Welcome to the Business Journal Archives
Search for articles below, or continue to the all new BusinessJournalDaily.com now.
Search
Shaker Woods Festival Gets National Spotlight
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The annual Shaker Woods Festival in Columbiana County is on the list of 22 sites in Ohio's Appalachian region that will be promoted in a new marketing campaign, Gov. Bob Taft announced today. The campaign will be coordinated by the Appalachian Regional Commission and National Geographic to promote unique tourism experiences and sites of national significance in the region. National Geographic will highlight 22 sites along with 334 other sites in 12 other Appalachian states in the April 2005 issue of Traveler magazine.Shipments of nearly one million map guide inserts in the April issue began March 18 to subscribers and newsstands. In coming months, another 300,000 copies of the map will be distributed by state tourism offices of the ARC's 13 states to targeted travel mailing lists, regional welcome centers and tourism trade shows. ARC will also distribute the map to schools, libraries and civic organizations throughout Appalachia, Taft said."This collaboration between the Appalachian Regional Commission and National Geographic will draw national and international audiences to many of the unique and significant tourism experiences that Ohio's Appalachian region has to offer," said Taft, who serves as the states' co-chairman of the ARC. "Drawing attention to many of the rich, diverse and, in many cases, undiscovered treasures in Appalachia Ohio will also have a positive economic impact on the region." Last winter, the ARC announced a partnership with National Geographic to produce a first-of-its-kind "Map Guide to Appalachia" designed to stimulate tourism and economic development by showcasing the incredible diversity of the region's natural, cultural and heritage assets. To create this map, state and local partners nominated businesses and more than 1,000 other destinations and experiences that they believed represented authentic Appalachia. The result is a map guide that provides a striking representation of Appalachia's distinctive geography, culture and heritage. The 22 Ohio sites selected for inclusion in the national publication are as follows:Grant Birthplace, Clermont CountyRipley Underground Railroad sites, Brown County Floodwall Murals, Scioto County Murphin Ridge Bed & Breakfast, Adams CountySerpent Mound, Adams CountyHopewell Culture National Historical Park, Ross CountyMajestic Theatre, Ross CountyTecumseh! Outdoor Drama, Ross CountyBob Evans Farms Homestead Museum, Gallia CountyJackson Apple Festival, Jackson CountyDairy Barn Cultural Arts Center, Athens County Adena HockHocking Trail, Hocking CountyOhio River National Scenic BywayCity of Marietta,Washington CountyThe Wilds, Muskingum CountyNational Ceramic Museum, Perry CountyHistoric National Road (U.S. Highway 40), Belmont, Guernsey, Muskingum countiesAmish Country Byway, Holmes CountyAmish & Mennonite Heritage Center, Holmes CountyWarther's Museum, Tuscarawas CountyShaker Woods Festival, Columbiana CountyBlaine Hill Bridge, Belmont CountyIn addition to a full-length story in Traveler magazine, National Geographic and ARC have launched a companion Web site that will feature original articles, links to the state tourism Web sites, links to related destination Web sites and an interactive map of the region to assist travelers from anywhere in the world in planning their trip to the region. National Geographic typically receives five to seven million hits per month.The National Geographic Web site also will have a direct link to the tourism section on OAC's Web site. The site already serves as a gateway to Ohio's 29 Appalachian counties in the areas of economic development, community development, work force development and tourism. ARC will be working with many of the featured sites to gather information about the increases in the volume of travelers, revenues generated and other effects attributable to this project in order to assess the impact on the local and regional economies.The Ohio Appalachian Commission is a nonprofit organization whose mission is the advancement of tourism in the region. The Appalachian Regional Commission is a partnership between the federal government and the 13 Appalachian states created to help the people of Appalachia reach socio-economic parity with the rest of the nation. The Region includes 21 million people in 410 counties spread across parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and all of West Virginia.Visit The Ohio Appalachian Commission: www.AppalachianOhio.comVisit the National Geographic site: www.nationalgeographic.com/appalachia"