tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49537968219169511392024-02-20T12:11:01.816-08:00Visit McPherson!Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-51834884969735759062013-11-04T12:54:00.000-08:002013-11-04T12:54:10.022-08:00Fall reflections
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For CVB directors, fall is the best time of the
year. Nice weather, fall festivals, sporting events and pumpkin patches are
just a few of the reasons people are more likely to travel and spend a little
money.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We wrapped up our fifth season of movies in the park
at the McPherson Scottish Festival. Movie fans won't have to wait until next
summer. McPherson Main Street and the McPherson Chamber will host four free
holiday movies at the McPherson Opera House.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Speaking of the Scottish Festival, the weather gods
were kind and we had beautiful weather. This was the festival's 20th year and
many of the volunteers who started the festival are still actively involved.
The festival is always looking for new volunteers to help carry on the
tradition. If you're interested, contact my office or go to the contacts page
of the festival's web site at </span><a href="http://macfestival.org/"><span style="color: #084de6; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">macfestival.org</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The CVB hosted the Saturday night concert and buffet
for the Scottish Festival at a new location this year. The new McPherson Museum
was the perfect venue with an easily accessible catering kitchen, meeting area
and the concert for 100+ people worked well in the special exhibits area. If
you're looking for a place to hold your next meeting, reunion, wedding
reception or convention, check out the museum at </span><a href="http://mcphersonmuseum.com/"><span style="color: #084de6; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">mcphersonmuseum.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We’re getting ready for the upcoming holiday season.
The annual coloring contest for kids 12 and under will start in late October so
look for those coloring sheets to come home with the kids from school. We’ll
also have coloring sheets available at the office beginning Oct. 24 at Trick or
Treat Down Main Street.</span></div>
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Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-13984482018830437962012-10-12T09:32:00.000-07:002012-10-12T09:32:28.097-07:00Collaboration and Celebration
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMhk4AQaGoZOrqVvESsFOB82Imx6TtBxIZgPIJo_AOiymAF-NctSGq6vxjWCU40mvybA8bWoaeBrnTxF7d5Idj4UDGj-9V60Tq8jSmFUkpG7D5zDHgnpRaGnQVf7oulCeH-a_gRDXIIE/s1600/stylized+ASD+float.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMhk4AQaGoZOrqVvESsFOB82Imx6TtBxIZgPIJo_AOiymAF-NctSGq6vxjWCU40mvybA8bWoaeBrnTxF7d5Idj4UDGj-9V60Tq8jSmFUkpG7D5zDHgnpRaGnQVf7oulCeH-a_gRDXIIE/s320/stylized+ASD+float.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I like to think of this time of year as the calm in the eye
of the storm at work. The summer music series is wrapped up, Scottish Fest is
over, we’ve shown our last movie in the park and the Christmas holiday chaos
won’t start for another month. </div>
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It’s a good time to plan the next move and I’m already
cooking up some fun projects for the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of All
Schools Day next May to collaborate on – a documentary and a commemorative
book.</div>
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Notice I said collaborate because, goodness knows, I’m
pretty limited in what I can do on my own. Both of these projects will require
the help and participation of many current and former McPherson residents.
We’ll need to borrow photos or videos and record people’s favorite stories of
past All Schools Day celebrations. Collaboration, that’s a great word if you
think about it. Not many celebrations have a 100 year history like All Schools
Day and I think the key to its longevity is collaboration. </div>
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If you listen to the news today stories of divisiveness
dominate the headlines, especially in this election year. It takes something
truly remarkable to pull people together. Most often people will pull together
during times of disaster, but it’s even more rare when people come together to
celebrate. I’ve seen mass celebrations before but it was usually following a KU
victory in March, when someone was defeated. All Schools Day really is the
rarest of the rare – a celebration that uplifts 100 percent of the community.</div>
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If you have photos or videos or a great story to share about
All Schools Day, please drop me a line at cvb@mcphersonks.org<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or call 241-3340. </div>
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Speaking of great memories, why not make a few more this
holiday? Tickets ($5) for the public holiday lights trolley tours go on sale
Nov. 1 at our office, 306 N. Main St. Tours are held at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. on Dec.
