HS State Championships set to bring boost to Starkville businesses
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi State’s regular season may be over, but there’s still more football to be played in Starkville.
And this week it’s not just game day but gamedays.
14 teams are vying to be the best in the state as the MHSAA football championships return to Starkville.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs’ season may be over, but the stands at Davis Wade Stadium will still be filled with football fans this weekend.
For three days, the Mississippi High School Activities Association football championship games will be the best show in Starkville.
Seven games, 14 teams – That means 14 sets of players, coaches, and families coming to town, and that can be a big shot-in-the-arm for area businesses.
“It’s really nice when you have a lot of customers that can show grace, especially this time of year,” Lee Peeples said. “In the retail and hospitality industries, we work around the holidays. We are in this business to be there for people and important events, and we have people who eat in here seven days a week. So we take pride in being a local place that is always there for our local community.”
After facing many challenges with construction, downtown businesses say they are ready to show off and provide their services to customers.
“The sidewalk now is gorgeous, big, and there’s room for so many people to walk down, and Starkville is really working to make Main Street a pedestrian-friendly area, and now that we are open and we have no big fence in front of our store, we just invite everyone to come down and shop with us,” Alaina Prentice-Phillips, Merle Norman and Luna Bella owner said.
Starkville Café owner, Lee Peeples, said they strive to provide a taste of Starkville and MSU football history.
Displaying that in their restaurant can set the mood for visitors coming down throughout the state.
“It is a cool thing here,” Peeples said. “We always try to keep things old-looking. It is easy to make things new, but it is kind of hard to keep things old, so it is kind of unique to the café and who we are.”
2016 was the last time Starkville and MSU hosted the High School Football State Championships.
The games are on December 4-6.
