March 2011 Archives
Photo Alert!
It is prime time for taking pictures of your landmark buildings with dogwoods and azaleas in bloom. Having attractive people, dressed in solid colors, and who are enjoying themselves, in the shots is always a big plus. So get outside and start shooting those pictures this week - next week may be too late. Then, please share those images with the Alabama Tourism Department. The images should be at least 8" X 10" and 300 dpi. Send them by e-mail (or a CD in snail mail) to:
Peggy Collins, Photo Editor
Alabama Tourism Department
P.O. Box 4927, Montgomery, AL 36103-4927
peggy.collins@tourism.alabama.gov
It is prime time for taking pictures of your landmark buildings with dogwoods and azaleas in bloom. Having attractive people, dressed in solid colors, and who are enjoying themselves, in the shots is always a big plus. So get outside and start shooting those pictures this week - next week may be too late. Then, please share those images with the Alabama Tourism Department. The images should be at least 8" X 10" and 300 dpi. Send them by e-mail (or a CD in snail mail) to:
Peggy Collins, Photo Editor
Alabama Tourism Department
P.O. Box 4927, Montgomery, AL 36103-4927
peggy.collins@tourism.alabama.gov
URGENT ACTION NEEDED TODAY!!!
AHC is facing big budget problems and we are asking that $250,000 be added to the Governor's proposed AHC budget. This takes us from a 45% cut down to a 36% cut. We know it's rough and that we need to take our share of cuts, but 45% is just too much. Please help by calling the chair of the budget committees for both the House and the Senate TODAY. A vote may come as early as this week so time is critical!
Below and attached are some talking points and attached is a list of the members on the senate and house budget committees. Not only are we asking you to call, but please call others in the community you know will also call.
Thanks for your support!
Alabama's historic and archaeological places are at risk!
The Alabama Historical Commission is facing a devastating 45% budget cut for FY 2012.
Please contact your legislators today.
Tell them this cut is too deep.
Ask them to add $250,000 to the Governor's request.
This will reduce our cut to 36%. Even at this level, we are faced with:
o eliminating or crippling essential programs and services like
o documenting, monitoring and registering state landmarks and cemeteries
o ending digitization of irreplaceable data about Alabama buildings
o on-site professional assessments of buildings and archeological sites
o training and assistance programs
o reducing or ending educational programs like
o Alabama Frontier Days at Fort Toulouse
o summer Candlelight Tours at Fort Morgan
o tours of our Alabama Capitol
o closing or reducing hours at historic sites across the state
o losing income from admissions and gift shop sales, compounding the cuts
o ending needed capital repairs and rehab projects on our historic sites
o laying off staff, loosing irreplaceable expertise
Tell them you value Alabama's heritage and the services and programs the Alabama Historical Commission provides your community. Tell them you value your local historic site and its positive impact on your community. Tell them preservation is a powerful tool for economic development.
PRESERVATION:
o creates private sector jobs at all income levels in construction and tourism industries
o increases property values and tax revenues, returning vacant buildings to tax rolls
o enhances tourism--the state's #2 industry
o provides affordable spaces for small businesses--our key job generators
o maintains capital investments made by earlier generations
o helps create the kind of communities that attract industry
IMPACT OF PRESERVATION CUTS FOR ALABAMA COMMUNITIES
o lower tax revenues from sales, income and property tax
o loss of private sector jobs and household income
o less attractive image for tourists and industry
o irretrievable loss of our cultural and historic heritage
Tell them Economic Development, Jobs, and Alabama's Heritage are at stake.
AHC is facing big budget problems and we are asking that $250,000 be added to the Governor's proposed AHC budget. This takes us from a 45% cut down to a 36% cut. We know it's rough and that we need to take our share of cuts, but 45% is just too much. Please help by calling the chair of the budget committees for both the House and the Senate TODAY. A vote may come as early as this week so time is critical!
Below and attached are some talking points and attached is a list of the members on the senate and house budget committees. Not only are we asking you to call, but please call others in the community you know will also call.
Thanks for your support!
Alabama's historic and archaeological places are at risk!
The Alabama Historical Commission is facing a devastating 45% budget cut for FY 2012.
Please contact your legislators today.
Tell them this cut is too deep.
Ask them to add $250,000 to the Governor's request.
This will reduce our cut to 36%. Even at this level, we are faced with:
o eliminating or crippling essential programs and services like
o documenting, monitoring and registering state landmarks and cemeteries
o ending digitization of irreplaceable data about Alabama buildings
o on-site professional assessments of buildings and archeological sites
o training and assistance programs
o reducing or ending educational programs like
o Alabama Frontier Days at Fort Toulouse
o summer Candlelight Tours at Fort Morgan
o tours of our Alabama Capitol
o closing or reducing hours at historic sites across the state
o losing income from admissions and gift shop sales, compounding the cuts
o ending needed capital repairs and rehab projects on our historic sites
o laying off staff, loosing irreplaceable expertise
Tell them you value Alabama's heritage and the services and programs the Alabama Historical Commission provides your community. Tell them you value your local historic site and its positive impact on your community. Tell them preservation is a powerful tool for economic development.
PRESERVATION:
o creates private sector jobs at all income levels in construction and tourism industries
o increases property values and tax revenues, returning vacant buildings to tax rolls
o enhances tourism--the state's #2 industry
o provides affordable spaces for small businesses--our key job generators
o maintains capital investments made by earlier generations
o helps create the kind of communities that attract industry
IMPACT OF PRESERVATION CUTS FOR ALABAMA COMMUNITIES
o lower tax revenues from sales, income and property tax
o loss of private sector jobs and household income
o less attractive image for tourists and industry
o irretrievable loss of our cultural and historic heritage
Tell them Economic Development, Jobs, and Alabama's Heritage are at stake.
Please accept my personal invitation to attend Cahawba's Park Day event this Saturday, April 2nd, at 9 am. The ghost town called "Old Cahawba" is located just southwest of Selma on Hwy. 22 in Dallas County.
David Rothstein, an author of a powerful new historical novel set in Cahawba is flying back home to Alabama from Oregon to share some stories from his book. This will take place in the actual setting of the novel. At this special place fact and fiction will meet, so stimulating discussion is sure to follow.
The book is called "Casualties: a Story of the Civil War," and I've included a summary in the attachment. If you want the author to sign a copy, the book is on sale at our gift shop.
On Saturday, we'll assemble at 9am inside the ruins of the Civil War prison at Old Cahawba Park, the setting for much of the novel.
So, if you have an interest in literature or history, please join us this Saturday morning. After the author's presentation, we'd love to have you stay for our annual volunteer work day if you are able. You are welcome to leave after the author's portion, but should you choose to stay the rest of the morning to volunteer, we have free Tshirts or patches supplied by The History Channel and the Civil War Trust. (so wear your work clothes, boots and garden gloves. )
For more information or directions call the park at 334/872-8058 (from Noon to 5 pm).
Remember, this year is the 150th anniversary of the War of the Rebellion. So please join me this Saturday.
Linda Derry
Site Director
Old Cahawba
719 Tremont St.
Selma, AL 36701
ph. 334/875-2529
fax. 334/877-4253
cahawba@bellsouth.net
David Rothstein, an author of a powerful new historical novel set in Cahawba is flying back home to Alabama from Oregon to share some stories from his book. This will take place in the actual setting of the novel. At this special place fact and fiction will meet, so stimulating discussion is sure to follow.
The book is called "Casualties: a Story of the Civil War," and I've included a summary in the attachment. If you want the author to sign a copy, the book is on sale at our gift shop.
On Saturday, we'll assemble at 9am inside the ruins of the Civil War prison at Old Cahawba Park, the setting for much of the novel.
So, if you have an interest in literature or history, please join us this Saturday morning. After the author's presentation, we'd love to have you stay for our annual volunteer work day if you are able. You are welcome to leave after the author's portion, but should you choose to stay the rest of the morning to volunteer, we have free Tshirts or patches supplied by The History Channel and the Civil War Trust. (so wear your work clothes, boots and garden gloves. )
For more information or directions call the park at 334/872-8058 (from Noon to 5 pm).
Remember, this year is the 150th anniversary of the War of the Rebellion. So please join me this Saturday.
Linda Derry
Site Director
Old Cahawba
719 Tremont St.
Selma, AL 36701
ph. 334/875-2529
fax. 334/877-4253
cahawba@bellsouth.net
With the one year anniversary of the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill approaching, Governor Robert Bentley and Attorney General Luther Strange visited Bayou La Batre on Monday to remind residents of an upcoming deadline in the Gulf oil spill lawsuit. "This oil spill greatly affected countless individuals and business owners. In order to preserve the ability to recover money damages against Transocean and be included in the February 2012 trial, a claim must be filed with the federal court by April 20, 2011," Governor Bentley said at a press conference held at Dominick's Seafood Restaurant in Bayou La Batre. "I am dedicated to working with General Strange to make sure Alabamians are informed of this fast approaching deadline."
