LEWISBURG, Pa. — Bucknell University's pool was open for practice as swimmers and divers took their first dips of the week. The PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships are this week in Lewisburg.
"It's a great event for us, simply because it comes during winter when things are really quiet. We're not a winter destination, so the hotels have a really slow time of year," said Andrew Miller, the executive director of the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau.
Miller estimates around 5,000 people will travel in and out of the Lewisburg area for the championships.
"They can't all fit in the hotels in Union County, so they stay down in Shamokin Dam. They actually stay in Danville and Williamsport. We estimate visitor spending to be about $1.6 million while they're here today to Saturday."
Hotels welcome this.
"We look forward to it every year. It's usually the same week every year, so I'm already working on next year," said Michelle Kerstetter, sales manager at Best Western Plus in Lewisburg.
"We have 14 teams, lots of kids, and we all wish them good luck."
Restaurants are also busy this week. The Lewisburg Delicatessen is hoping people drop by for some goodies.
"Just for the exposure standpoint; we're a fairly new deli. We opened in 2019, so just the exposure, getting our name out there to some of these people who may not be from the area, is a positive for this business," Noah Inch said.
The PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships run through Saturday at Bucknell University.
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