6, 13, 19, 20, 21 and 22.</div>
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Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-88839943355322674432012-07-11T12:40:00.000-07:002012-07-11T12:40:14.186-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM8bXi5o2SZKI3khZUnqs20cKAKuoHhX9_sXNElRdg6C1dwHGTOXhyphenhyphennkbAKXH4RU42pHo8CjmJ3jcX6u5tti-rqClzhCSjZA5oQxsqCkDNpRPmOozPBNdrp_r-f89_KuU6ExK3sCSdCQ/s1600/img052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM8bXi5o2SZKI3khZUnqs20cKAKuoHhX9_sXNElRdg6C1dwHGTOXhyphenhyphennkbAKXH4RU42pHo8CjmJ3jcX6u5tti-rqClzhCSjZA5oQxsqCkDNpRPmOozPBNdrp_r-f89_KuU6ExK3sCSdCQ/s320/img052.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
It’s time for Olympic basketball!<br /><br />By Anne Hassler, Director<br /><br />McPherson Convention and Visitors Bureau.<br /><br /><br /><br />Well the buzz around this year’s Summer Olympic Games in London has already started and I, of course, think it’s an excellent time to promote our own Summer Olympic connection – players from the McPherson Globe Refiners. We are busy putting the finishing touches on the CVB documentary “Oil and Gold” in time for our Basketball Traditions Celebration Aug. 10-11.<br /><br />Six Globe players were part of the first-ever Olympic gold medal basketball team in 1936. Joe Fortenberry led all scorers in the final game with eight of the 19 points scored and was overall scoring leader for the team with 29 points.<br /><br />I was lucky enough to travel to Amarillo, Texas recently to interview Joe’s wife Barbara and his son Oliver for our documentary “Turning Oil into Gold” about the team. They seemed a little uncomfortable at first with the idea that anyone would want to hear their stories but once they began talking about Joe, the words came easily.<br /><br />Joe and Barbara (Bobbie) met after his days of playing professional basketball were over. They both worked in the oil industry in Texas when they married in 1947. Joe had gone on to play for the Phillips 66 Oilers after playing for the Globe Refiners. They made a striking couple – Bobbie was all of 5’2” next to Joe’s 6’8”. They had two children, Oliver and Sally and adopted another daughter Trisha, a niece they had raised like one of their own.<br /><br />I tried to get a story out of Oliver about his dad’s goal tending prowess, but he said their games on the driveway were very tame.<br /><br />“You could tell Pop knew how to put the ball in the hole,” Oliver said. “He was just a very kind guy. You never heard him say a disparaging word about anybody.”<br /><br />Oliver recalled his father’s stories about being in close proximity to Adolph Hitler during the Olympic ceremonies.<br /><br />“He said if he had known then what was going to happen, he would have jumped him right there. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about that. All of the athletes knew there was a big war coming. It wasn’t a surprise they were going to have to fight these people.”<br /><br />Oliver said it wasn’t until the 1980s when the Olympics were scheduled to play in Los Angeles and people started showing an interest in the 1936 games that his dad realized his place in history.<br /><br />“He kept his Olympic medal in a shoe box in the closet. The only time it ever came out is when I played with it,” Oliver said.<br /><br />The Fortenberry family kept articles, photos and scrapbooks of Joe’s career. Oliver showed me his dad’s many medals from AAU tournaments, the ship’s manifest from the S.S. Manhattan, pages of autographs from other Olympic athletes like Jesse Owens, a sweat shirt from the Olympic team and even two pairs of his old basketball shoes.<br /><br />One point that I’ve always wondered about in the Refiners’ story was what happened to the team when they returned from Berlin. The Globe Refinery no longer sponsored the team past 1936 though a competitive, non-AAU team still existed with Tex Gibbons as the coach. Gene Johnson moved on to coach a team at the Antler Lodge in Colorado with his brother Francis and Willard Schmidt. I asked Oliver and Bobbie if Joe had a job at the refinery when he got back.<br /><br />“No, his brother had lined up a job for him with Greyhound Bus Lines. Not playing ball for them or anything, just working at the bus station. He’d already accepted it, just happy to have any job, when the offer to play for Phillips 66 came,” Oliver said.<br /><br />Owners of Lario Oil, formerly Globe Oil, have said the company supported the team’s trek to the Olympics. Unlike the players for the Hollywood Universal team, Globe players weren’t given an ultimatum about going to the Olympics or losing their jobs.<br /><br />My guess, and it’s purely a guess, is that Gene Johnson would have liked to have a bigger venue than the community building to play in and found greener pastures in Colorado. A copy of the original agreement was shared with me by Brett Whitenack, curator at the McPherson Museum. Gene Johnson received $1,500 to organize the team that was to be used to cover uniforms, travel and any other team expenses. I don’t know who kept the gate from home games – Johnson or the refinery. The refinery probably thought they had ridden the publicity out as far as they could by sponsoring the team. Given that it was the middle of the Great Depression I can understand why they might have wanted to fill the Refiners jobs with men dedicated solely to working at the refinery. I can also see why Johnson might have wanted to take advantage of their recent success and find better opportunities. But man, it sure was an excellent team while it lasted!<br /><br /><br /><br />This is our first documentary production by the CVB but I hope not our last. McPherson has so many great stories to tell. The premiere of the documentary will be at the McPherson Opera House Aug. 11, 2012 followed by a question and answer session with Keith Cantrell, Rich Hughes, who wrote a book called “Netting Out Basketball 1936” on the team, and me.<br /><br />Follow the progress of our documentary project and find out more about our Basketball Traditions Celebration at www.facebook.com/basketballtraditions.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-35625779931539914622012-05-18T08:00:00.001-07:002012-05-18T08:03:06.333-07:00June means school's outHere’s my plan of attack against the “I’m boreds”<br />
By Anne Hassler
CVB Director<br />
Like a ninja ready for battle, I’ve done my research to combat the inevitable chorus of “I’m bored…” that emanates from my kids right around the end of May.<br />
It’s a five-pronged approach:<br />
Community Activities
This town has never been short on kid-friendly activities. Case in point: the McPherson Opera House is hosting a free children’s show “Billy Goats Gruff” performed by the Wichita Children’s Theatre at 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sat., June 9. The McPherson CVB will host five free movies in the park this summer: The Muppets, June 2; Pride of the Yankees, July 7; Enchanted, July 21; Back to the Future, Aug. 4 and Local Hero, Sept. 21 at Lakeside Park San Romani band shell.