A New Orleans federal court is overseeing litigation against companies involved in the oil spill. A trial date has been set for February 2012 and will determine whether Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded on April 20, 2010, can limit what it pays claimants under Maritime law. Individuals and businesses which experienced personal injury, loss of earnings, property damage, business loss, or other economic loss from the oil spill may be able to participate by filing a form to preserve their rights. The Court has simplified the process to file a claim against Transocean by approving a Direct Filing Short Form. The Short Form is available by calling 1-800-831-8814 or visiting www.AlabamaOilSpill.info. Filing this Short Form may also join the claimant in the master lawsuit that has been filed against BP and the other defendants. No one is required to use the Short Form. The deadline for filing claims against Transocean regardless of whether the Short Form is used is April 20, 2011. There is no filing fee and a lawyer is not required to file the Short Form. However, anyone needing legal advice regarding their legal rights or about filing this Short Form, should contact a lawyer.
"Filing with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is not the same as filing in court. The federal lawsuit is separate from the claims process in the GCCF. A claimant may be able to participate in the federal lawsuit even if they already filed a claim with the GCCF," said Attorney General Luther Strange. "The coordinated and united efforts of the Governor's Office, the Attorney General's Office, United States Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, Congressman Bonner, the local Gulf coast mayors and commissioners, and the Alabama State Bar Association, are significant and strong. I am proud of this team that has committed to work tirelessly until Alabama recovers from the 2010 Gulf oil spill tragedy." The Attorney General's Office has a website for more information including a list of frequently asked questions and toll-free hotline for individuals seeking more information regarding this process and obtaining free legal assistance or referrals. The website is www.AlabamaOilSpill.info and toll free hotline is 1-800-831-8814.
A New Orleans federal court is overseeing litigation against companies involved in the oil spill. A trial date has been set for February 2012 and will determine whether Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded on April 20, 2010, can limit what it pays claimants under Maritime law. Individuals and businesses which experienced personal injury, loss of earnings, property damage, business loss, or other economic loss from the oil spill may be able to participate by filing a form to preserve their rights. The Court has simplified the process to file a claim against Transocean by approving a Direct Filing Short Form. The Short Form is available by calling 1-800-831-8814 or visiting www.AlabamaOilSpill.info. Filing this Short Form may also join the claimant in the master lawsuit that has been filed against BP and the other defendants. No one is required to use the Short Form. The deadline for filing claims against Transocean regardless of whether the Short Form is used is April 20, 2011. There is no filing fee and a lawyer is not required to file the Short Form. However, anyone needing legal advice regarding their legal rights or about filing this Short Form, should contact a lawyer.
"Filing with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility is not the same as filing in court. The federal lawsuit is separate from the claims process in the GCCF. A claimant may be able to participate in the federal lawsuit even if they already filed a claim with the GCCF," said Attorney General Luther Strange. "The coordinated and united efforts of the Governor's Office, the Attorney General's Office, United States Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions, Congressman Bonner, the local Gulf coast mayors and commissioners, and the Alabama State Bar Association, are significant and strong. I am proud of this team that has committed to work tirelessly until Alabama recovers from the 2010 Gulf oil spill tragedy." The Attorney General's Office has a website for more information including a list of frequently asked questions and toll-free hotline for individuals seeking more information regarding this process and obtaining free legal assistance or referrals. The website is www.AlabamaOilSpill.info and toll free hotline is 1-800-831-8814.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) announces an open competition for a cultural exchange in music, entitled One Beat.
To find out more information and/or to submit a proposal, visit ECA's Open Funding Opportunities site.
Application deadline is May 16, 2011.
One Beatwill highlight artistic collaboration, improvisation, mentoring, and professional training opportunities for young foreign musicians and music professionals through a series of group programs in the United States. One Beat will enhance cross-cultural understanding and demonstrate democratic values such as collaboration, cohesion, and innovation through uniquely designed cohesive group programs which will strengthen the leadership and professional potential of the participants as well as enrich their American counterparts.
(One Beat is a programmatic refinement of the existing Fiscal Year 2010 Cultural Visitors program. Only U.S. public and non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) are eligible to submit proposals.) Please share notice of this open competition widely.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional, and sports exchange programs. ECA exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 300 current or former heads of state and government.
To find out more information and/or to submit a proposal, visit ECA's Open Funding Opportunities site.
Application deadline is May 16, 2011.
One Beatwill highlight artistic collaboration, improvisation, mentoring, and professional training opportunities for young foreign musicians and music professionals through a series of group programs in the United States. One Beat will enhance cross-cultural understanding and demonstrate democratic values such as collaboration, cohesion, and innovation through uniquely designed cohesive group programs which will strengthen the leadership and professional potential of the participants as well as enrich their American counterparts.
(One Beat is a programmatic refinement of the existing Fiscal Year 2010 Cultural Visitors program. Only U.S. public and non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue code section 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) are eligible to submit proposals.) Please share notice of this open competition widely.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private-sector, professional, and sports exchange programs. ECA exchanges engage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders in many fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECA exchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including more than 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 300 current or former heads of state and government.
From Congressman Jo Bonner (R-AL, 1st District):
I was pleased to be selected as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus for the 112th Congress. This new post will allow our state and region to have a greater voice in shaping federal policy affecting a major part of our economy. South Alabama is home to a wide variety of industries, most recently steel processing and military ship building have added to our economic landscape. As we seek to grow and diversify our area economy, there is no escaping the fact that tourism is and will continue to be a significant part of our livelihood. If you need proof, look to last year's BP oil spill. The ecological disaster in the Gulf also created an economic disaster on shore, driving away nearly one million tourists from South Alabama during the height of the summer season. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the oil spill, business all across the economic spectrum are still reeling from the loss of tourist dollars last year. Even local governments and school systems have suffered from a decline in tax revenues that tourism helps generate.
According to the Alabama Tourism Department, tourist and travel spending in Southwest Alabama totaled $3.2 billion during 2009 - one third of the state's total tourist dollars. The Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus advocates for legislation promoting the tourism industry and educates other Members of Congress about the importance of tourism to our national economy. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that tourism and travel contribute more than $700 billion to the national economy and employ more than 7.7 million people. I look forward to working with Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus co-chair Rep. Sam Farr, D-California for the next two years in building on the success of our tourism industry while increasing awareness of its vital role in local job creation.
Congressman Jo Bonner
I was pleased to be selected as co-chair of the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus for the 112th Congress. This new post will allow our state and region to have a greater voice in shaping federal policy affecting a major part of our economy. South Alabama is home to a wide variety of industries, most recently steel processing and military ship building have added to our economic landscape. As we seek to grow and diversify our area economy, there is no escaping the fact that tourism is and will continue to be a significant part of our livelihood. If you need proof, look to last year's BP oil spill. The ecological disaster in the Gulf also created an economic disaster on shore, driving away nearly one million tourists from South Alabama during the height of the summer season. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the oil spill, business all across the economic spectrum are still reeling from the loss of tourist dollars last year. Even local governments and school systems have suffered from a decline in tax revenues that tourism helps generate.
According to the Alabama Tourism Department, tourist and travel spending in Southwest Alabama totaled $3.2 billion during 2009 - one third of the state's total tourist dollars. The Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus advocates for legislation promoting the tourism industry and educates other Members of Congress about the importance of tourism to our national economy. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that tourism and travel contribute more than $700 billion to the national economy and employ more than 7.7 million people. I look forward to working with Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus co-chair Rep. Sam Farr, D-California for the next two years in building on the success of our tourism industry while increasing awareness of its vital role in local job creation.
Congressman Jo Bonner
From the op-ed piece "Business Questions" by Wayne Greenhaw in the Montgomery Advertiser:
I was astounded when Gov. Robert Bentley announced that he was cutting the budget of the Alabama Tourism Department in half. In my estimation, the governor's action puts tourism on a course toward colliding with a train at an intersection. Such a wreck is not good for state government. In these situations, why don't politicians ask themselves a simple question: What would businessmen do?
The Alabama Tourism Department is the one state agency that shows a profit at the end of each year. Bed tax revenue, paid by every traveler who spends the night in an Alabama hotel or motel, is collected and goes into state coffers. In his State of the State speech, Gov. Bentley said "Historical sites, tourism attractions and Halls of Fame are wonderful for tourism and travel, but they are not as important as providing health care to low-income children and elderly or as to keeping state troopers on the road." Of course, on the surface he is correct. Health care and security are more important than tourist attractions. Why are those troopers on the road? They are there because travelers chose to drive on the highways of our state. Why? Because many of them want to enjoy the beauty and rich history and wonder of Alabama. These travelers are lured here by the successful promotion of the tourism department that has been doing an excellent job, particularly in the past eight years.
With each mile they drive in Alabama, travelers add to our tax base. Many buy gas within our borders. Each time they buy gas, they pay state tax. Why not use this money to pay for health care of low-income children and the elderly? Why not use it for other necessities? Tourists who go to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, the Brierfield Ironworks and Historic Ironworks at Tannehill, the State Agricultural Museum in Dothan, the First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, and the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in Lincoln (to name only a few losing funds in Bentley's proposed budget) not only pay bed and gas tax, they also eat at our restaurants. Some buy goods at our department stores. Some may even purchase soft drinks and snacks at service stations. When that happens, not only does the profit stay here, but the taxes are divided between the state and the city.
When tourists arrive in Montgomery, they do not simply go to the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University downtown or Old Alabama Town or the Civil Rights Memorial or the Hank Williams Museum (all of which are promoted actively by the Alabama Tourism Department), they also eat breakfast at one of our fine cafes, lunch or dinner at our extraordinary restaurants, and enjoy the amenities of the River City. "You have so much in Alabama," a visitor from Detroit told us last year as we showed them around town. "Until we saw the ads on television in Michigan, we knew nothing about the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail." Another from Chicago expressed delight with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center at Huntsville, where they stayed at the nearby Marriott and enjoyed drinks and dinner at Rosie's Mexican Cantina. At each of these locations they paid taxes, some of which found their way into the state's funds.
The so-called businessman-politicians who are now occupying the Legislature should ask themselves: What would a businessman faced with less funds than he'd counted on for next year's budget do? Would he cut the cash cow in his holdings? Or would he find ways to make that cash cow earn even more revenue?
Wayne Greenhaw
For the complete op-ed piece please see http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20110313/OPINION0101/103130303/Alabama-Voices-Business-question.
I was astounded when Gov. Robert Bentley announced that he was cutting the budget of the Alabama Tourism Department in half. In my estimation, the governor's action puts tourism on a course toward colliding with a train at an intersection. Such a wreck is not good for state government. In these situations, why don't politicians ask themselves a simple question: What would businessmen do?
The Alabama Tourism Department is the one state agency that shows a profit at the end of each year. Bed tax revenue, paid by every traveler who spends the night in an Alabama hotel or motel, is collected and goes into state coffers. In his State of the State speech, Gov. Bentley said "Historical sites, tourism attractions and Halls of Fame are wonderful for tourism and travel, but they are not as important as providing health care to low-income children and elderly or as to keeping state troopers on the road." Of course, on the surface he is correct. Health care and security are more important than tourist attractions. Why are those troopers on the road? They are there because travelers chose to drive on the highways of our state. Why? Because many of them want to enjoy the beauty and rich history and wonder of Alabama. These travelers are lured here by the successful promotion of the tourism department that has been doing an excellent job, particularly in the past eight years.
With each mile they drive in Alabama, travelers add to our tax base. Many buy gas within our borders. Each time they buy gas, they pay state tax. Why not use this money to pay for health care of low-income children and the elderly? Why not use it for other necessities? Tourists who go to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, the Brierfield Ironworks and Historic Ironworks at Tannehill, the State Agricultural Museum in Dothan, the First White House of the Confederacy in Montgomery, and the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in Lincoln (to name only a few losing funds in Bentley's proposed budget) not only pay bed and gas tax, they also eat at our restaurants. Some buy goods at our department stores. Some may even purchase soft drinks and snacks at service stations. When that happens, not only does the profit stay here, but the taxes are divided between the state and the city.
When tourists arrive in Montgomery, they do not simply go to the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University downtown or Old Alabama Town or the Civil Rights Memorial or the Hank Williams Museum (all of which are promoted actively by the Alabama Tourism Department), they also eat breakfast at one of our fine cafes, lunch or dinner at our extraordinary restaurants, and enjoy the amenities of the River City. "You have so much in Alabama," a visitor from Detroit told us last year as we showed them around town. "Until we saw the ads on television in Michigan, we knew nothing about the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail." Another from Chicago expressed delight with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center at Huntsville, where they stayed at the nearby Marriott and enjoyed drinks and dinner at Rosie's Mexican Cantina. At each of these locations they paid taxes, some of which found their way into the state's funds.
The so-called businessman-politicians who are now occupying the Legislature should ask themselves: What would a businessman faced with less funds than he'd counted on for next year's budget do? Would he cut the cash cow in his holdings? Or would he find ways to make that cash cow earn even more revenue?
Wayne Greenhaw
For the complete op-ed piece please see http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20110313/OPINION0101/103130303/Alabama-Voices-Business-question.
You are invited to enter an online drawing called, "Where Memories Are Made." To enter, submit a written memory and/or photo of your favorite Alabama State Park memory for a chance to win a $250 State Parks gift card. A total of six gift cards will be given way during three drawings in 2011, with the first drawing to be held on June 1. The winning entries will be posted on the Alabama State Parks website, Facebook and YouTube. Visit www.alapark.com for complete details.
