Last Thursday and Friday I spent most of each day at The World’s Longest Yard Sale. In the last couple years we have been talking to yard sale customers finding out where they are from, how far they are going in the yard sale and why they picked our portion of it. In doing this we learn a lot about our area. We also get the opportunity to give people our travel brochures and tell them all the things we have to do and see in DeKalb County. We invite them to make DeKalb County an overnight stay on their journey and encourage them to come back for a vacation.
This year I talked to people from Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Kentucky and of course Alabama. In my rather informal count of out of state plates I found in my couple days we seemed to have the most traffic from Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. I think many people coming up from the gulf start in our area since it is near the beginning entry of the yard sale. The DeKalb County Tourist Association is a key contact for the World’s Longest Yard Sale. Our website is linked to the WLYS and our phone number is given out as a source of information. Due to our high number of calls we get the opportunity to encourage our callers to visit our area for the yard sale. We tell them that we have a lot of yard sale vendors to visit but they also have a scenic venue to enjoy. We explain how the yard sale runs along the 93 mile Lookout Mountain Parkway, passing by Little River Canyon National preserve, DeSoto State Park, waterfalls and Mentone. We tell them about our nearly 150 rental cabins and 9 B&B’s. We tell them about Fort Payne, our hotels and restaurants, shopping, parks and museums.
In speaking with yard sale visitors I found some common reasons they landed in our area. Here are some of the reoccuring responses; scenic beauty, lots of vendors, no big cites with high traffic, lots of places to eat and spend the night. Some other comments came from people who make a vacation out of the yard sale. They have family or friends with them and they enjoy the leisure aspects of our area, such as hiking at DeSoto, taking the Little River Canyon rim drive, stopping at the water falls or milling around Mentone. Several stated they had been to various parts of the yard sale in the past, but were returning here because they like our section the most.
I feel DeKalb County is the ideal setting to combine shopping with vacationing. This is a theme we are trying to promote at the Tourist Information Center. We feel the language of yard sale combined with leisure travel fun, attract people to our area.
The WLYS is big business for DeKalb County. It fills our lodging facilities and restaurants. It brings unusually high sales to our area mini-markets and gas stations. Tourism is clean money that brings great amount of revenue to our county without high costs. Our visitors come and they spend money and add valuable revenue to our County and to our communities without the high cost of providing city and county services. Tourism usually brings quality people with good expendable income. We rarely have tourists committing crime in our area. The yard sale is big business and is very important to our local economy each year.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Collinsville Trade Day by John Dersham
It seems most everyone loves to mill around looking for a particular item they need or want to have. In just a couple weeks thousands of people from all over the USA will descend upon our area for the World’s Longest Yard sale. For us living here in DeKalb County we have something equivalent every week of the year. Every Saturday morning 52 weeks a year from daylight till noon you can shop for your treasures.
Collinsville Trade Day is an entertainment format of its own. People of all ages will find something there to occupy their time. My family loves to go to trade days. My wife, my daughter and granddaughters love the animals. It’s like a petting zoo with everything for sale. There are miniature horses, goats, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, pigs and more dogs and cats of every breed than you can imagine. For the animal lovers there are also the suppliers of cages, leashes, collars, dog clothing and maintenance items. The men in my family usually separate from the women at some point so we can concentrate on our “stuff”. First there is hardware and lots of it. If it’s a tool you will find it there. I like coins. There are a number of coin sellers there every week. The same is true for knives, sports cards and other collectibles. If you want fresh vegetables then you’ve come to the right place. If you like gardening, trees and shrubs you’ll find multiple vendors selling plants. You will find hand made arts and crafts, furniture, antiques, clothing, cosmetics, toys, cd’s, household décor, and several places to buy food and drinks while you are there. If you liked boiled peanuts you have come to the right place. Do you need fishing or hunting gear then Trade Day is the place.
Collinsville Trade Day is more than just one of the largest outdoor markets in the south; it is an experience all in its own. Even if I had nothing in particular I was interested in looking at, just watching the people scurrying around having a great time is well worth the trip. All age groups are well represented and with that come a great diversity of interests.
Collinsville Trade Day is truly a DeKalb County Icon. It is very special. It is not just another flea market or outdoor market, it is an entertainment experience. It is located just south of downtown Collinsville on H-11. The property is appealing adding to the overall experience. It is a rural setting with a great view of Lookout Mountain just to the east.
