Spectators lined Muskogee Avenue Saturday morning as Northeastern State University alumni, students, staff, parents and other well-wishers gathered for the annual Homecoming parade.

Many of them stopped by Morgan’s Bakery to grab a sweet treat to fortify them on the chilly morning, or for a sandwich and cup of hot coffee after the parade, before adjourning to Doc Wadley Stadium to watch the RiverHawks. Alumni fondly remember Morgan’s, a Tahlequah tradition, as a favorite place during their college days.

NSU President Dr. Don Betz says regional universities provide an economic engine for their areas, and they certainly make their effects known on the local economy. At any given time, nearly 7,000 students are enrolled at the Tahlequah campus.

Local residents, and local businesses, notice it when the students are gone between semesters, although the slower academic time during the summer is offset by the number of tourists visiting the Illinois River and the lakes. Many of the businesses also hire students as part-time workers, benefiting both.

About 1,500 students live on-campus, while the rest live in apartments or other housing units in the area. They pay rent and utilities, buy groceries, gas up their cars, dine out, shop and take care of many of their needs locally.

Teaa Little, who was serving cookies and other pastries behind the Morgan’s Bakery counter, is one of them. A sophomore from Checotah, she lives in an apartment and shops at local stores. And she sees many familiar faces from campus while she’s at work.

“A lot of my classmates come in here,” she said. “The truffles are especially popular.”

Linda Shoun of Morgan’s said that while many students stop by for treats, she sells more of her confections to faculty and staff. Many organizations pick up a box of cookies for a party or reception, or order cakes.

People notice the difference when the students go home for breaks, said Jerry Cook, former Tahlequah mayor, now director of community relations for NSU’s three campuses. The pace is slower around town, there’s less traffic and activity, especially on the north end near the campus.

“You can tell in the summer when we go from 6,800 to 7,000 students to 2,500 or 3,000 students. It shows,” Cook said. “But we’re seeing a significant increase in summer school enrollment.”

New stimulus money is making Pell grants and other funding sources available for summer study, and many students will take advantage of this. Before joining NSU, Cook operated a car dealership. He said he sold many cars to students, as well as to faculty and staff members.

He said sometimes students make unexpected expenditures while in town. He knows one young man who became ill and went to see a local doctor, then took his prescriptions to a local pharmacy to be filled — another economic impact on the community. Betz said students’ families also make their presence felt.

“A couple of the most significant days for the community are the days in which NSU graduates classes, in December and in the spring,” he said.

Those dates bring an additional 4,000 to 7,000 people to town. At the very least, most eat a meal or two here, or fill up their cars with gasoline. Many spend the night here and make other significant purchases.

During the year, parents visiting their children also spend money.

“Sometimes parents will come here when they come to visit their children, and make purchases for them,” said Linda Rangel, manager of Stage. Students also shop in the store, although the parents tend to spend more when they come in.

If NSU weren’t in town, “it would definitely affect our junior department. Jeans are always popular. Our junior department is building and enlarging, so we’re able to provide a very good selection for that age group, style and size,” Rangel said.

She also has hired students for part-time jobs.

“Young people always have a lot of energy and that is enjoyable,” she said.

Although no current NSU students are working at Stage, May graduate Kara Wooten was behind the counter Friday afternoon. She lived off campus while in school, and continues to spend her money locally on her apartment, food, car maintenance and other needs.

“I shop here, and I love Tahlequah,” she said.

Downtown, Everything Under the Sun gets a lot of college students coming in to browse through its trove of gifts and treasures.

“When we first opened, we didn’t get a lot of college students, but in the last year, or year and a half, we’ve had a definite influx of college shoppers,” owner Jean Ryals said.

A good portion of the young women who come in belong to sororities.

“We carry a lot of the Greek letters, the charms, the things that go on flip-flops or bracelets,” Ryals said.

She considers her location, in downtown Tahlequah between the courthouse square and campus, an advantage.

“Being in walking distance also helps. A lot of the small businesses on the other end of town don’t get the business we do,” Ryals said.

In many college communities, residents complain of a separation between “town and gown.” They feel the college is somewhat isolated, an ivory tower whose faculty and students don’t really interact with the townspeople.

That’s not the case here, said Cook, who began his service as mayor in 1999. For at least a decade, city officials have worked with leaders of the community’s two economic powerhouses, NSU and the Cherokee Nation, which serve as bookends at the north and south of the city limits.

Together, these leaders have molded, and continue to form, visions to benefit all the entities. “The community is very good to our students. In some communities, the town doesn’t accept the gown,” Cook said. “Here, I feel the community is well-served from the economic standpoint.”

Coming Tuesday: NSU’s less tangible effects include vision and community creativity