Tourism leaders and business owners welcoming football fans to Starkvegas

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Starkville is gearing up for a big weekend as the Mississippi State Bulldogs take on the Missouri Tigers in the first home conference game of the season.

Business owners and tourism leaders are preparing for the crowds. While they know most of the action Saturday will be on campus, they have plenty of things planned to draw people downtown before and after.

It starts this evening with “Staying Open Late ’til Eight” with Downtown restaurants and businesses extending hours and specials to bring in the fans who are already in town to explore the city’s center.

Sunday, there will be “Bulldog Brunch and Browse”. Shops and restaurants will be open, so fans can stay in town a little bit longer and get one last visit in before they head home.

Of course, Saturday is all about the game.

“The weather forecast for the game is incredible. It’s going to be a perfect Fall day for football. And you know Mississippi State is attempting a wrold record – a Guiness World Record for the most cowbells rung, so we certainly want everybody to come and bring their cowbells and fill Davis Wade up as we take on those Missouri Tigers. But the weather looks great; Downtown looks fantastic. For folks who haven’t been to Starkville in awhile, I certainly hope they come to our newly renovated Downtown and explore and see all the wonderful things we have going on.”

BUTTED SOT

“Look! More Missouri fans! I love seeing it. I love seeing it. This is a prime example of what football does for, not only for our community, but for the economics of our community.”

A study by Visit Mississippi found that the state had 45.5 million visitors last year, and those visitors spent around 12 billion dollars.