Champaign County is one of the largest counties in central Illinois with a population of ~207,000 and is home to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which currently has 44,500 students. In the fall the university hosts Big Ten football games which have recently been drawing an average attendance of ~45,000 people, many traveling from Chicago or other parts of the Midwest. The twin cities host a number of community events and festivals throughout the Spring and Summer. Typically the community festivals have liquor licenses whereas no alcohol is served in the football stadium. Despite the lack of alcohol availability in the stadium many fans drink during tailgate parties before and after the game.

Objective

The objective for this research project was to see if there are predictable patterns for certain annual events in Champaign County, Illinois. The focus was on how alcohol intoxication effected the population and whether or not its effects were dangerous to the community at an alarming rate.