If you haven’t been or haven’t been lately I recommend the trip. It will be well worth it and may start a habit. For more information visit www.collinsvilletradeday.com or call 866-262-2127.
Collinsville Trade Day is an entertainment format of its own. People of all ages will find something there to occupy their time. My family loves to go to trade days. My wife, my daughter and granddaughters love the animals. It’s like a petting zoo with everything for sale. There are miniature horses, goats, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, pigs and more dogs and cats of every breed than you can imagine. For the animal lovers there are also the suppliers of cages, leashes, collars, dog clothing and maintenance items. The men in my family usually separate from the women at some point so we can concentrate on our “stuff”. First there is hardware and lots of it. If it’s a tool you will find it there. I like coins. There are a number of coin sellers there every week. The same is true for knives, sports cards and other collectibles. If you want fresh vegetables then you’ve come to the right place. If you like gardening, trees and shrubs you’ll find multiple vendors selling plants. You will find hand made arts and crafts, furniture, antiques, clothing, cosmetics, toys, cd’s, household décor, and several places to buy food and drinks while you are there. If you liked boiled peanuts you have come to the right place. Do you need fishing or hunting gear then Trade Day is the place.
Collinsville Trade Day is more than just one of the largest outdoor markets in the south; it is an experience all in its own. Even if I had nothing in particular I was interested in looking at, just watching the people scurrying around having a great time is well worth the trip. All age groups are well represented and with that come a great diversity of interests.
Collinsville Trade Day is truly a DeKalb County Icon. It is very special. It is not just another flea market or outdoor market, it is an entertainment experience. It is located just south of downtown Collinsville on H-11. The property is appealing adding to the overall experience. It is a rural setting with a great view of Lookout Mountain just to the east.
If you haven’t been or haven’t been lately I recommend the trip. It will be well worth it and may start a habit. For more information visit www.collinsvilletradeday.com or call 866-262-2127.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Traveling the USA on a Photo Trip by John Dersham
Last week I spent the entire week on a photo excursion through seven states. Over the last forty years I have taken trips like this nationwide. In doing so, I have gotten a very intimate look at our wonderful country from coast to coast. I usually travel the back roads using interstates only to pass through sections I was not planning to photograph on the current trip. Most of my images are subjects I find as I travel. I shoot the “Americana” landscape and town views and not so much of the well known attractions or destinations. The work I like to do is spontaneous to the moment, determined much by the look of the moment. The quality of light plays a big role in whether I will shoot a particular scene. Some scenes I really like but the lighting is not suitable at the time. In those cases I make a note of the location, the time of day the light will be better and hope to return one day to take the picture. The photography I pursue requires quite a bit of preparation. I shoot large format sheets of film in a camera that requires a tripod for use. The sheets of film have to be loaded in a darkroom. When I travel I have to stay in motels/hotels where I can make the bathroom totally dark to reload. The camera takes a film holder which holds two sheets of film. I carry twenty-five film holders. This gives me fifty pictures before I have to re-load the holders. It takes about 10 minutes to set up the camera, adjust the movements of the camera for correction of distortion, figure exposure and focus. This type of camera is totally manual. The sheets of film I use are 4x5 inches. Because of the size of the negative and the high resolution of the lenses, my images equate to 400 million megapixels in digital terms. I process the film and print the film in my darkroom. Once the film is scanned on a high resolution scanner then my image is digital and I can do anything with it just as if I started with a digital camera. The reason for using large format film to begin with is the unbelievable difference in quality from the standpoint of resolution, tonality, and contrast. Film contains subtle differences in color, contrast and overall tonality not possible in digital. Film contains 32,000 variations of tone, contrast and color where digital is capped at 1,000. This is why most movies are still shot on film and then scanned to digital. The subtle nuances are important to the film maker and to fine art photographers, such as me.
