Clarksdale will host a modest economic development event Friday and for several weekends to come.
The Clarksdale Wildcat football team travels out to the edge of town to play the Coahoma County Red Panthers Friday night.
The Cat Bowl has been going on longer than most of the players in this event have been alive. It’s something we should celebrate.
We would love to see local restaurants offer a something extra on Friday nights during football season. We would also like to see local families visit those restaurants before or after the game.
It will be the home crowd that fuels this week’s economic development event. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
We will run photos and a story of these games, and that is nice, but it’s the dollars that these games bring to town that are even nicer.
Let’s face it – Clarksdale is a tourist destination. If we are going to capitalize on out-of-town dollars we are going to have to learn how to capitalize on every event that brings people to town. Diversity is the foundation of any solid business or strong local economy
These events not only brings in kids to our fair city, but parents and grandparents who have to either buy gasoline for the trip back and forth or grab a quick bite to eat in a restaurant. And don’t forget a possible shopping trip to local stores before or after the game for Momma.
And we hope local restaurants, hotels and businesses will have the vision to glimpse what these events mean to our economy and do more to cash in on sports events. Maybe they want to stay open a little later on game night.
We also hope our community recognizes sports events include summer little league tournaments, basketball tournaments this winter and both softball and baseball next spring.
Our community needs to put its best foot forward anytime company comes to town.
A unified, concerted effort involving local media, economic development organizations and community leaders with the goal of attracting out-of-town dollars will benefit us all.
Let’s show a little teamwork and play ball.
