Columbia residents, businesses prepare for Super Bowl

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With less than a day away from Super Bowl LVII, Columbia residents and businesses prepare for the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Before any celebrations on any end, some fans have a list to check off to prepare for Sunday’s game.

While some restaurants and bars spent Saturday preparing for the large crowds, some businesses will close early to focus on preparing catered food for Super Bowl parties. Bud's Classic BBQ falls under the category, closing at 2 p.m. on Sunday. 

Those who haven’t done their shopping for the game aren’t alone. However, anticipate big crowds at the supermarkets throughout Saturday. A few fans downtown said they plan to hit the stores first thing in the morning.

Target, Walmart, Gerbes, Hy-Vee and other Columbia grocery stores will operate under normal Saturday hours. The assistant manager at the Nifong Hy-Vee, Matt Werdehausen, said rain checks will be given to shoppers if any product is out of stock.

"We want you to leave with the product that you bought," Werdehausen said. "But if you can't, we want to make sure you get it for that price. They last 30 days, basically, you come in and if I ran out of that product, you can come to customer service, show the ad, and we'll write that up for 30 days."

"I think this whole town is amped,” Chiefs fan Josh Pitts, a student at the University of Missouri said. “I mean, what more can you expect from the team in red? That's what we want to see out here."

Pitts, wearing a bright red Kansas City Chiefs jersey with the number 38 on the back, wasn’t the only Columbia resident wearing team colors. Red, in support of the Chiefs, and green in support of the Eagles scattered downtown.

As the game ends, the Missouri State Highway Patrol asks all fans to find a designated driver. Extra troopers will be on the roads Saturday night to look out for drivers under the influence. 

“Go Chiefs. Red Kingdom baby," Pitts said. “If they do win, I must book my ticket to Kansas City. We're going the same day. I'm going to drive straight down there that night and we're going to burn that town down.”