pegs JO
daily nebraskan
thursday, march 10, 1077
n prepares 'itself 'for -one helluva weekend'
By Scott Whitcomb '
Players, coaches and officials are not the only ones
drawing game plans for the Nebraska boys state basketball
tournament in Lincoln today through Saturday.
The Lincoln Police Dept. and hotel, tavern and liquor
store managers alsc are brpced for the big weekend.
Dick Chads, Raddison Cornhusker sales director, said
engineers in his hotel will remove all furniture in the hall
of the hotel, including mirrors, light fixtures, ashtrays,
tables and anything else that could be destroyed.
"We literally strip our corridors of everything except
fire exit signs which the Lincoln Fire Department code
won't allow us to do," Childs said .
He said the Cornhusker hires extra off-duty policemen
to patrol from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m. during the tournament.
The Cornhusker has suffered damage during previous
tournaments, he said.
"It is one helluva tough situation for hotels," he said.
"It's a fun time, but I dont know if I'd let my daughter
go off to Lincoln for a weekend like this one ."
Fire alarms
He said high schoolers in the past have pulled the fire
alarms several times, thrown ice cubes and soft drinks
out the window and down the mail chutes, broken furni
ture in the halls, and abused the elevators.
"We've had kids send the elevators down to the lobby
filled with trash," Childs said. "It is mostly the fans that
are the rowdies, not the teams."
Jeane Moran, Airport Ramada Inn desk manager,
agreed that visiting fans cause the most trouble.
"We cant really segregate the fans from other hotel
guests because 99 per cent of our guests this weekend are
here for the tournament," Moran said.
She said the Ramada Inn hires an off-duty policeman
to stay until early morning hours. $75 advance deposit is
required Tor rooms filled with high school students, she
added.
"We don't take any chances," Moran said, "If there is
any damage we take it out of the $75 deposit."
The Ramada Inn last year suffered broken glass and
lights, holes in the walls, graffiti, and stolen telephones,
she said.
"Ninety per cent of the kids are pretty good," Moran
said. "The problem comes when you get a party of 18
in one or two rooms."
No problems
Hilton Hotel manager, Jim Bourne said, "We apprec
iate tremendously the Boys Basketball tournament. We've
never experienced any problems with the tournament
except for noise and we whole-heartedly anticipate that
this year."
Bourne said the Hilton has never had any destruction in
the past and does not anticipate any this year.
"We think the boys are great and we welcome them
with open arms," Bourne said.
However, Steve Lungren, Great Plains Motel desk
manager, said his motel has had trouble in the past.
"We haven't let boys stay here from the basketball
tournament for two years," Lungren said. "Three years
ago we had a lot of problems with vandalism such as
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broken windows, torn mattresses and other general neg
ligence." liquor store owners Herman Strackbein of Hcrm's, and
Richard Stoehr of N Street Drive-in said they will take
precautions when the tournament starts.
"I give my employees a $25 bonus if they catch a
minor trying to buy, " Stoehr said.
He said if three of four people at the counter are
minors, he will ask the minors to go outside and then
he will get a sworn statement from the purchaser that the
liquor is for himself.
Three ID. Is
Strackbein said his employees will require three iden
. tification cards of people who look too young.
"My boys watch 'em pretty close," he said. "The
police have already been around to warn us about this
weekend, but of course we try to watch it pretty close all
the time."
Dean Leitner, assistant Lincoln police chief, said
officers will be pre sent at every tournament game. 4
"Well have between four and eight officers present
inside and outside every game plus private duty assign
ments," Leitner said.
He said his primary concern is before, during and
immediately following the games. Special officers will be
assigned to various locations to control the traffic and
the crowd and to see that people complywith city ordin
ances, he said.
However, Leitner said he does not expect any trouble
from the crowd which becomes a problem only "when
there are emotional feelings connected with the out
come of specific games."
Jerry Irwin, owner of Sandy's Bar and Grill, said he
will hire a few more employees for the tournament, but
said he does not expect much trouble.
Uncle Sam's bar Assistant Manager, Mike Cochran,
said door guards will require two identification cards plus
a picture from those that are questionable this weekend.
Make
o fiood
impression
in the
March of Dimes
VALKATHON
Chuck Pennington
trio
now playing
I (V 10th & -CT 4320333
hi ZSi
Welcome Basketball
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