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.
The Bainbridge farming family recently began offering their homemade creations to the public, and at 3:30 p.m. Saturday a pair of golden scissors will make the opening of their barn-beam interior official. Mindy Ives said her cousins have lined up extra help for the busy weekend.
“With Gus Macker here, we’ve brought in extra people to help scoop,” she said.
Across the street and down a bit from Ives, Scott McLaughlin will have a large selection of basketball apparel on hand for a pre-made customer base. McLaughlin’s Department Store will have sneakers on the sidewalk in front of the store and boots, sandals and clothing in a tent sale in their rear parking lot.
“It is usually the best weekend of the summer for us,” McLaughlin said. “Just about anything basketball related sells well.”