By Stephen Smoot
“We will be here. There will be snacks.”
Annie Humes, executive director of the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau, hopes that people will take her up on an invitation to come, engage, and share about county tourism, especially in terms of economic impact. The office is located at 43 Maple Ave. (Pendleton Crossing) in Franklin.
She explained that her goal primarily lies in bringing in those operating businesses that could be serving tourists and helping them to engage as much as possible. Additionally, Humes said that she wants to gather ideas from the community on promoting the area and its myriad attractions to different types of visitors.
Having open hours for “Walk In Wednesday” allows for people to come and engage as they are able, no need to make an appointment. The idea mirrors “office hours” held by professors for students in college programs.
The flier created for the program stated “if you work with the public, we want to work with you.” It states that one can pick up brochures from the CVB or drop off promotional material for ones’ own business. Other ways to collaborate include learning ways that the CVB can help promote a business, and the sharing of upcoming events.
To create a “one stop shop” for Pendleton County events, the CVB will partner with the Pendleton County Chamber of Commerce. Both organizations will use a single events calendar to populate area events, important dates, and other items of interest. The calendar will be promoted as the authoritative site for this information.
The CVB office will also serve as a hub for a different purpose. Video cameras and photography equipment will be available on a lending basis from the office. The goal of this program lies in encouraging both locals and visitors alike to use the equipment and create beautiful images of the area to share on social media.
Aspiring professionals and social media influencers would also benefit from this opportunity to use top rated equipment to create their art.
Humes also discussed that the CVB is participating in the Mon Forest Towns project taking place at Peters Mountain. Planning has started on developing the trail there, as well as renovating the former schoolhouse on the site. Interestingly, that site was made possible by an agreement between Pendleton County Schools and the United States Forest Service almost a century ago.
She stated that the USFS approved the trail design and it had passed the standard environmental review process, but still needs more work and time. Part of the next phase will include training local volunteers to maintain the trail after it gets put in place.