On this trip I visited Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. I took two lane roads through the mountains and small towns. Everywhere I went I met friendly people whom stop to see what I am doing. Not many people these days see someone along the road with their head under a black focusing cloth looking like its still the Civil War era. Most people think my equipment must be antique but actually my equipment is still currently available gear. There are many photographers using the same kind of equipment professionally or for their art. To see my work visit www.johndersham.com
On this trip I visited Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. I took two lane roads through the mountains and small towns. Everywhere I went I met friendly people whom stop to see what I am doing. Not many people these days see someone along the road with their head under a black focusing cloth looking like its still the Civil War era. Most people think my equipment must be antique but actually my equipment is still currently available gear. There are many photographers using the same kind of equipment professionally or for their art. To see my work visit www.johndersham.com
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Travel and Tourism Trends by John Dersham
We live in a world of which our needs, desires and goals are changing rapidly, as our technology and economic trends continue to dramatically impact our culture. We no longer live in an environment where any of us can expect our careers to be for a lifetime, or the products we buy to still be current technology just a few years later. I worked for Eastman Kodak for nearly 30 years, film had already been around for almost 100 years when I started my career with the company. During my tenure we continued selling more rolls of film and processing more rolls than any year prior, for nearly 130 years. In the early 2000’s, film and processing sales declined to the point that more than one half of Kodak’s worldwide jobs were eliminated. Kodak is just one of the examples of how our culture changes with technology. The way we view, handle and share pictures has been re-invented with these technology changes.
The travel industry is no different. Tourists are doing things differently than they used to. Travelers are changing as the culture changes and the things travelers wish to do on their vacations are changing too.
This spring I had the opportunity to attend the spring conference for the Southeast Tourism Society. At this seminar guest lecturers from the tourism industry gave attendees updates on tourism trends concerning what people are doing, where they are going, how they use technology to plan their travel, where they spend money, and what they expect out of their travel experiences. Last week I had the opportunity to have a one and one half hour private consultation with Judy Randall of Randall Travel Marketing. Judy is one of our nation’s foremost travel and tourism experts. She was also a speaker at the seminar I had recently attended. Judy gave me the opportunity to talk about DeKalb County. Her role was to help me utilize proven travel trends to help us plan how we promote and advertise DeKalb County.
Here are some current travel and tourism trends:
*Internet (Websites) is now the single largest way potential travelers plan their vacations.
*Social Media has become a credible source for travel information for many consumers, because it is not paid advertising.
*The consumer is responding to things they see and hear and are less reliant on the older technology of reading brochures, newspapers and magazines. The consumer will not spend much time viewing any given destination. They want to see a visual that will make a quick impression.
*Tourists are changing their destinations. Our National Parks, for many years, were our nation’s largest tourist attraction. In recent years, attendance has been down as tourists pick destinations that offer temperature control, push button entertainment, and a faster pace.
*Young people as a whole are not as outdoor oriented as former generations and mothers planning family vacations are picking locations that will keep the kids motivated.
* During this time of economic downturn travelers are spending less per trip on food, less on retail shopping and they are looking for bargains in lodging and packages that bundle travel plans.
* Billboard advertising is being replaced with travelers whom have GPS and internet services in their hand as they travel.
*Leisure scenic travel is still big, but people travel with air conditioning, GPS and Internet connections with DVD players for children in the backseats.
*International Travelers are looking for the “Americana” experience. DeKalb is a perfect fit. They have already been to New York, Disney and Vegas.
*Lodging is changing too. The Baby Boomers who were attracted to Bed and Breakfast locations are aging and with that their desires for quaint and cozy has changed to easy, fast service where they can enter easily, leave easily and have all the conveniences within arms reach. According to Judy Randall, young adults want service, comfort, and an electrical outlet within arms reach at all times. They insist on a strong cell signal everywhere they go. Judy says B&B’s have been especially impacted by the cultural and economic shifts of the last several years. Cabins remain a popular choice among couples and families. Customers want the modern conveniences at their cabin rental. Hotel chains are constantly upgrading to meet customer demands.
*Festivals are still big, and growing due to the fact they offer lots of things to do that are fast paced, entertaining and are usually full of music and food and don’t cost much to attend.
*Attractions are changing too. The high tech attractions that are visual and electronic oriented are very popular among thirty-five and younger ages while the Baby Boomers and seniors like more traditional scenic or educational attractions.
*Motorcycle tourism is big now due to high gas prices and the popularity of group motorcycle clubs. We get a lot of motorcycle tours here especially on the Lookout Mountain Parkway.
Here in DeKalb County we are blessed with beautiful scenery, easy driving tours and lots of places to go and things to do. Our primary audience here is the Baby Boomers who enjoy the beautiful relaxing venues we have to offer. Of the younger population we attract those who have an outdoor preference. Those who like hiking, bicycling or do more adventure sports like rock climbing, repelling, kayaking, etc.
