week at 6:30
a.m., helped with Pit activities, and
will set up and clean up the Band
Party on Ehringhaus Field tonight.
The biggest event the group will
tackle will be the Franklin Street
Extravaganza, which Fever mem
bers will set up and run from 7
p.m. to 9:30 p.m. tonight.
Scott Beckley, president of Caro
lina Fever, said 200 members would
be needed to operate the Extrava
ganza, which is a carnival of rides,
games and bands for students and
area residents.
The "Fever's" purpose is to gen
erate as much spirit as possible for
all games, Beckley said.
The spirit organization, a sub
group of the Carolina Athletic As
sociation (CAA), was formed three
4 M
A GREAT VARIETY OF
NIKE SHOES. AND MORE.
s
Franklin St.
years ago when the Smith Center
was built, he said. The athletic de
partment was concerned about a lack
of crowd noise in the large build
ing. The athletic department as well
as two other individuals approached
Carol Geer, then CAA president, to
request the formation of a spirit
group, Beckley said. The first meet
ing of Carolina Fever was held in
the spring of 1987 and by the first
organizational meeting that fall,
membership had risen from 50 to
300 members.
"The number of people now
expressing an interest in Fever is
about 750," Beckley said.
Drew Davidson, vice president
of Carolina Fever, said the organi
zation was trying to start a tradition
of "student participation, enthusi
asm and school spirit at all games,
not only football and basketball, but
non-revenue as well."
Fever members can sign up in
the CAA office to participate in any
sponsored activity, and a point sys
tem is used to keep track of who is
doing what, Beckley said.
"People think they're given bas
ketball seats so they join, but the
people who do the most work get
the tickets," he said.
University Square
CD
U
HERFF JONES
VISA.