LEWISBURG, Pa. — Blue and gold ribbons and signs can be seen all throughout downtown Lewisburg, welcoming the PIAA swimmers and divers and their families.
"Oh my goodness. We've been looking forward to it like crazy. We need people to come downtown," Connie Harter of Retrah said.
The four-day state championship is held at Bucknell University each year.
But, two years ago, the competition was cut short because of the pandemic.
"We're back here two years later, and it's nice to be back here full force," Lisa Marlin of West Chester said.
Lisa Marlin's daughter was competing here in 2020 when the meet was canceled halfway through.
"It was right in the middle of this session two years ago where they said 'alright, we're shutting it down for finals, and some of the kids didn't get to swim,'" Marlin said.
The event typically brings a lot of money into downtown Lewisburg, but business owners we spoke with say they haven't seen much so far.
"We've been trying to get people to come in by decorating and welcoming them, but we haven't had too many people," Tiffany Heidler of All-Star Bagels said.
According to the Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau, the event is expected to bring more than 5,000 people into the area.
"It hasn't been what I was anticipating. We haven't had a lot of people. Hopefully, as the weekend progresses, we'll have more people," Harter said.
"We've been wanting them to come in so much because one it helps with business and two it helps all the other customers come in," Heidler added.
Business owners hope that as the competition moves along, more people make their way downtown.
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