The travel industry is no different. Tourists are doing things differently than they used to. Travelers are changing as the culture changes and the things travelers wish to do on their vacations are changing too.
This spring I had the opportunity to attend the spring conference for the Southeast Tourism Society. At this seminar guest lecturers from the tourism industry gave attendees updates on tourism trends concerning what people are doing, where they are going, how they use technology to plan their travel, where they spend money, and what they expect out of their travel experiences. Last week I had the opportunity to have a one and one half hour private consultation with Judy Randall of Randall Travel Marketing. Judy is one of our nation’s foremost travel and tourism experts. She was also a speaker at the seminar I had recently attended. Judy gave me the opportunity to talk about DeKalb County. Her role was to help me utilize proven travel trends to help us plan how we promote and advertise DeKalb County.
Here are some current travel and tourism trends:
*Internet (Websites) is now the single largest way potential travelers plan their vacations.
*Social Media has become a credible source for travel information for many consumers, because it is not paid advertising.
*The consumer is responding to things they see and hear and are less reliant on the older technology of reading brochures, newspapers and magazines. The consumer will not spend much time viewing any given destination. They want to see a visual that will make a quick impression.
*Tourists are changing their destinations. Our National Parks, for many years, were our nation’s largest tourist attraction. In recent years, attendance has been down as tourists pick destinations that offer temperature control, push button entertainment, and a faster pace.
*Young people as a whole are not as outdoor oriented as former generations and mothers planning family vacations are picking locations that will keep the kids motivated.
* During this time of economic downturn travelers are spending less per trip on food, less on retail shopping and they are looking for bargains in lodging and packages that bundle travel plans.
* Billboard advertising is being replaced with travelers whom have GPS and internet services in their hand as they travel.
*Leisure scenic travel is still big, but people travel with air conditioning, GPS and Internet connections with DVD players for children in the backseats.
*International Travelers are looking for the “Americana” experience. DeKalb is a perfect fit. They have already been to New York, Disney and Vegas.
*Lodging is changing too. The Baby Boomers who were attracted to Bed and Breakfast locations are aging and with that their desires for quaint and cozy has changed to easy, fast service where they can enter easily, leave easily and have all the conveniences within arms reach. According to Judy Randall, young adults want service, comfort, and an electrical outlet within arms reach at all times. They insist on a strong cell signal everywhere they go. Judy says B&B’s have been especially impacted by the cultural and economic shifts of the last several years. Cabins remain a popular choice among couples and families. Customers want the modern conveniences at their cabin rental. Hotel chains are constantly upgrading to meet customer demands.
*Festivals are still big, and growing due to the fact they offer lots of things to do that are fast paced, entertaining and are usually full of music and food and don’t cost much to attend.
*Attractions are changing too. The high tech attractions that are visual and electronic oriented are very popular among thirty-five and younger ages while the Baby Boomers and seniors like more traditional scenic or educational attractions.
*Motorcycle tourism is big now due to high gas prices and the popularity of group motorcycle clubs. We get a lot of motorcycle tours here especially on the Lookout Mountain Parkway.
Here in DeKalb County we are blessed with beautiful scenery, easy driving tours and lots of places to go and things to do. Our primary audience here is the Baby Boomers who enjoy the beautiful relaxing venues we have to offer. Of the younger population we attract those who have an outdoor preference. Those who like hiking, bicycling or do more adventure sports like rock climbing, repelling, kayaking, etc.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Summer Tourism in DeKalb County by John Dersham
Summer Tourism in DeKalb County
We are cautiously optimistic that this summer’s tourist season in DeKalb County will be better than one year ago. We are currently running television commercials in Birmingham on 33/40 which covers most of the middle portion of Alabama. We are running another set of commercials and infomercials on the Comcast interconnect that covers eight cable TV channels in a viewing area that includes North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. These commercials cover two week periods at peak travel planning times.
Last year DeKalb County outperformed the state and the country in tourism revenue. With that said I must note that tourism was down nationwide for one of the first times in history. Major tourism cities suffered as did major destinations, like Orlando-Disneyworld and Las Vegas. These declines ranged from eight to twenty percent. Tourism as a whole out performed the economic trends of the nation. Alabama was down a modest seven percent and DeKalb was down five percent. These numbers are based on calendar year. DeKalb ended up in the top ten percent of the best performing counties in Alabama. Counties in Alabama ranged from being down thirty percent to up twenty percent based on tourism conditions particular to each county.
