Next week is the start of the football season. It brings a lot of excitement as many have been talking about their favorite teams through the spring and the summer in anticipation of the start of the season. One date that has been circled on many people’s calendars is September 12th. That is when the Arkansas State Red Wolves will host the Southeastern Conference’s Missouri Tigers. Many fans in the region are excited about the game. Brooks Taylor of Jonesboro was eating at Buffalo Wild Wings in Jonesboro when I asked him his thoughts about the upcoming game.
“I am ready to see Missouri come to town. I am ready to see how Freddie Knighten does against an SEC caliber defense. Also, I am ready because over the many years we have heard how A-State should play Arkansas, this will be a true test to see if they are even ready to play a team like Missouri.”
He says the game’s underlying tones are what have been driving much of the conversation he has been hearing.
“A lot of people are waiting to see what happens when A-State meets Missouri because there is so much ASU/Arkansas talk.”
While football fans are excited about that aspect of the game, those in Jonesboro and Arkansas State University are also getting ready for September 12th. What those officials are focusing on are the large numbers of people that are expected to come into the area, and how to accommodate all of those people. Dr. Shane Hunt is the dean of the College of Business at Arkansas State University.
“I have no doubt that we will be well over 100,000 people and a lot of those people are folks that normally wouldn’t be here. So, beyond students and local residents, this game will attract those from around the state and the region, as well as thousands of fans from Missouri, who will all come in to Jonesboro. These people will spend money in our restaurants, stores, hotels, which will generate huge tax revenues in Jonesboro. It will be a really great weekend for those who are residents in this community.”
A year ago this week, Arkansas State University received a 5 million dollar gift from Centennial Bank for renovations of the press box and the concourse at Centennial Bank Stadium. Those renovations are expected to be complete by game time September 12th. Hunt says this game will help Arkansas State’s reach.
“From a branding standpoint, this will be huge to have this game at Arkansas State University and in Jonesboro. It will also have a huge economic impact for the region for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”
The largest crowd ever recorded at Arkansas State is expected to be in attendance for the September 12th game against Missouri. City officials are working with Arkansas State to handle the crowd. Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin.
“Our police chief, Rick Elliot, will be working with the University Police Department to help with traffic control. I have also been told that Arkansas State University will allow people to park in the Equine Center and shuttle people to the game, which will help as well. We will work with A-State to make sure that is done as well. We will also have our Jonesboro Economical Transit System buses out in full force taking people from downtown to the game and back when the game is over.”
He says this event will be just like the recent Cal Ripken World Series that was held earlier this month at Joe Mack Campbell Park. He says record crowds were in attendance for that event as well.
“When I went to that event, we had record crowds and the restaurants were full. It was a great time to see so many people in town. This event will be the same and I know it will provide a huge boost for Jonesboro.”
Which is exactly why those who don’t care about sports should care about the significance of the A-State/Missouri game, according to Dr. Shane Hunt:
“Even if you don’t care about sports, or if you don’t root for the Red Wolves, what this game will mean is that the tax revenue and the economic impact from this one day’s event will have an impact through the rest of the 364 days of the year.”
Hotels in Jonesboro are full for that weekend and restaurants are getting ready for that weekend. Preparations have been in the works for weeks and restaurants expect to have as many staff working that day as possible. Beck Adams is general manager of the Buffalo Wild Wings in Jonesboro and says he has been getting ready for that day, and the crowds that will come in:
“I have been making sure that we are ready for that day. There is a lot of planning that goes on, especially for an event like this game. I am making sure we have all of our staff ready, that plenty of product is ordered, and that we are ready to serve the many customers that we expect to come in. We fully anticipate that we will be full all day long, and we will be ready to accommodate those people. But, yes, there is a ton of planning that goes into that to get ready for the game.”
Downtown Jonesboro is also getting ready for the game. On the Friday nights before the Saturday games are special events to get people to go downtown. Hailey Knight is Executive Director of the Downtown Jonesboro Association. She says that Pack Pride Weekends take place on Friday nights before the Saturday games. The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce will join the A-State Band, cheerleaders, dance teams and Howl and Scarlett, to get people ready for the game. Think of it as a big block party, and there will be accompanying sales and other things that will take place as well. She says the Pack Pride Weekends also involve a marketing campaign that lets the opposing team know where to shop and eat in Jonesboro.
“At the same time that we send Arkansas State information about sales and other things that are going on in Downtown Jonesboro, we also will send Missouri alumni, students, and fans the same information, letting them know where to shop, where to eat, and where to park in downtown Jonesboro. We have a great partnership with Arkansas State University and we try to inform as many people as much as we can about what is going on in downtown Jonesboro.”
She says over 700 free parking spots will be ready in downtown Jonesboro and those who park downtown can take the JETS buses to the stadium. Those buses start running at least three hours before kickoff. Dr. Shane Hunt from Arkansas State University says this game can have long lasting impacts well after the game is over.
“This game will allow us to show how great Jonesboro is, how friendly the people are, and what a great community it is. It will also allow us to show off our University, as it will help in recruiting students, and it will show those people who have not been on campus before, or for a long time, just what we have to offer. The benefits are huge and we can maximize this opportunity to last for the future going forward.”
Kick-off of the Arkansas State/Missouri game is at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th.
