Autumn Oaks participants fill county hotels - Palladium-Item
Richmond hotels are booked almost solid this weekend.
Restaurants around town will be more crowded than usual through Sunday.
And travelers with the 52nd Autumn Oaks United Kennel Club Show beginning today will spend money in town for what represents Richmond's most lucrative annual single-event weekend in regard to economic impact.
"This weekend is essentially a sell-out weekend," Mary Walker, executive director of the Wayne County Convention and Tourism Bureau, said Thursday. "This event alone will bring $3 million into the local economy -- and that is direct economic impact. The biggest influx will be seen in lodging and restaurants, but entertainment, shopping and general travel goods and services will be impacted, too."
According to United Kennel Club vice president of media Tanya Raab, the Autumn Oaks show has an average weekend attendance of 25,000.
This year, 833 dogs are pre-registered for the night hunt and another 400 are registered for the bench show.
As a result, area hotels reported Wednesday they are booked near capacity for the weekend.
Walker said the convention and tourism bureau helps individuals find rooms and other lodging -- such as camping -- in Wayne County, and that there are few openings remaining.
"We do overflow lodging and place them in hotels in New Castle or Eaton or Oxford when we are sold out here," Walker said. "But right now, we are still filling in the final vacancies in Wayne County."
While a few hotel rooms remain, most were reserved well in advance of the annual show.
"After the event last year, they were already starting to book rooms for this year," said Jesse Harris, a clerk at Comfort Inn in Richmond. "That is how it always is with this group. It is always a busy weekend, and we are always full."
Comfort Inn, Best Western and Quality Inn all reported Wednesday they were either sold out or down to a final room or two for individual nights this weekend. They also said the Autumn Oaks weekend always represents one of their busiest weekends of the year.
"We are a pet-friendly hotel, so they are always happy to come back," said Quality Inn food and beverage assistant manager Kay Johnson.
"We have one room for Friday, and we are sold out on Saturday. We have 135 rooms, and we typically have about 20 to 30 rooms available on the weekend. But we do this every year for Autumn Oaks. It is one of our best weekends."
According to Raab, a large number of visitors also camp at the fairgrounds or elsewhere in the area.
"We have people coming from Canada and all over the country," Raab said. "And the campers will be going to Walmart and other stores to purchase supplies."
01 Sep, 2011--
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