We are a return destination. Our visitors love DeKalb County and they return to us often. We are a short, easy drive for points south to the coast in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. Approximately thirty percent of all tourism in Alabama emanates from Alabamians. Our second largest group of travelers comes from the above mentioned coastal states. The reason being that we are among the first picturesque, tourism related mountains as you travel north from the gulf coast. In tough economic times like now we feel assured we will continue to perform well based on our historical travel trends.
We are very concerned about the situation in the gulf. The impact of the oil spill on our environment and on tourism is not well known or predicted yet. According to state tourism the beaches in Alabama have remained free of oil, thus far. The cancellation rates have been high anyway and that impacts north Alabama too. Many people coming from northern points to the gulf stop and spend some time with us before going to the coast. If they cancel their gulf coast visits we could be impacted. We feel comfortable, however that we are located so well that we will pick up new short drive (300 miles or less) customers that will come here instead of the beach.
Thus far this year our tourism numbers are a mix of growth and declines. Much of this year’s successes or failures have been based on weather conditions. Rain this spring and cold weather in the winter kept many home. On the other hand we have had periods of significant tourism in the county and our year to date numbers are up a little from a year ago.
We are cautiously optimistic that this summer’s tourist season in DeKalb County will be better than one year ago. We are currently running television commercials in Birmingham on 33/40 which covers most of the middle portion of Alabama. We are running another set of commercials and infomercials on the Comcast interconnect that covers eight cable TV channels in a viewing area that includes North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. These commercials cover two week periods at peak travel planning times.
Last year DeKalb County outperformed the state and the country in tourism revenue. With that said I must note that tourism was down nationwide for one of the first times in history. Major tourism cities suffered as did major destinations, like Orlando-Disneyworld and Las Vegas. These declines ranged from eight to twenty percent. Tourism as a whole out performed the economic trends of the nation. Alabama was down a modest seven percent and DeKalb was down five percent. These numbers are based on calendar year. DeKalb ended up in the top ten percent of the best performing counties in Alabama. Counties in Alabama ranged from being down thirty percent to up twenty percent based on tourism conditions particular to each county.
We are a return destination. Our visitors love DeKalb County and they return to us often. We are a short, easy drive for points south to the coast in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida. Approximately thirty percent of all tourism in Alabama emanates from Alabamians. Our second largest group of travelers comes from the above mentioned coastal states. The reason being that we are among the first picturesque, tourism related mountains as you travel north from the gulf coast. In tough economic times like now we feel assured we will continue to perform well based on our historical travel trends.
We are very concerned about the situation in the gulf. The impact of the oil spill on our environment and on tourism is not well known or predicted yet. According to state tourism the beaches in Alabama have remained free of oil, thus far. The cancellation rates have been high anyway and that impacts north Alabama too. Many people coming from northern points to the gulf stop and spend some time with us before going to the coast. If they cancel their gulf coast visits we could be impacted. We feel comfortable, however that we are located so well that we will pick up new short drive (300 miles or less) customers that will come here instead of the beach.
Thus far this year our tourism numbers are a mix of growth and declines. Much of this year’s successes or failures have been based on weather conditions. Rain this spring and cold weather in the winter kept many home. On the other hand we have had periods of significant tourism in the county and our year to date numbers are up a little from a year ago.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Working for You- The DeKalb County Tourist Association by John Dersham
Working for You- The DeKalb County Tourist Association
Over the last few weeks we have had inquires about the various services we provide to our members.
To help you better understand all the things we do, I have included our Mission Statement and a list of services we provide.
We very much appreciate our members and we strive to be a service to them and to our community by bringing important tourism related spending to our county.
Mission Statement
• To perpetuate economic growth and development through tourism.
• To promote, advertise and publicize natural, historic and man-made attractions.
• To serve in cooperation with state, county and city governments to promote tourism.
• To work with our local Chamber of Commerce, schools and colleges to encourage and develop long lasting educational and promotional development of our industry.
• To belong to and work with other tourist associations on a regional, state and national level to build relationships that educate and promote a healthy tourism industry.