Governor Robert Bentley announced today a $16 million grant to fund the promotion of Gulf Coast tourism. The tourism grant comes as a result of negotiations between the Governor's Office and BP. "Alabama was hardest hit of all the Gulf coast states by last year's BP Oil Spill," Governor Bentley said. "Alabama will use these funds to promote tourism so our Gulf coast communities can begin to recoup the losses suffered since the disaster." The $16 Million BP grant is specifically designated for promotion of tourism for Baldwin and Mobile counties, the two counties hit hardest by last year's loss of tourism following the oil spill.
As part of the agreement, Lee Sentell, Director of the Alabama Tourism Department will administer the grant funds with the aid of the Alabama Coastal Development Commission (ACDC), an advisory commission formed for such purposes. The ACDC will develop, implement and plan the tourism promotion program and advise Sentell. "We greatly appreciate Gov. Bentley's leadership in getting this BP grant program expedited," Sentell said. "The funds will allow us to encourage visitors to return to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dauphin Island this summer. We already have a marketing plan prepared and this grant will get the Alabama Gulf Coast back on the radar screen of potential visitors. We have been using the last part of the BP grant from last May to market the beach destination for spring break which is now underway."
Members of the advisory Alabama Coastal Development Commission are, Marion Laney, West Bay & Gulf Coast Tourism Council, Inc., William E. Barrick, Executive Director of Bellingrath Gardens, Tim Russell, Baldwin County Probate Judge, Herb Malone, CEO Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Melissa Morrissette, 2010 President of Mobile Area Association of Realtors & Board of Directors for Mobile Area Association of Realtors and Alabama Association of Realtors, Sheila Hodges, CRC Member and Chairman of The Board of Meyer Real Estate.
As part of the agreement, Lee Sentell, Director of the Alabama Tourism Department will administer the grant funds with the aid of the Alabama Coastal Development Commission (ACDC), an advisory commission formed for such purposes. The ACDC will develop, implement and plan the tourism promotion program and advise Sentell. "We greatly appreciate Gov. Bentley's leadership in getting this BP grant program expedited," Sentell said. "The funds will allow us to encourage visitors to return to Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dauphin Island this summer. We already have a marketing plan prepared and this grant will get the Alabama Gulf Coast back on the radar screen of potential visitors. We have been using the last part of the BP grant from last May to market the beach destination for spring break which is now underway."
Members of the advisory Alabama Coastal Development Commission are, Marion Laney, West Bay & Gulf Coast Tourism Council, Inc., William E. Barrick, Executive Director of Bellingrath Gardens, Tim Russell, Baldwin County Probate Judge, Herb Malone, CEO Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau, Melissa Morrissette, 2010 President of Mobile Area Association of Realtors & Board of Directors for Mobile Area Association of Realtors and Alabama Association of Realtors, Sheila Hodges, CRC Member and Chairman of The Board of Meyer Real Estate.
See them all: http://alabama.travel/events/newsletter/
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Scottsboro Boys Story Exhibition - Mar 8-22
Commemorating the arrest and trial of the Scottsboro Boys, this exhibit highlights an event that many consider the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in America.
Mardi Gras Day - Mar 8
As home of the first-known American Mardi Gras celebration in 1703, Mobile pulls out all the stops, including more than two weeks of parades, balls and revelry, all culminating on Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The streets are filled with the sights and sounds of live marching bands, colorful floats and crowds of parade-goers.
Alabama River Festival - Mar 10-12
Visit the only museum on the Alabama River and travel back in time to an early 1800s camp along the river. Mingle with Native Americans, frontiersmen, traders, and travelers while enjoying music, food and demonstrations of skills from an earlier period.
Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival, 59th Annual - Mar 18-20
The streets of beautiful downtown Fairhope host 245 fine arts and crafts exhibitors, live local entertainment and classic festival foods.
The Thrasher Brothers and Neil Thrasher in Concert - Mar 18
Don't miss an exciting night of music with Alabama's own Thrasher Brothers and Neil Thrasher. This talented group introduced and popularized one of the genuine classics of gospel music, "One Day at a Time," which later became a number one hit on the country charts for Christy Lane. Carrying on the Thrasher family tradition, Joe's son Neil sang with the Thrasher Brothers and later formed Thrasher Shriver with fellow singer Kelly Shriver. He joins his family to perform as a special guest for this entertaining evening of music.
197th Anniversary of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend - Mar 26
Experience live cannon fire, the lives of Creek and Cherokee Indians, hunting camps and demonstrations of traditional skills of the early 1800s. Learn the importance of this battle in U.S. history.
Piney Woods Arts Festival - Mar 26-27
One of the oldest juried arts and crafts shows in Southeast Alabama, Piney Woods Arts Festival features original art and crafts, a children's fun center, food and entertainment. Special events include a Civil War Living Display and the Weevil City Cruisers Car & Truck Show (Saturday only).
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Scottsboro Boys Story Exhibition - Mar 8-22
Commemorating the arrest and trial of the Scottsboro Boys, this exhibit highlights an event that many consider the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in America.
Mardi Gras Day - Mar 8
As home of the first-known American Mardi Gras celebration in 1703, Mobile pulls out all the stops, including more than two weeks of parades, balls and revelry, all culminating on Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The streets are filled with the sights and sounds of live marching bands, colorful floats and crowds of parade-goers.
Alabama River Festival - Mar 10-12
Visit the only museum on the Alabama River and travel back in time to an early 1800s camp along the river. Mingle with Native Americans, frontiersmen, traders, and travelers while enjoying music, food and demonstrations of skills from an earlier period.
Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival, 59th Annual - Mar 18-20
The streets of beautiful downtown Fairhope host 245 fine arts and crafts exhibitors, live local entertainment and classic festival foods.
The Thrasher Brothers and Neil Thrasher in Concert - Mar 18
Don't miss an exciting night of music with Alabama's own Thrasher Brothers and Neil Thrasher. This talented group introduced and popularized one of the genuine classics of gospel music, "One Day at a Time," which later became a number one hit on the country charts for Christy Lane. Carrying on the Thrasher family tradition, Joe's son Neil sang with the Thrasher Brothers and later formed Thrasher Shriver with fellow singer Kelly Shriver. He joins his family to perform as a special guest for this entertaining evening of music.
197th Anniversary of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend - Mar 26
Experience live cannon fire, the lives of Creek and Cherokee Indians, hunting camps and demonstrations of traditional skills of the early 1800s. Learn the importance of this battle in U.S. history.
Piney Woods Arts Festival - Mar 26-27
One of the oldest juried arts and crafts shows in Southeast Alabama, Piney Woods Arts Festival features original art and crafts, a children's fun center, food and entertainment. Special events include a Civil War Living Display and the Weevil City Cruisers Car & Truck Show (Saturday only).
Tourist attractions and historic sites and agencies will lose some or all of their state funding next year if the budget presented Tuesday night to the Alabama Legislature becomes law. Because of a drastic drop in state revenues, the Alabama Motorsports Hall of Fame, Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Brierfield Ironworks, Historic Blakely State Park, Historic Chattahoochee Commission, Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park, and St. Stephens Historical Park were not included in the budget. Tourism director Lee Sentell said the proposed budget will cut the Alabama Tourism Department from this year's projection of $12 million to $6.9 million next year. "Given the circumstances, we will all have to trim our expenses to fit the revenues," he said. Gov. Robert Bentley was supportive of the tourism industry when he was a legislator and remains so today. "He even mentioned our industry twice during his inaugural address," he said.
Tourism agencies were not singled out for drastic cuts any more than other, larger agencies, said Sentell. He noted that the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries, the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (general fund), Alabama Historical Commission, Alabama Department of Archives and History, the State Building Commission, the Governor's Contingency Fund, the Governor's Mansion and the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations were recommended for 45 percent cumulative cuts. Not even constitutional officers and the Legislature were spared from funding cuts. The budget recommends a 20 percent reduction from this year's budget for the Governor's Office, Finance Department, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Attorney General, Alabama Development Office and Secretary of State, among others.
Tourism agencies were not singled out for drastic cuts any more than other, larger agencies, said Sentell. He noted that the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries, the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (general fund), Alabama Historical Commission, Alabama Department of Archives and History, the State Building Commission, the Governor's Contingency Fund, the Governor's Mansion and the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations were recommended for 45 percent cumulative cuts. Not even constitutional officers and the Legislature were spared from funding cuts. The budget recommends a 20 percent reduction from this year's budget for the Governor's Office, Finance Department, Lieutenant Governor, State Treasurer, Attorney General, Alabama Development Office and Secretary of State, among others.
