----- Original Message -----
Sent: 24 mai, 2004 15:09
Subject: [Winona] Visibility Issues and
Winona
[Winona Online Democracy]
.....................
Let's, instead, talk about Carol's concern that
Winona's GE04 celebration isn't much noticed past the city limits.
I share her concern. I saw the same Strib section she refered to...nary
a word about Winona. Those who venture to www.grandexcursion.com and click on
Winona get an excellent event schedule (there was stuff on there I didn't know
was going on), but the casual weekender might not check that out. It is
imperative that we do a better job of advertising and promoting and not
selling ourselves short. This is not an indictment of any individual's
performance, but we just need to pay attention to these things better.
If we want to be a player, we have to act like one.
I'm hoping the newly reorganized cvb will
help. We need a cvb with a laser focus on tourism and convention
business. With fewer distractions in the new arrangement, perhaps that
focus will be tightened...as I said, I'm hoping.
It's not just Grand Excursion. It's also
the Dakota Homecoming and Gathering (which has the potential to be a huge
event!) on 6/25&26 on the east lake...it is also Steamboat Days and
Victorian Fair. None of those events was listed in the Strib's event
guide. The didn't mention GRSF, either.
A wasted opportunity...and dollars
lost.
Bob Sebo
Winona
----- Response -----
A couple of years ago I had hopes that the Grand Excursion
might stimulate efforts to make downtown Winona look more attractive. (BTW, I
consider downtown to extend westward to the Rochester Produce / Riverview
Business Center area) While there will probably be a last minute
volunteer cig butt and fast food wrapper pick-up, it's long past time for any
substantial landscaping or cosmetic building improvements to be
implemented. One thing I've just learned of is that the Big River Magazine
publisher is organizing the painting of the levee wall panels so that
when viewed from the river, the flood wall relief sculpture will
be more colorful and noticeable.
As regarding the CVB, since we live in Winona and their
efforts are directed to those that live elsewhere, maybe we don't notice their
activity so much. That being said, I'm starting to wonder if their budget
would be better spent on downtown landscape installation and maintenance,
and litter clean-up. The city workers do a good job on our Lake
Park, but take a look at the planters, trees, and grounds in the vicinity
of the Chamber of Commerce/CVB offices, along the levee wall, and elsewhere
downtown. You can have the slickest photo re-touched brochures depicting the
historic structures still remaining, but when tourists actually
see those buildings' central business district setting, it's got to
be a disappointment.
John N. Finn
