Usually this time of year is slow for hotels. But not right now.
The NCAA's Division III championship is being held in Salem and will attract about 5,000 people.
Even though the Stagg Bowl is being held in Salem, it will benefit the entire Roanoke area. Organizers say it will bring in $1.2 million to $2 million in revenue.
That money will be spent at places like Hotel Roanoke where the team from University of St. Thomas is staying.
Their opponent, the University of Mount Union, is staying at the Sheraton.
Then there are the fans and parents who will be coming to Salem to watch Friday's game. That means rental cars, gas, food at restaurants and merchandise like t-shirts from the game.
You may wonder why people around here would care about a game between teams from Minnesota and Ohio, but they actually do have fans in Salem.
"We've had a lot of people cause Mount Union has been here so many times," says Carey Harveycutter with the Salem Civic Center, "They've been here 15 out of the 20 years. They've won the national championship 10 times in Salem. So they've been here a lot. They've made a lot of fans."
This is the 20th year Salem has hosted the NCAA Division III Stagg Bowl.
The game is this Friday at 7 p.m. at Salem Stadium. There's a free tailgate concert before the game at 4 p.m.
