Opening ceremony held at Oakmont County Club ahead of U.S. Open

OAKMONT, Pa. — It has been a busy day at the Oakmont Country Club today as practice rounds continue ahead of U.S. Open Championship play.

Wednesday afternoon started with the opening ceremony, with a flag raising to mark the official start of the U.S. Open Championship. A salute was also given to honor the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.

While more than 200,000 people will be here throughout the week, local businesses just down the road along Allegheny River Boulevard say it can be a ghost town. They want people to know they’re open and to stop by. In many cases, these small businesses are opening earlier and staying open later.

The mayor of Oakmont says when the U.S. Open was here in 2016 and the shuttling service began, that’s when local businesses said they really started to miss out on business in ways they didn’t in 2007 or 1994.

She understands the USGA wants to get people in and out, but she would like to see the option for people to be able to stop along Allegheny River Boulevard where there are local boutiques, a brewery, an ice cream shop and restaurants.

“They’ve worked well, the USGA, with the Chamber to be present,” Mayor Sophia Facaros said. “They’ve talked to all the business owners and talked to all the businesses to be open later at night. A little improvement. Not where we want it, but hopefully we’re getting there.”

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW