Grant County Blog

Those who fly to Napa Valley for vacation seldom visit just one vineyard in one town. In fact, few would travel far for such an isolated experience. Consider, as magnificent an attraction as Niagara Falls is, how many drive there only to feel the spray of the falls on their faces and depart? Visitors to the Falls expect to don ponchos and board the Niagara Queen for a cruise. They visit the national park museum.  Most will dine in overpriced restaurants and stroll along miles of gift and souvenir shops. It is the clustering of several points of interest that entice us to travel to distant destinations.  Packaging amenities is standard practice in tourism marketing.  Tourism professional have long recognized the benefit of working with neighboring attractions or communities to lure travelers. For decades Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVB’s) have effectively promoted packaging among communities within the counties they represent, but today’s mobile society demands that we take travel packaging to the next level.  Savvy CVB’s are looking for ways to work with neighboring counties to increase reach and market share.  Though the concept has gained visibility in recent years, Regional Tourism promotions date back to the 1980’s in Indiana. The Grant County CVB was instrumental in establishing the first official regional tourism partnership in the state in 1987. The group consisted of representatives from 13 counties in northeast Indiana. They adopted the name EXCITE (a slightly blotched but enthusiastic acronym for East Central Indiana Tourism Enterprise,) and began publishing brochures and attending travel shows around the Midwest.  Today the group is known as the East Region Tourism Marketing Cooperative (ERTMC) and boasts 85 members from 23 counties in the area. The group meets bimonthly to discuss industry trends and share best practices.  ERTMC brands the region as the Right Side of Indiana, and sponsors a website, publishes brochures, and attends travel shows throughout the Midwest encouraging people to travel in the northeast quadrant of Indiana.  One example of cooperative marketing among ERTMC members can be seen in the 2010 edition of the Indiana Travel Guide.  The publication features a two page spread inviting travelers to visit a variety of attractions in our area.  Grant County and four neighboring counties pooled resources to buy down the ad space and hire a designer. The resulting message is more professional and compelling than five low-budget ads. This and similar projects allow regional partners to create packages that offer travelers  fun, affordable alternatives to larger, more expensive destinations.

 

 

Tourism Had a Good Year

I recently attended an Indiana Tourism Council meeting in Indianapolis.  Don Walsh, President and CEO of the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association, was the meeting host.  Don opened the meeting with the question, “who hopes to have more fun in 2010 than 2009?”  He received a unanimous positive response from the room full of travel and hospitality professionals.  The question was a good natured way of encouraging everyone to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel for an industry that has had a tough couple of years. 

The tourism industry,like most sectors of the economy, has taken a hit, but even in times of challenge there is growth. As the Tourism Council meeting progressed many of the 2009 bright spots from around the state surfaced.  Fort Wayne reported that the Children’s Zoo posted record attendance of 600,000 visitors in 2009.  Traffic at the Fair Oaks Dairy mega farm on I-65 was up 15 percent and the DNR reported a 10 percent increase in State Park visitation.  Another positive indicator for Indiana’s tourism industry is the $5 million gift from the principals of White Lodging to Purdue University, Calumet, to grow the tourism and hospitality program there.  The move indicates expectations of an increase in demand for lodging and hospitality managers.

Grant County has some bright spots of our own to add to the 2009 tourism industry highlights.  The Marion Classic was added to USA Cycling’s elite National Racing Circuit this year.  Indiana Wesleyan University secured a three year contract for the NAIA Track and Field meet.  The Boom Town 1892 event was launched in June, and Gas City is further capitalizing on the community’s amazing heritage with an ambitious Main Street improvement project and restoration of the historically significant Thompson Ray House. 

Most of us are probably looking forward to having more fun in 2010 than we had in 2009, but as we look back on the year we can be proud of the accomplishments made in Grant County.

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We now have a new place to eat in downtown Marion - Genuine Spot Pizza.  Luckily for me, it's located in the same building as my office (the Centrum Mall). 

Last week, I tried the individual combo meal which included a 7" personal size pizza, 2 breadsticks, and a pop.  All for under $5!  Although I am admittedly a fan of deep-dish Chicago pizza, I will give just about any pizza a try.  Genuine Spot's pizza is a hand-tossed style crust - not too thick, not too thin.  The breadsticks are just like I like them, that is, not swimming in buttery goo.  They offer sides of pizza sauce or cheese dip for your breadsticks if you don't like them plain. 

I'm pretty excited about having another option in the downtown area, especially for lunch.  Genuine Spot Pizza is open from 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. so you can also stop by for dinner.  I think they do offer delivery. 

It is one of the more affordable pizza places so you get a good pizza at a good price.

Last night I tried the new Moe's Southwest Grill in Marion.  Although it is a franchise restaurant, I have never been to one before.  I've heard it described as Subway for Mexican food - and the ordering process is indeed like that.  You place your order and they make it in front of you while you choose your toppings and sides.  It is similar to Qdoba/Chipotle/Panchero's if you've ever been to one of those.  I'd say a key difference is that Moe's seems to have fresher ingredients. 

They have the usual items: tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, etc.  You can get them in quite a few varieties.  One thing that greatly impressed me was the vegetarian options.  I like a meaty burrito as much as anyone but sometimes it is nice to have the vegetarian option available when you want something lighter.  They also have tofu as a meat substitute option which is rare but awesome in a quick-service restaurant. 

It is reasonably priced and you definitely get your money's worth of food.  They even have a salsa bar so you can try their different varieties.  One other point is that they have a good children's menu as well making it a decent option for families. 

I definitely recommend giving Moe's a try!

Do you enjoy being outside AND helping our community?
Why not sign up to be on the Grant County Young Professionals Network Cardinal Greenway Team!

This is a once a month, approximately 3 hour commitment from April - November. It's very light work, mostly picking up trash, raking leaves, and some

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Have you been out to check out GCYPN's new mixer format? If not, what are you waiting for!? Come join GCYPN at the Icehouse, Thursday, March 19^th starting at 4:30. That's right - our new start time is 4:30. Be there right at 4:30 to drop your business card into our fishbowl to win some great door

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I know, I know... Everyone who lives in or has visited Grant County for more than a few hours has probably already eaten at the Icehouse.  At the Visitors Bureau, we talk to lots of folks visiting our area and almost all of them tell us that locals have told them to try the Icehouse.

So I can't

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A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped restock the food pantry at St. Martin's last week! GCYPN got a call from St. Martin's last Monday saying their food pantry was completely empty except for a few old cans of apricots.

GCYPN put out an email to all their members and other Chamber members asking

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I spent several hours on The Cardinal Greenway yesterday and once more
I realize just how fortunate Grant County is to have this wonderful
amenity.  The air was cold and crisp and the trail was beautiful;
strewn with the colors of autumn.  Because of an event on the Greenway
and then a short stint with

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Did you know volunteers are so scarce that the Salvation Army has to pay people to ring bells at Christmas time?

Did you know the Grant County Rescue Mission serves men and women from the Grant County area, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year?

Volunteers are an essential part of every

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