At TJ's Sports Garden in Wheeling, workers said the tournament helps boost weekend business by at least 25 percent. Owner T.J. Radevski said he looks forward to the consistently large groups that come in for the event.

"We expect over 5,000 people here in town. I prepare with my staff -- I overstaff actually, just to be ready for everybody to come in here," Radevski said.

He said he also talks with other local restaurant owners, such as at Figaretti's and Abbey's, about weekend business during the Beast Of The East. Because they don't want to miss out on a marketing opportunity, they offer special deals throughout the weekend.

Not only are businesses preparing for the tournament, but because John Marshall High School's field flooded earlier this month, crews will likely be there until dusk making sure they're ready for this weekend's games.

"It's three days of preparation and it's 12 to 14 hours a day," said Bob Montgomery of the high school.

While crews work on the field, a local attorney is preparing to file court action on behalf of the Marshall County School Board, which is trying to recoup the cost of repairs. The field was damaged after several floods and an especially untimely one last year.

"It was 14 days before the Beast last summer. This year, we had a little more time," Montgomery said.

He said he is proud that visiting teams generally have no idea what this field has been through.

"By their coming in and telling us where they played and now they're on this surface, we're right there with the best in the U.S.," he said.

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