She is also excited about Hostfest, a popular attraction in Minot."/>
She is also excited about Hostfest, a popular attraction in Minot."/> Tourist traffic fairly steady | News, Sports, Jobs - The Pierce County Tribune
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Tourist traffic fairly steady

By Staff | Sep 24, 2010

The word from Don Sobolik, chamber of commerce director, is that Rugby did very well this summer season due to an increase of tourists.

He attributes the construction and oil crews for helping contribute to the town’s coffers, as well.

One of the businesses, Northern Lights Inn, benefits from the influx of tourists not only in the summer months but in the fall for Hostfest in Minot.

“It was a phenomenal year,” said Sandy Munyer, manager of the inn.

She is also excited about Hostfest, a popular attraction in Minot. Rugby gets the overflow from Minot.

“We are getting two buses and they stay from Tuesday-Saturday,” Munyer said. “One bus books with us every year for Hostfest,” she said. “We know them all and they are just like family. We look forward to them coming.”

With Labor Day past, signaling the official end of the summer season, merchants look towards the fall hunting season to keep the trend going. The Rugby area is a popular spot for bird and waterfowl hunting, according to Sobolik.

Senior citizens sometimes enjoy traveling in the fall when kids are back in school and families at work.

“We get a share of retirees, a fair amount who travel in the fall,” said Sobolik.

Sobolik noticed a rise in the purchase of souvenirs this year.

The Northern Lights Shootout, a popular pool event hosted by Rugby, has been moved from December to the last weekend of October. The move to October will make it easier for those traveling from a distance to get to Rugby for the tournament. In past years, pool players have come from Minnesota, North and South Dakota. They come from Saskatchewan and from as far away as British Columbia, This will increase the revenue for Rugby this fall.

The town’s restaurants as well as the motels, campgrounds, and apartment owners benefit from the influx of oil workers, road maintenance workers, and wind energy workers.

Dennis Fred, owner, The Hub, said it was hard to tell this year. One event that really boosted Rugby was when the Good Sam RV organization came through, he said. Other than that “we’ve seen a lot of construction and other workers,” he added.

“We got tourists, but we also got a lot of the road construction guys,” said Mike Nichols, employee, The Coffee Cottage. “Business was definitely better than last year.”

Not all restaurants saw an increase, though. Bonnie Berginski, owner, Rockin’ Relics located downtown says she isn’t sure what the reason is, but her restaurant showed a decrease in tourism traffic.

“We’ve been here for four years and this year I have seen a decrease,” said Berginski. “We are still getting some Canadians but not like it used to be.”

She speculated that maybe the tourists who stopped on the edge of town didn’t make it downtown.

Peace Garden activities attract visitors who drive through Rugby on their way and may stop for gas, food or lodging.

“When compared to other years, it was above average,” said Sobolik, talking about visitors to the Greater Rugby Conventions and Visitors Bureau, He has information on all states and some Canadian provinces at the center.

Tourist traffic fairly steady

By Staff | Sep 24, 2010

The word from Don Sobolik, chamber of commerce director, is that Rugby did very well this summer season due to an increase of tourists.

He attributes the construction and oil crews for helping contribute to the town’s coffers, as well.

One of the businesses, Northern Lights Inn, benefits from the influx of tourists not only in the summer months but in the fall for Hostfest in Minot.

“It was a phenomenal year,” said Sandy Munyer, manager of the inn.

She is also excited about Hostfest, a popular attraction in Minot. Rugby gets the overflow from Minot.

“We are getting two buses and they stay from Tuesday-Saturday,” Munyer said. “One bus books with us every year for Hostfest,” she said. “We know them all and they are just like family. We look forward to them coming.”

With Labor Day past, signaling the official end of the summer season, merchants look towards the fall hunting season to keep the trend going. The Rugby area is a popular spot for bird and waterfowl hunting, according to Sobolik.

Senior citizens sometimes enjoy traveling in the fall when kids are back in school and families at work.

“We get a share of retirees, a fair amount who travel in the fall,” said Sobolik.

Sobolik noticed a rise in the purchase of souvenirs this year.

The Northern Lights Shootout, a popular pool event hosted by Rugby, has been moved from December to the last weekend of October. The move to October will make it easier for those traveling from a distance to get to Rugby for the tournament. In past years, pool players have come from Minnesota, North and South Dakota. They come from Saskatchewan and from as far away as British Columbia, This will increase the revenue for Rugby this fall.

The town’s restaurants as well as the motels, campgrounds, and apartment owners benefit from the influx of oil workers, road maintenance workers, and wind energy workers.

Dennis Fred, owner, The Hub, said it was hard to tell this year. One event that really boosted Rugby was when the Good Sam RV organization came through, he said. Other than that “we’ve seen a lot of construction and other workers,” he added.

“We got tourists, but we also got a lot of the road construction guys,” said Mike Nichols, employee, The Coffee Cottage. “Business was definitely better than last year.”

Not all restaurants saw an increase, though. Bonnie Berginski, owner, Rockin’ Relics located downtown says she isn’t sure what the reason is, but her restaurant showed a decrease in tourism traffic.

“We’ve been here for four years and this year I have seen a decrease,” said Berginski. “We are still getting some Canadians but not like it used to be.”

She speculated that maybe the tourists who stopped on the edge of town didn’t make it downtown.

Peace Garden activities attract visitors who drive through Rugby on their way and may stop for gas, food or lodging.

“When compared to other years, it was above average,” said Sobolik, talking about visitors to the Greater Rugby Conventions and Visitors Bureau, He has information on all states and some Canadian provinces at the center.