November 26, 2021
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Local businesses, law enforcement prep for Palmetto Bowl - WACH.com

River Rat Brewery in Columbia is one of many businesses gearing up for an influx of USC and Clemson fans to come out and watch the game at its establishment. (WACH)<p&gt{/p}
River Rat Brewery in Columbia is one of many businesses gearing up for an influx of USC and Clemson fans to come out and watch the game at its establishment. (WACH)<p>{/p}

COLUMBIA, SC (WACH) — The biggest game of the year is nearly here and everyone from business owners to law enforcement know it's a team effort to make sure fans of both the USC gamecocks and the Clemson tigers have a safe and enjoyable experience when they come to the Soda City for the Palmetto Bowl on Saturday.

A big priority this year: Safety.

Many local businesses such as River Rat Brewery in Columbia is gearing up for the influx of fans to pour in and watch the game.

"We expect a really large crowd both orange and garnet and black. We call it all hands-on deck. We got everyone coming in - extra food-runners, extra bussers - there's extra bartenders, two parking lot attendants that police the area - people coming in and out and making sure everyone stays safe," said River Rat Brewery owner, Mike Tourville.

Authorities are also trying not to repeat history after a chaotic scene played out in September when hundreds of gamecock fans trampled through the student entrance at Williams-Brice Stadium.

WACH FOX News talked to Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins on Friday who said he and his team prepared to handle an incident like this if it happens, but hopefully it won't.

We also reached out to multiple agencies about how they will be handling the crowd.

Officials say it will be a joint effort among the Columbia Fire Department, the USC Police Department, the Columbia Police Department, and the Richland County Sheriff's Department.

The owner of J’s Corner Restaurant and Bar said she will also be stepping up security.

"I have two officers here that will help with the crowd control. state troopers will line up, we put some extra tables out staff as much as we can, and just hope for the best," said Jenny Gesick.

Saturday's game will also be a big boost, economically, for local businesses as last year they were restricted because of the pandemic.

"Last year we had to seat people - we had to seat every other booth. the bar. We can only put 12 people at the bar - you had to be sat at the bar for social distancing, so it's different - it's different. I'm ready for it to be normal again," said Gesick.



source: https://wach.com/news/local/local-businesses-law-enforcement-prep-for-palmetto-bowl

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