Gannon dorms offer new Roar on the Shore experience

Source: Erie Times-News, Pa.迷你倉價錢July 20--Gloria Zuendel and Suzanne Taylor had only known each other for 15 minutes, but they chatted like lifelong pals."I'm going to talk about you years from now when people ask me about Roar on the Shore," Zuendel, 56, of Spartansburg, said with a smile to Taylor, 38, of Beaver County.The two traveled to Erie separately for Roar on the Shore and are staying in a Gannon University residence hall through a first-time program.Gannon offered two residence halls at West Fourth and Sassafras streets, Lubiak Apartments and Freeman Apartments, from Thursday through Saturday for a nonrefundable cost of $375. The dorms are furnished but renters must provide their own bedding, cookware and other necessities.Denise Golden, director of residence life, said Gannon rented 29 apartments that house about 71 people for the weekend.Sitting at a picnic table outside Lubiak Apartments on Friday morning, Zuendel and Taylor bonded over shared interests and a shared roof."When I saw this deal offered on the news, I thought, 'What a great idea,'" Zuendel said. "And it is really neat. I wouldn't have gotten to know all these people if I would have stayed somewhere else."While a lack of air conditioning in the residence halls has caused a few complaints, it actually brought together the temporary group."We're all just sitting here complaining about how hot it is," Zuendel said, laughing.Golden said her crews were stocking the residence hall r迷你倉庫frigerators with water and sports drinks and working to bring in fans Friday afternoon as the temperature climbed toward 90 degrees.One essential draw for renters is proximity to downtown Erie, the hub of weekend activities."You're not going to find anything like this," said Rich Schumaker, 49, of Allentown, a veteran Roar on the Shore participant. "Not for this price and down here. And for us, there's normally six of us that come, so instead of getting separate hotel rooms, this is perfect."John Oliver, president of VisitErie, Erie County's tourism promotion agency, said most or all of Erie County's 4,500 hotel rooms are booked this weekend. The Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel, the Downtown Erie Hotel and the Avalon Hotel and Conference Center are all fully booked for the weekend.Manufacturer & Business Association officials estimate the four-day rally will attract 100,000 visitors. Organizers estimated it attracted about 80,000 in 2012.Gannon made accommodations available based on the number of reservation requests it received, so there are no additional dorm rooms available this weekend.Golden said Gannon hopes to continue the program for at least one more year.SARAH STEMEN can be reached at 870-1776. Send e-mail to sarah.stemen@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNstemen.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) Visit the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) at www.GoErie.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存