With the Super Bowl just a day away, local businesses are gearing up to offer everything for the perfect party, from ordinary to unusual.

Typical preparations for watching football include stocking up on chicken wings, beer or pizza and finding a spot to watch the game. But one urology practice will be open today as part of a special Super Bowl deal.

Keith McLeod, the practice administrator for The Northeast Georgia Urological Associates, said he has gotten a lot of response to an advertisement the clinic ran: A free pizza and a bag of frozen peas to men who scheduled a vasectomy Friday and today.

“Everybody’s getting a kick out of reading the ad,” McLeod said. “It’s a little gimmick to get people in and get a little free pizza.”

Though a vasectomy may not sound like fun, McLeod said the timing of the surgery may be ideal for some men.

“It’s an opportunity then to have an excuse to sit on the couch and watch the game and not be bothered because they can’t get up,” McLeod said.

McLeod said he heard about a similar ad and thought the idea could work well for his practice.

“Back last year during the Final Four, there was a urology group in Oregon who first ran the special and it caught a little national exposure as a marketing idea,” he said. “If guys wanted to have an excuse from work on the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament, the NCAA March Madness, come get a vasectomy on Wednesday. Therefore they had two days off to watch the tournament.”

And the frozen peas?

“It’s a little gag gift to go along with it,” McLeod said. “The doctors tell them to ice down the area afterward to prevent swelling.”

McLeod said the ad has gotten Northeast Georgia Urological Associates a lot of attention and they may do a similar deal again in the future.

“It’s just kind of fun to put something out there people get a kick out of,” McLeod said.

As for more conventional football fare, Wild Wing Cafe in Gainesville is expecting a rush of wing orders to coincide with the biggest game of the year.

“Super Bowl Sunday is a big day for us. Everybody calls in to-go orders and they want to take wings home with them” said Oliver White, Wild Wing’s general manager. “It’s incredible how many we put out.”

Oliver is expecting to sell between 8,000 and 10,000 chicken wings by the end of Sunday. His employees will be spending much of today cutting celery and preparing marinades and sauces.

“It’s all about preparation,” White said.

Oliver said though Sunday is the busiest day of the year, Wild Wing’s dining room won’t be too crowded.
“Nine times out of 10 ... people would rather stay at their house and watch the game,” White said. “More than anything it’s the people that are ordering wings to take home with them.”

And when it comes to preparing for the perfect Super Bowl party, arguably the most important thing is a good TV to watch the game on.

Jeff Stowe of Home Electronics & Appliances said each year he sees a spike in big-screen TV rentals before the Super Bowl.

“This is the time of year they look to upgrade their TV,” Stowe said. “They’ll come in and not only rent one for the short term but swap out their old model to impress their guests and family that they’re going to have over.”

Stowe said he sees people who are interested in renting a TV just for a Super Bowl party as well as those wanting to rent to own.

But both type of customers are thinking big.

“The big sellers are your ones that are over 50 inches and they want it high-def,” Stowe said. “Usually the Saturday before the Super Bowl is one of the busiest days of the year.”