NORWICH – From ice cream eaten under barn beams to Zoom Lebron IIIs on the sidewalk, City of Norwich merchants are gearing-up their wares for a busy Gus Macker weekend.

Opening ceremonies for what has become a downtown tradition begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, but even before the first shot is taken, out-of-town ballers will begin to fill the city. If tradition holds true, they will bring their shopping dollars with them.

“It is one of the biggest weekends for us, that’s for sure,” Garf’s Deli owner John Stewart said. Stewart’s corner deli won’t be doing anything too out of the norm over the coming days, but things will happen on a different scale. “It’s what we do day in and day out, times a lot,” he said.

For the Ives family, who will have had their South Broad Street ice cream parlor, Ives Cream, open for three weeks on Saturday, the weekend will be anything but routine.