New Orleans: A Bowl of Distinction

Grambling and Southern fans give New Orleans economy a boost

11/23/2007, 12:32 p.m. CT By MARY FOSTER       The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The streets around the Louisiana Superdome took on the festive air of a street fair on Friday as vendors set up booths and prepared to hawk everything from team T-shirts to secret-recipe barbecue to Bayou Classic fans.

The annual matchup between Grambling State and Southern University — Louisiana’s traditionally black colleges and Southwestern Athletic Association powerhouses — is both a tradition and a much-needed economic boost for New Orleans.

“Typically in most tourism cities holidays are pretty quiet and there are a lot of empty hotel rooms,” said Bill Curl, spokesman for the Superdome. “This brings people in every year. Then everybody goes home and raves about what a good time they had and that brings in more the next time.”

The Bayou Classic, the brain child of the late Grambling coach Eddie Robinson, is much more than the football game. By the time it’s played Saturday, there will have been a coaches luncheon and the Super Job Fair on Friday. And the Battle of the Bands on Friday featuring the school’s marching bands, whose rivalry is every bit as intense as that of the football teams.

Since Hurricane Katrina the crowds have been smaller, but have grown in the two years since the storm.

Last year the game, which sells out at 70,000, drew only 47,136. The battle of the bands, which has about 35,000 seats, was sold out. The game is televised nationally on NBC.

“Most of our special events we’ve rebuilt,” said Bill Langkopp of the Greater New Orleans Hotel & Lodging Association. “Even so, our occupancy rate is in the mid 70s and we’re hoping to break 80 percent by game time. That is significant on what is traditionally a slow tourism weekend.”

Bourbon Street and the rest of the French Quarter and surrounding tourist areas were quiet Thursday night with people preferring family and friends to partying. But that always changes on Friday night when the Bayou Classic crowd hits town, said Earl Bernhardt, co-owner of five French Quarter bars.

“We only had two of our locations open Thursday,” Bernhardt said. “But they’re all back up and running today and they’ll be busy tonight.”

His Tropical Isle bars on Bourbon Street do especially well during the Bayou Classic, Bernhardt said, thanks to a mention of their trademarked drink the Hand Grenade by hip-hop artist Ludacris.

“Ever since he sang about it in one of his songs, this crowd has been pretty hip to us.” Bernhardt said.

The New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau was unsure of the economic impact of the event on the city, spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig said, because they were unsure what this year’s attendance would be.

“It always comes during one of our slower weekends,” Romig said. “And it brings in a crowd that likes to shop, hit the restaurants and party.”