• To provide outstanding marketing and promotional support to assist in the growth and development of our member’s businesses.
Membership Benefits
The DeKalb County Tourist Association is the primary organization promoting tourism in DeKalb County. We are a non-profit organization and are funded by the county lodging tax, memberships, grants and city appropriations.
Here are ways membership works for you:
Tourist Information Center - We are open seven days a week to answer questions about our area, give directions and show guests places to go and things to do, where to eat and shop, historical locations, scenic attractions, lodging, parks etc. As a member we promote your business verbally and by giving our customers your printed information. We send visitors to you when they are looking for your kind of business.
Official DeKalb County Visitor’s Guide - Members are included in the single most distributed travel guide promoting DeKalb County. We give our visitor’s guides out in our information center; we mail them out from phone and internet requests, we distribute them at conventions and travel shows, at welcome centers, mini markets, hotels, motels, state parks, and many other places all throughout the southeast.
Official County Tourism Website - You are included on our website with a description of your business, a direct link to your website and email, phone number, address and other requested information. We average 30,000 website visits a month and we are the primary resource worldwide for people needing travel information about our county. Included in our website is an interactive version of our DeKalb County Visitor’s Guide. This one can be printed or viewed on line. It has a page turn feature, you can magnify the images and it contains live links to your website. In addition our website has links to online video’s and articles. You can request to have your video or article reviewed for inclusion on our website.
Travel Writers - We work closely with travel writers and other news media to see that articles are regularly considered for publication in magazines and newspapers nationwide. We submit press releases to magazines, newspapers and radio stations to promote travel articles on places, events and businesses in DeKalb County.
State Affiliations - We network closely with the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, The Alabama Tourism Department, the Alabama Travel Council, Chambers and CVB organizations all across our state.
Here are additional member services we offer:
*Digital Marquee at one of Fort Payne’s busiest intersections. We promote your business on it.
*Weekly newspaper Column to promote Tourism in DeKalb County
*Member educational seminars
*Television advertising campaigns
*Radio Advertising
*Magazine and Newspaper Ads
*Website
*YouTube videos
*Facebook and other social media sites
*Presence as an exhibitor at state and regional travel shows
*Provide education and presentations to local clubs, civic organizations and area businesses
*Provide help with member ad campaigns
*Support local activities and festivals
*Provide general information about our county, our towns, municipal services, churches, history, maps and a host of general information for the community, for the traveler and for new residents.
Over the last few weeks we have had inquires about the various services we provide to our members.
To help you better understand all the things we do, I have included our Mission Statement and a list of services we provide.
We very much appreciate our members and we strive to be a service to them and to our community by bringing important tourism related spending to our county.
Mission Statement
• To perpetuate economic growth and development through tourism.
• To promote, advertise and publicize natural, historic and man-made attractions.
• To serve in cooperation with state, county and city governments to promote tourism.
• To work with our local Chamber of Commerce, schools and colleges to encourage and develop long lasting educational and promotional development of our industry.
• To belong to and work with other tourist associations on a regional, state and national level to build relationships that educate and promote a healthy tourism industry.
• To provide outstanding marketing and promotional support to assist in the growth and development of our member’s businesses.
Membership Benefits
The DeKalb County Tourist Association is the primary organization promoting tourism in DeKalb County. We are a non-profit organization and are funded by the county lodging tax, memberships, grants and city appropriations.
Here are ways membership works for you:
Tourist Information Center - We are open seven days a week to answer questions about our area, give directions and show guests places to go and things to do, where to eat and shop, historical locations, scenic attractions, lodging, parks etc. As a member we promote your business verbally and by giving our customers your printed information. We send visitors to you when they are looking for your kind of business.
Official DeKalb County Visitor’s Guide - Members are included in the single most distributed travel guide promoting DeKalb County. We give our visitor’s guides out in our information center; we mail them out from phone and internet requests, we distribute them at conventions and travel shows, at welcome centers, mini markets, hotels, motels, state parks, and many other places all throughout the southeast.
Official County Tourism Website - You are included on our website with a description of your business, a direct link to your website and email, phone number, address and other requested information. We average 30,000 website visits a month and we are the primary resource worldwide for people needing travel information about our county. Included in our website is an interactive version of our DeKalb County Visitor’s Guide. This one can be printed or viewed on line. It has a page turn feature, you can magnify the images and it contains live links to your website. In addition our website has links to online video’s and articles. You can request to have your video or article reviewed for inclusion on our website.
