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FLAGPOLE Magazine
7/31/96 Vol. 10, No. 31
Not the daily news
CITY PAGES
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$5 Fp6e £2 Heroic Trio 162 P^SVS
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City of fire
Soccer Fans
Providing
The Missing
Ingredient
A loud roar reverberates from Sanford
Stadium as the U.S. women’s soccer team
defeats Norway 2-1 in overtime, and 60,000
people pour out of the stadium.
As they walk to their cars, Oliver Balson’s
unofficial Olympic T-shirts sell like hotcakes
on Baxter. Just down the street, Sammy’s
Away Down South owner Alan Grimsley’s
officially licensed Olympic merchandise tent,
which was quiet all day, is also packed with
the after-soccer rush.
But Grimsley, who also has tents on
Lumpkin, Baldwin and Washington streets,
says he only hopes to break even. Still, after
seeing Sunday’s crowds, he says, "The knot
in my stomach is a little looser than it was.”
Ruth Cohen isn’t as jubilant. Her booth,
decorated with Christmas lights, is on the
back side of Washington Street, where there
are no lights, no attractions, and a Coke stand
in front of the nearest walkway. The Papa
John’s booth next door is not even in use.
“All the promises didn’t manifest them
selves; to me there are no rules,” she says as
she walks around holding turkey legs at the
front of the street.
“Hi sweety, how you doin?” Joe Rego asks
Cohen in his northern accent. Rego, who l>
selling soft drinks and water and “putting on
a show,” is very happy:
“The soccer let out and they poured in.
It’s been beautiful... beautiful! We built this
place, and now they’re coming.
“When it rains, you sell umbrellas. When
it sunshines, you sell soda.”
Papa John’s manager Jenni Leverett says
she sold out twice Sunday, and Robinson and
his partner Pete Richards, selling artistic ar
tifacts, say today is the biggest crowd they’ve
had. Since the two are also on the back side
of Washington Street, it hasn’t been easy.
As for Daniel Hogan, a partner in D.S.U.
— the company that rented the vending
spaces, he sits relaxed and smiling in front of
a D.S.U. T-shirt stand. Hogan says the com
pany has picked up its advertising and is
thinking of bringing some entertainment to
the back of Washington.
“We got it running smoothly now,” Hogan
says. “We knew we could do it; we told ev
erybody we could do it, and we’ve done it.”
(Keith Hurwitz)
Fed Up With NBC’s
Skimpy, Canned
Olympics Coverage/
See The Real Thing
At The Classic Center
Want to see live Olympic events free on
a big screen without the tape-delayed blow-
dried commentators? Come on down to the
Classic Center, where they’ve arranged to
continue the feed from Atlanta Olympic
Broadcasting, thanks to NationsBank. That’s
the television feed that goes out worldwide
with all the events. Depending on what’s
available and what s in demand, the Classic
Center can select the day’s programming, sub
ject to change on a daily basis.
The tentative schedule for big screen
viewing in both the ballroom and the exhibit
hall is as follows.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, 7/31 — 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.:
Badminton at Georgia State (medal match)
(Don’t worry; you can go home for lunch or
grab an ear of com outside.); 6 p.m. to end of
game: Soccer in Athens; 9 p.m.? to next
change: Track and Field in Olympic Stadium;
Thursday, 8/1 — 9 a.m. to end of session:
Track and Field in Olympic Stadium; 2 p.m.
to end of game: Baseball at Atlanta Fulton
County Stadium; 5.30 p.m. to next change:
Soccer in Athens (women's medal games):
Friday, 8/2 —1G a.m.-6 p.m. Rhythmic Gym
nastics in Athens- 6 n.m. to end of game: Soc
cer in Athens (men’s bronze): 9 p.m.? to next
change: Track and Field in Olympic Stadium;
Saturday, 8/3 — 8:30 a.m. to end of event?:
Cycling (road) in Atlanta; Noon-3:45 p.m.:
Volleyball in Omni Coliseum (women's med
als); 3:45 p.m. to end of match: Soccer in Ath
ens (men’s gold); 6:30 p.m.? to next change:
Track and c ield in Olympic Stadium; Sun
day, 8/4 — Noon to next change: Volleyball
in Omni Coliseum (men’s medals); 4 p.m. to
end of games: Basketball in Georgia Dome
(women’s medals); 7 p.m.? to ?: Closing Cer
emonies
The Coca Cola Company agreed that, okay,
maybe two classics too close is too many. (Photo
by A. Colombo)
Mayor Says
Give Coke
A Break!
Athens Mayor Gwen O’Looney has
sprung to the defense of The Coca Cola
Company in a letter to local editors. In
the letter O’Looney praised the company
for its support of the Olympic Torch Run
and for its support and promotion of
Downtown Athens during the Olympics.
“At every turn,” O’Looney writes,
“Coke was there with help, assistance and
guidance in solving problems and enhanc
ing events for citizens. Very simply,’ we
couldn’t have done it without them!”
O’Looney also commended Coca
Cola’s response to criticism that the
company has overdone its presence
downtown.
“I want to personally thank The Coca
Cola Company,” O’Looney writes, “for
their quick response to the complaints
of those who objected to the commer
cialization of the Classic Center. Imme
diately, Coke recognized that what
worked elsewhere offended here and re
duced and moved promotions to accom
modate local tastes. Not every corporate
group would have been this sensitive and
responsive."
One citizen, Ron Evans, who was out
spoken in his criticism of Coke also
wrote a letter to local editors, saying in
part: “If gold medals for tastelessness
were being given during the 1996 Olym
pic Games, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, the
Athens-Clarke County Government,
The Classic Center, the Athens '96
Summer PanAthenic Festival Commit
tee, and anyone who signed the contract
allowing the desecration of the Classic
Center Plaza and Athena Statue would
win hands down!” (PMc)
RIM
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JULY 31, 1996