New surge in cases in a couple weeks.

LINCOLN — Sports bar owners and managers aren’t sure what to expect for the opening of the Husker football season, which begins Saturday morning at Ohio State and continues with the home opener on Halloween.

On one hand, they hope for somewhat close to a normal game-day experience to make up for the difficult months of the pandemic. On the other, those hopes have been dimmed by the surging virus and a renewed need to practice social distancing and limit how many people walk in their doors.

The mantra of Lincoln and Omaha bar owners: Keep your fingers crossed and be ready for anything.

“The profit comes during football,” said Eric F. Marsh, owner of Longwell’s bar in Lincoln’s Haymarket. “And that’s also where you build up your fat reserves to get through the lean times of the year. I just hope that this year that that is possible for us.”

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Omaha, Lincoln sports bars gearing up for first Husker football game (Omaha World-Herald)