It's little wonder that March is historically one of Adams County's top economic months of the year — right behind December with its Christmas shopping and August with its Kool-Aid Days traffic.
The spring spike, say community leaders, is all thanks to the annual Whoopers and Hoopers adult five-on-five basketball tournament, which starts Friday.
With 1,000 players and their friends and families descending on Hastings this weekend — booking up local hotels, eating out several times a day and shopping during their free time — local businesses will reap the rewards.
"For a single event in this community that is for one weekend, one time, it has probably the largest economic impact of any event in the community," said Tom Hastings, president of the Hastings Area Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the tournament. "It just creates a lot of economic activity in a short period of time."
To read more, see Thursday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>
