Happy campers

MACOMB, Ill. -- On top of luring fans who light up cash registers every summer, the St. Louis Rams also helped score a new surgeon for this western Illinois city's lone hospital.

Across the state, the Chicago Bears have pumped up the Bourbonnais economy for the last two years, along with the spirits of a die-hard fan who has multiple sclerosis.

Macomb and Bourbonnais went after the NFL training camps for tourism dollars, but people in both towns say they've gotten a lot more from the marquee faces and massive bodies that roll in for three weeks of workouts.

"It's a matter of pride for people. We needed a morale boost and I think we got that shot in the arm," said David Hinderliter, president of the Kankakee River Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The camps also have made stargazing a daylong rite of summer. Stories race through town about waitresses who got hefty tips from Rams quarterback Kurt Warner or the hotel room Brian Urlacher rented when the Bears linebacker brought his barber to town for a haircut.

"Their celebrity status makes them the talk of the town while they're here. People are always talking about seeing this player at the grocery store or that player at a restaurant," said Lisa Kugler, spokeswoman for McDonough District Hospital in Macomb.

A medical assist

Kugler said Warner helped seal the deal a year ago when the hospital was recruiting a new surgeon from South Carolina.

She said the doctor brought his family to look the town over. His wife, a big fan of the two-time MVP, decided to check out a practice at Western Illinois University, where the Rams drew more than 28,000 fans this year.

Warner caught wind of the recruiting effort, and made a point to talk with the surgeon's wife and her mother after practice.

"They were thrilled to meet a celebrity in our small town of Macomb," said Kugler, adding that Warner's influence on the deal was "more than a little, I would guess."

Sharon Casino of Bourbonnais has rubbed elbows with the Bears during each of their years at Olivet Nazarene University, which has hosted about 200,000 fans over the last two years.

It started last year when her son, Brett, snagged coach Dick Jauron after practice and told him about his mom, who has turned an empty bedroom into a "Bears Den," with recliners, a television and memorabilia from bobblehead dolls to autographed photos and footballs.

When Jauron found out Casino has trouble walking in the hot weather because of multiple sclerosis, he brought her in as his guest in the team's VIP tent, where they spent 45 minutes talking about football and her health.

"He is the most sincere person I've ever met and so down to earth," Casino said.

Special attention

Fans say that special attention is common at both camps. Players sign autographs, talk to fans and sometimes take kids to the locker room or team dining hall.

Warner sets up a table after every practice and signs for an hour or more. "People line up like you just would not believe and he just signs forever," said Christa Allaman of the Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The quarterback also hosted a birthday dinner at a local restaurant a couple years ago and helped his waitress serve meals after he noticed she was pregnant.

"She was very flattered that a star like that would be concerned about her. We need more athletes like Kurt Warner," said Bruce Brown, who owns the restaurant and a sports bar next door.

Bars are often packed at night as fans hope for a glimpse of their favorite players. Up to 30 Bears sometimes show up at T.J. Donlin's, a sports bar near the Olivet campus, said Jay Karr, one of the owners.

"It's pretty neat. I sat and talked to nearly the whole offensive unit one night. It makes me feel like a kid again," Karr said.

Golf courses also draw players and coaches. Ryan Moore of Macomb was just 14 years old a few years ago when he caught up with a group ahead of him and Rams running back Marshall Faulk asked him to play along.

"He can hit the ball a mile," Moore said.

Players are also regular customers at auto detailing businesses, which have polished up Faulk's Mercedes, Rams receiver Issac Bruce's Hummer and Bears receiver David Terrell's Bentley, among others.

"Urlacher sat here the whole time we washed his car. A couple customers came up and he signed autographs for them and talked to him. It was just like down home," said Paul Zeedyk, owner of Never Wax Again in Bourbonnais.