Florence will host the Alabama Governor's Conference on Tourism for 2011 on July 24-27 at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center. The conference will be taking place during the W.C. Handy Music Festival in celebration of The Year of Alabama Music. Conference rates apply starting Friday, July 22. Reservations can be made by calling 256-246-3600. For more information on the Florence area please see www.visitflorenceal.com
Alabama tourism is getting a marketing boost this month in Italy from the U.S. Department of Commerce as a featured destination. Promoted on their website, BuyUSA, the information on Alabama includes 5 colorful photos and tourism information on the beauty, history, culture and adventure of the state. Calling every meal a feast and every town a story, the destination information highlights Civil Rights history in Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. Other attractions featured in the article include the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, music sites such as the recording studios in Muscle Shoals, the Hank Williams Trail, the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Mobile's Mardi Gras, seafood and eco-tourism are also highlighted along with the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and associated resort hotels are featured in a section that list three possible golfing holidays, one each in North, Central and South Alabama. To view the Alabama information please see http://www.buyusa.gov/italy/it/destinazionedelmese.html.
As part of the promotion, emails will be sent encouraging Italian tour companies to make appointments with Alabama at the U.S. Travel Association's POW WOW tourism trade show in San Francisco later this year. For more information on Alabama Tourism's International marketing efforts, contact Grey.Brennan@tourism.alabama.gov.
As part of the promotion, emails will be sent encouraging Italian tour companies to make appointments with Alabama at the U.S. Travel Association's POW WOW tourism trade show in San Francisco later this year. For more information on Alabama Tourism's International marketing efforts, contact Grey.Brennan@tourism.alabama.gov.
Franklin, AL - March 10, 11 & 12, 2011 - The Alabama River Museum at the Claiborne Lock and Dam will hold its annual festival and reopening with the recreation of an early 1800's frontier settlement, complete with Creek Indian "stick ball" and "stomp dance." Over 30 demonstrators and living history re-enactors will be in costume to depict characters from Alabama's frontier times. See how early settlers to the area lived before establishing homesteads, living in moveable campsites and forging for food in the woods and waterways around them. Practice throwing a tomahawk or shooting with a bow and arrow. Watch as arrowheads and spearpoints are made from local stone.
New this year.... "Ask the Expert"....Bring your own found artifacts for examination and identification by a team of visiting archaeologists from the University of South Alabama. Handmade crafts and other gift items will be available at the museum's Trading Post Tent, as well as the indoor gift shop. Food vendors will be on site as well.
New this year.... "Ask the Expert"....Bring your own found artifacts for examination and identification by a team of visiting archaeologists from the University of South Alabama. Handmade crafts and other gift items will be available at the museum's Trading Post Tent, as well as the indoor gift shop. Food vendors will be on site as well.
Continue reading Alabama River Festival to Celebrate 1800's Frontier Times.
Selling Long Haul, a leading training magazine for tour operators and travel agents on international travel from the United Kingdom, features a 4-page section on the south in their February issue. A big plus for Alabama is a copy insert headline in the article that reads - Premier Holidays, America As You Like It and Complete North America now offer Alabama music tours. "The Alabama tourism's representatives in the U.K., Venessa Alexander and Della Tully, have worked diligently to get music tours in place for The Year of Alabama Music," said Grey Brennan, Marketing and Regional Director with the Alabama Tourism Department. "The bold insert copy highlights that fact. Other UK tour companies will take note which should build even more interest in Alabama as a music destination," Brennan said.
The article also promotes the Alabama tourism's new brochure 100 places to hear live music in Alabama with a bullet point at the beginning of the section and and later with the copy: "Alabama's Year of Music campaign (www.alabama.travel/yom) launched in January with a 100 places to hear live music in Alabama brochure listing the state's top music attractions including the FAME recording studios, two Hank Williams museums and Alabama's music and jazz halls of fame."
For an on-line version of the article (the article begins on page 34) please see http://content.yudu.com/A1qx58/SLHFeb11/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fsellinglonghaul.com%2Findex.php. For more information on the Alabama Tourism Department's international marketing efforts contact grey.brennan@tourism.alabama.gov.
The article also promotes the Alabama tourism's new brochure 100 places to hear live music in Alabama with a bullet point at the beginning of the section and and later with the copy: "Alabama's Year of Music campaign (www.alabama.travel/yom) launched in January with a 100 places to hear live music in Alabama brochure listing the state's top music attractions including the FAME recording studios, two Hank Williams museums and Alabama's music and jazz halls of fame."
For an on-line version of the article (the article begins on page 34) please see http://content.yudu.com/A1qx58/SLHFeb11/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fsellinglonghaul.com%2Findex.php. For more information on the Alabama Tourism Department's international marketing efforts contact grey.brennan@tourism.alabama.gov.
