By STEVE EIGHINGER
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
Rob Ebbing told the Quincy Civic Center Authority he likes the numbers he has seen so far when it comes to Quincy Gems baseball. Ebbing, the executive director of the Oakley-Lindsay Center and the Quincy Gems, told the Civic Center Board during Wednesday's monthly board meeting that gate receipts and beer sales -- two of the key revenue streams for the team -- are improved from where they were at a similar stage of the 2011 season. "We're $3,000 to $4,000 ahead of where we were a year ago," he said. "That does not include numbers for food sales, which we also get a cut of ... (but) I haven't seen those numbers yet." Ebbing said the weather and the play of the team have been important keys. "The good weather has been good for us so far -- we've only had one rainout," he said. The Gems have played nine home dates through Wednesday and are averaging 687 fans per game at QU-Stadium. That ranks eighth in the 12-team Prospect League that is spread over six states. Entering Wednesday night's games, Quincy (10-7) was in second place in the Western Division of the Prospect League, trailing only the DuBois County Bombers (15-4). The Gems, who are defending Prospect champions, averaged 1,000 fans per game in 2011, according to league statistics. As the pennant race heightens in the second half of the season, coupled with an expected playoff appearance, the attendance numbers will likely wind up paralleling the 2011 figures. Ebbing said if the recent extremely high temperatures continue through the rest of June and into July, he doesn't foresee any adverse effect on attendance. "The warm weather has never seemed to affect our crowds," he said. "The fans seem to show up." In other activity: º Ebbing reported OLC staff is working with Peters Heating and Air Conditioning to try to resolve a "dampish odor" permeating areas of the Quincy Community Theater. Lowell Yates, the theater representative on the board, reported the odor was evident in all areas of the theater. º The board continues to explore options concerning a new storage facility. Board member Tony Crane has solicited bids to see what it would cost to construct a new building on existing OLC property. º The board has hired Ryan Craven for its sales/marketing position and Jennifer Smith to a full-time position split between accounting and coordinating events. -- seighinger@whig.com/221-3377
