The 33rd Kansas Shrine Bowl on July 29th will be played in far southeast Kansas for only the second time, but judging from the response of the southeast Kansas area, one thing seems certain—it won’t be the last.
The first time the game was played in Pittsburg was four years ago, in 2002. According to Shrine Bowl Executive Director Dave Mize, the Shrine Bowl Board was very pleased with the cooperation and enthusiastic support the game received from football fans and local civic organizations.
“It was a bit of a risk for us to move the game to a location away from a more central location,” he says. “But the fan support and the support of the community as a whole for all of our events was just great, so it’s not surprising that we are back here just four years later”.
Playing the Shrine Bowl in Pittsburg fits right into plans to market the area as a sports destination. Director of the Crawford County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Craig Hull says his organization has trademarked the slogan “Crawford County Kansas: The football capital of Kansas”. He says it’s part of a new marketing plan to establish Crawford County and Pittsburg as an area that can handle large sporting events. “We’re not a history destination or a vacation destination, but we can do events such as Shrine Bowl very, very well. And we’re getting a lot of attention from some national sports organizations about bringing their events here, based on how we’re able to support events such as the Shrine Bowl.”
Hull says the game will not only have a big economic impact on Crawford County, but will bring value that can’t be measured in dollars along. “It will mean a lot to our hotels, restaurants and gas stations,” he says. “We expect the Shrine Bowl to add about $200,000 directly to the local economy, and that figure will grow from there. But bringing a class event like the Kansas Shrine Bowl to southeast Kansas also brings a prestige value that can’t be measured in dollars.”
He says community support is strong, especially among civic groups and sports booster clubs. “We’ll have between 250 and 300 volunteers involved,” he says. “They’ll be helping with the banquet (Friday night’s annual Shrine Bowl banquet at Pittsburg High School), Saturday’s parade, and a fashion show for Shriner’s ladies on Saturday afternoon.” Shiners themselves handle many tasks at the game itself, such as parking and concessions, but Hull expects about 100 local volunteers to be lending a hand before, during, and after the game.
Hull says the 2006 Shrine Bowl game has generated a lot of interest in southeast Kansas. “We’re extremely excited,” he says. “When the event was brought here in 2002, people were really excited. The financial and volunteer support was overwhelming then, so it was just natural to bring the game back. The community set a high bar for itself in 2002, and so far in 2006 that bar has been reached. This is such a great football area that fans will naturally respond to a first-class event such as the Shrine Bowl.”
Proceeds
from the game support the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, a network of 22
hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic and burn care to children
under 18.
Advance reserved chairback tickets are $20.00 in advance,
$21.00 on game night. Adult general admission tickets are $9.00 in advance,
$10.00 on game night. Student tickets are $5.00 in advance, $6.00 on game
night. Banquet tickets are $20.00, and must be purchased in advance.
Advance game tickets and banquet tickets can be purchased through the Shrine
Bowl office by calling 1-800-530-5524
Additional information and a link to Shriners Hospitals for Children can be
found at http://www.ksshrine.com |
