ESCANABA — Thousands of trappers and vendors came to the Escanaba area for the 59th annual National Trappers Association Convention and Sport Show at the U.P. State Fairgrounds last week.

This influx of people had a positive financial effect on local businesses.

Gas stations were among the group of businesses that experienced a boost in sales while convention attendees were in the area.

“We saw an uptick in business while they were here,” Paul Carne, general manager of ECO Fuels, said.

According to Carne, business at ECO Fuels started to increase last Wednesday, the day before the convention started.

This effect lasted through Sunday, the day after the convention ended.

Carne said he was glad to have a chance to talk to some of the trappers visiting the area for the convention.

“They’re a nice group of people,” he said.

While some of the people attending this year’s convention camped at the fairgrounds, others chose to stay at local hotels. As a result, business at these hotels increased significantly.

America’s Best Value Inn General Manager Pat Farmer said this was the case for her hotel, located near the fairgrounds.

“We were (sold out) all the days,” she said.

Local restaurants also saw more business than usual last week.

“This weekend, we were fairly busy,” said Joe Crispigna, founder of Crispigna’s Restaurant.