This week Lincoln is hosting the Girls State High School Basketball Championships at Pinnacle Bank Arena and next week it will be the boys turn. Visit Lincoln Executive Director Jeff Maul tells KLIN News these events will generate about $4 to $6 million in local economic revenue.
“The impact this has on our local restaurants and retails, all the way out to our gas stations is pretty huge in that a lot people spend a lot of time while they’re here,” Maul says “There’s a lot of clothing shopping going on when people come to Lincoln.
In addition, many downtown hotels sell out during tournament week. Maul says these two weeks have become a homecoming of sorts for many people. ” A lot of these folks have been coming for years because they have multiple generations of family that have participated in state high school basketball,” Maul says.
“They have their favorite place to eat, they have their favorite place to shop.” While the athletes are in town Visit Lincoln rolls out the red carpet. “We do our annual pizza feed on Wednesday and Thursday night for each girls and boys basketball tournament.”
“It’s out chance to interact with the coaches, the bus drivers and the athletes and thank them for being in Lincoln and wish them good luck.”