Business leaders need to step up, save tournies
By HELEN CHAPMAN Brookeland

I could hardly believe my eyes when I read the Newsboy this week. Bob Sealy is moving the site of the Big Bass Splash to Lufkin.

This is a result of city manager Alan Grindstaff's decision to cut funding to this tournament. This decision (whom ever makes these decision besides Grindstaff) will effect every business in Jasper and the East Texas area.

Anyone with knowledge of business would understand that Lake Sam Rayburn is what is keeping Jasper's economy alive.

I lived in Jasper when it was just a sawmill town. When the big mill burned in 1958 Jasper almost died on the vine. Then, in the early 60's, Lake Sam Rayburn was impounded. This started the influx of tourists in this area. We have never looked back.

While I understand that this is not the only attraction of this beautiful town, this draws the highest volume of consistent visitors to our area. When tournaments come to the lake, these visitors not only come to fish, they make this their family vacations.

They stay in our rooms, camp in our parks, and shop in our stores for sometimes a week at a time. We have lost the Tracy Byrd Tournament and numerous other tournaments that helped to boost our economy, now we might lose the McDonalds tournament.

Merchants, stand up and be heard. These kinds of losses will impact our economy severely.

When the Chamber of Commerce was in charge of distributing the hotel/motel tax money and promoting tourism, we never had this problem. While hotel/motel tax money is collected in the city of Jasper it helps to promote the area as a whole.

Hotel and motel owners want to keep their rooms full and merchants want their businesses to prosper.

I urge every merchant to insist that we not lose this very important event.