ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Thousands of people are expected to travel to St. Joseph, Missouri, over the next couple of weeks to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs during their training camp and businesses are cashing in.
“It’s just such a phone mail thing to have the Chiefs here in the summer,” St. Joseph resident Tracy Miller said. “I mean the idea we can go see them?”
In the weeks leading up to training camp, the city handed out thousands of "Welcome Home Chiefs" signs to people including businesses owners who proudly displayed them on store fronts. River Bluff Brewing is a local brewery in St. Joseph, where owner Edison Derr says his sales increase by 30% during training camp.
He says his place is known to be a favorite among Chiefs players and staff.
“It's pretty important for us in the city, and more importantly we have fun with it,” Derr said.
Derr is among other businesses offering exclusive Chiefs deals during training camp. His brewery will be tapping an Amber Lager dubbed "Arrowhead Red." Other businesses like Hazel’s Coffee Shop are selling Chiefs memorabilia and Kansas City-inspired lemonade just in time for training camp.
“It’s insane," Hazel Coffee manager Heather Lieser said. "I am from Wyoming and we don’t experience all of this fandom."
The St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates $5 million is pumped into the city’s economy during camp.
“We go out of our way so much to make it an event not just focusing on practicing, but we go out of the way as a city to do so many cool things here to try to try to drive more people,” Derr said