Travel Writers - We work closely with travel writers and other news media to see that articles are regularly considered for publication in magazines and newspapers nationwide. We submit press releases to magazines, newspapers and radio stations to promote travel articles on places, events and businesses in DeKalb County.
State Affiliations - We network closely with the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, The Alabama Tourism Department, the Alabama Travel Council, Chambers and CVB organizations all across our state.
Here are additional member services we offer:
*Digital Marquee at one of Fort Payne’s busiest intersections. We promote your business on it.
*Weekly newspaper Column to promote Tourism in DeKalb County
*Member educational seminars
*Television advertising campaigns
*Radio Advertising
*Magazine and Newspaper Ads
*Website
*YouTube videos
*Facebook and other social media sites
*Presence as an exhibitor at state and regional travel shows
*Provide education and presentations to local clubs, civic organizations and area businesses
*Provide help with member ad campaigns
*Support local activities and festivals
*Provide general information about our county, our towns, municipal services, churches, history, maps and a host of general information for the community, for the traveler and for new residents.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Fort Payne Boom Days Images by O.W. Chase circa 1889 by John Dersham
It is an honor for me to present twenty nine archival printed silver halide photographic prints to Landmarks of DeKalb County, Inc. This is a gift from myself and family and is an intended contribution to the preservation of our rich history here in Fort Payne. The prints presented here are part of the original 6 ½ x 8 ½ glass plates/negatives photographed by O.W. Chase circa 1889. Mr. Chase was hired to make these images for the purpose of making brochures promoting Fort Payne to New Englanders during our Boom Days. These images now 121 years old, are a blessing to our community and serve as an unsurpassed view backward into our rich history. I want to thank Judy and Joe Brown for entrusting me with these delicate glass negatives, so I could print them in my darkroom.
O.W. Chase was a hired professional photographer using a professional large format view camera. Due to the large size of the negatives, the capture of detail and tonality is still unsurpassed by any professional digital camera today. Only today’s large format cameras with improved film emulsions and sharper lenses could improve the technical quality of O.W. Chase’s body of work.
In the days of O.W. Chase’s photography only trained professionals were doing this work. A little later in the same era George Eastman (Kodak) was introducing the first ever consumer photographic cameras and film. Prior to this time there were no snapshots. This means many small towns like Fort Payne had no photographic history dating as far back as the late 1880’s. We are very fortunate to have had a Boom Days.
The prints in this collection are from twenty nine of O.W. Chase’s collection of an estimated 85 glass plates shot in or around 1889, in Fort Payne.
For the sake of historical preservation I have printed these images using archival printing, processing and mounting processes. I have used silver rich double weight fiber based photographic paper of Chlorobromide formula that appears similar in tonality to the photographic papers of the 1880’s. All of the prints have been Selenium toned which further protects the silver from oxidation. This collection of prints is printed to provide medium to medium soft contrast in order to preserve the delicate details in the highlights and shadows of the scene. In accordance with the archival process used, these images should provide a lasting image for several hundred years.
O.W. Chase was a hired professional photographer using a professional large format view camera. Due to the large size of the negatives, the capture of detail and tonality is still unsurpassed by any professional digital camera today. Only today’s large format cameras with improved film emulsions and sharper lenses could improve the technical quality of O.W. Chase’s body of work.
In the days of O.W. Chase’s photography only trained professionals were doing this work. A little later in the same era George Eastman (Kodak) was introducing the first ever consumer photographic cameras and film. Prior to this time there were no snapshots. This means many small towns like Fort Payne had no photographic history dating as far back as the late 1880’s. We are very fortunate to have had a Boom Days.
The prints in this collection are from twenty nine of O.W. Chase’s collection of an estimated 85 glass plates shot in or around 1889, in Fort Payne.
For the sake of historical preservation I have printed these images using archival printing, processing and mounting processes. I have used silver rich double weight fiber based photographic paper of Chlorobromide formula that appears similar in tonality to the photographic papers of the 1880’s. All of the prints have been Selenium toned which further protects the silver from oxidation. This collection of prints is printed to provide medium to medium soft contrast in order to preserve the delicate details in the highlights and shadows of the scene. In accordance with the archival process used, these images should provide a lasting image for several hundred years.
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