The Gus Macker Basketball Tournament is on for August 29 and 30 on Grand Island, maybe.
The tournament was held at Darien Lake last year, after being pushed out of Buffalo because of financial difficulties. For years, the event took over Niagara Square and surrounding streets for an entire weekend, drawing large crowds.
For Grand Island, the crowds are part of the issue. Supervisor Mary Cooke says security and parking popped up right away as issues and they haven't yet been resolved. Cooke says timing is tough for promoter Corey McGowan.
"If he's not able to secure the security that's required, that could be a problem," says Cooke. "There is an issue, possibly, with that date because there is a New York State Fair going on, so the New York State Police are committed there, in droves. And, there is a Bills pre-season game that Saturday and so the Erie County Sheriff's Department is committed in droves there."
The plan is for up to 500 teams playing along a closed Grand Island Boulevard between Whitehaven and Baseline. Each four-member team is expected to have a large fan club, which adds up to a lot of people and a lot of cars on the island.
