By Stephen Smoot
With the spring and summer tourist season almost history, the Pendleton County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau set its sights on upcoming events in fall and spring.
Traditionally a fun-filled time for locals, the CVB has worked to promote the Treasure Mountain Festival to a wider area. Annie Humes, who serves on both the CVB and Treasure Mountain Festival boards said “It’s coming soon!”
One of the immediate priorities lay in helping to get the soon-to-be available TMF program into the community. Both hard and digital copies are available. The program will include the popular music and entertainment schedule as well.
Humes said, “Please feel free to reshare” information via social media and also that “volunteers are needed everywhere.”
Although Mountain State Maple Days next comes in 2025, organizers have already commenced working on ideas for promotion to make Pendleton County the center of the statewide event. Lindsay Kazarick, another member of the CVB board, shared that organizers and others “are already planning Maple Days. Anyone interested in registering for this coming year can do so.”
They may do so through the West Virginia Maple Syrup Producers Association website.
Kazarick said of the registration process that “it’s pretty straightforward.”
The group then brainstormed ideas on how to take the two weekends scheduled a month apart and create “a maple month” of different events to maintain and expand interest. Kazarick informed the board that “Pendleton County sets the bar for what happens around the state in maple” and that “other people find out what is happening in Pendleton County and then they do it.”
Humes said it was good that “everyone’s got maple syrup on their brains the whole month.”
Business also included the board and its members working together to facilitate the transition to a new executive director.
Prioritization went to maintaining communication with partner organizations during the transition process. Humes took the lead in reaching out. She informed the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area of the CVB’s search and worked with them to make sure that the grant would be unaffected.
She reported that “we’re in a good place. We can continue with the project.”
Humes also attended a Pendleton County Commission meeting to update local elected officials, as well as meeting with the TMF boards.
Finally, the group heard an update on the executive director hiring process from board member Melinda Brooks. A draft of an advertisement for hiring the position was almost completed.
In the interim, the board would work together to keep the work continuing efficiently and effectively. Kazarick said, “We should continually communicate with each other to make sure that we all have the proper information.”
