Cash and gowns: Graduation weekends boost local economy By Sue Robinson Free Press Staff Writer The Masons admired Vermont-made pottery at Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center on Burlington's Church Street Marketplace and dickered over how much money they could spend during their graduation visit to Chittenden County. Dick Mason guessed around $600 or $700. When he mentioned the figure to his wife and daughters, they laughed and laughed. "Uh-uh. You are wrong, Dick. Oh yeah, you're wrong," giggled Motoko Mason, his wife. Dick Mason paled somewhat. His wife patted his arm reassuringly and when he had left, she said to her daughters with a smile, "Don't worry, I had to check the limit on credit cards. We're OK." The Masons were in town last week for their daughter Emily's graduation from St. Michael's College. They arrived Monday from Japan, where they live. More parents are coming. In the next weeks more than 2,600 students will be graduating from the University of Vermont, St. Michael's and Champlain College. Each student brings two to four guests -- more than half from out of town, according to UVM statistics. Merchants rub their hands together in glee as students rack their brains to find the best way to entertain the people who have been paying their tuition for the last four years. Congratulations dinners, graduation gifts, hotel rooms, souvenirs, day tours, cruises, shopping sprees, lunches and brunches are just a few of the ways the friends and relatives of graduating students will make their mark on the area's economy over the next two weeks. Around 2,500 relatives of UVM seniors alone are expected to descend on Burlington for the weekend, according to Robert Richardson, director of UVM's Vermont Tourism Data Center. He estimated UVM-related visitors alone would spend between $330,000 and $460,000 next weekend during graduation weekend. "That is quite an injection into Burlington's economy for one weekend," Richardson said. Businesses agree, and say it couldn't come at a better time. Hotel and restaurants add staff. Retailers plan sales. All report higher revenue and a controlled chaos of throngs of students with relatives during the graduation season. Hotels are booked Some of the larger hotels in the area, however, have said their waiting lists are not as long as they usually are at this time of the year, blaming both the economy and travel fears. "We never quite got to those waiting lists this year. We didn't have those typical multiple room reservations," said Joe Carton, general manager at the Radisson Hotel Burlington. Nevertheless, this weekend is booked for St. Mike's graduation, and next weekend is full for UVM's commencement. Carton estimated the Radisson will see a 25 percent increase in business May 8, UVM's graduation. Restaurants are filled The Inn at Essex's fine-dining Butler's Restaurant is already booked for UVM's weekend, said Chris Parker, a food and beverage director for the New England Culinary Institute, which runs Inn at Essex restaurants. Parker adds two or three waitstaff each night to handle the large parties. The number of patrons at the restaurant notch up 25 percent to 60 percent on graduation weekends, compared to regular weekend nights. "Other than a little wiggle room I just don't have any space for additional reservations," he said. Stores are packed Diane Nadon, operations manager at Frog Hollow, started helping customers find that perfect graduation gift from the store's wares last week. "Graduation weekend is huge. Really, really huge," Nadon said. "Graduation really heralds the sort of arrival of summer, and tourist and wedding season for us." After a day on Church Street, the Masons said they will visit the educational farm and cheese maker Shelburne Farms, the maple sugar processor and retailer Dakin Farm in Ferrisburgh and perhaps even the Stowe area for its downtown shops, cheese factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill in Waterbury Center. "I want to give them a sampling of things they couldn't do anywhere else in the world, things that really are special about Vermont," Emily Mason said, as the crew left Frog Hollow for the New England Culinary Institute where Mason wanted to show her dad how the students prepare all the meals. They'll eat out about four times during the week they are in Burlington. Thursday, they made reservations at the Inn at Essex for 25 -- Emily's uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends will be treated to a grand dinner after Sunday's ceremony. Before that dinner, though, there was shopping to do. Japanese custom requires gifts for friends and relatives from the visited land. Motoko Mason, owner of an English school, had 120 students who expected presents. And then there was the traditional art item the Masons search for on each journey for their own home. "We really seek out things that have a local flavor, that would really say Vermont," Dick Mason said. "While we're here, we are looking for something we can't get anywhere else." Contact Sue Robinson at 660-1852 or srobinso@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com