The CVB will also host the Basketball Traditions Celebration Aug. 10-11. Kids’ games, alumni scrimmage and slam-dunk entertainment will rock the Roundhouse once again.
The McPherson Museum and Arts Foundation will host its Summer Music Series. Live music is scheduled every other Friday beginning June 22 at the band shell. Look for a full schedule soon.<br />
Sports<br />
While some parents have their kids wrapped up in competitive traveling teams (and more power to them), I just try to get my kids to part company with the couch whenever I can. We have a fine rec league offered through the McPherson Recreation Commission for soccer, baseball and softball. I also insist my kids make regular excursions to the McPherson Water Park and take swim lessons or compete on the swim team. My family is getting to be a regular fixture at Starlite Lanes on Friday nights where you can bowl for $8/person for two hours.<br />
Camps<br />
My biggest fear is that my children’s brains will turn to mush over the summer from too much exposure to video games and not enough social interaction. So I try to pick at least one camp for them to attend each summer. My favorite local camp is Camp Invention (July 16-20 at St. Joseph Catholic School). They have a great scholarship program and my kids are really engaged by the activities. Be warned though, my youngest now thinks he is qualified to disassemble most small appliances. Another science-y camp I’ve found that won’t break the budget is the Kansas Starbase summer academies in Salina and Wichita. Kids learn about the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields at this free camp funded by the Department of Defense. kansasstarbase.org<br />
Books<br />
Thankfully we live in a town that’s blessed with a first-rate public library. The McPherson Public Library has great children’s activities year-round but I’m particularly excited about this summer’s “Dream Big … Read!” reading program kick-off June 1. The list of activities for the kick-off which runs from 5:30-10:30 p.m. in Wickersham Park is extensive (let me just say free hot dogs and the Cosmosphere is bringing a telescope) so go online to check it out. macpl.org. But the fun doesn’t end with the kick-off. Thad Beach and Dan Dan the Magic Man will perform at the library this summer as well.<br />
Paid Entertainment<br />
The list of festivals and concerts in Central Kansas is long but my favorite festivals always seem to cluster around the month of June. The Wichita River Fest is June 1-9 and a $5 button will get you into most events. Listening to the Wichita Symphony play Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and watching fireworks on the bank of the banks of the Arkansas River is well worth the price. We plan to see the geektastic “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” at Exploration Place during River Fest and save some money with our buttons (wichitafestivals.com).
My favorite art festival is held June 7-10 in Salina. The Smoky Hill River Festival was a pleasant surprise the first time I went with its giant sand sculpture, ribbon-wrapped trees and kid-friendly entertainment. Buttons are $10 and there are some very unique, make-and-take, hands-on art activities you don’t find at most large-scale festivals.<br />
Whatever your summer has in store for you, I hope it’s filled with memorable moments.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-55242931995865687832012-04-12T11:23:00.001-07:002012-04-12T11:27:07.892-07:00A little cooperation goes a long wayLast year we added an event planner/ convention coordinator to the CVB staff and she's been great assistance in getting the word out and attracting new groups to town. But as anyone in this business will tell you, it’s frustrating to lose out on bid simply because the facility you need is not available. <br />One such case almost occurred in 2011 when we hosted Biking Across Kansas for an overnight stop. There were 800+ cyclists and their support crew in town for one night each buying lunch, dinner and breakfast, many staying in hotels and stocking up at local stores. It’s tough to measure the economic impact of groups like this but conservative estimates would put the BAK stopover at $40,000. Finding a facility that could accommodate the cyclists was the real challenge. Both colleges were not interested and following the example of other towns that host BAK, I put in requests to the school district to use the high school. At first we were told air conditioning would not be on in early June at the schools per an agreement with BPU. After some checking I found out the AC really wouldn’t be turned off until July. The administration told us we couldn’t use the Roundhouse because volleyball practice was scheduled in the morning but we could use the middle school. Everything seemed to be working out but since the middle school was having its HVAC system redone, the area we could use kept shrinking until it became unfeasible. So after much begging and pleading and some intercession by the mayor it was agreed we could use the high school after all. <br />Since then I’ve racked my brain trying to figure out how to make relations with the school district go more smoothly. The truth is there has to be a spirit of cooperation present by all parties and a desire to see the community as a whole succeed. While I can understand that students are the priority for school administration, they need to realize the value of being flexible with scheduling. The truth of the matter is all school facilities are built with taxpayer money and when an opportunity to help the community economically comes along, the district should show more cooperation.<br />We are currently bidding on another conference for 2013 that would bring between 600 and 800 people to town plus their spouses for a three-day barbershop quartet convention. While many may come for just a day, past attendance shows 250 hotel rooms have been booked. This could mean close to $80,000 pumped into the McPherson community for meals and hotel alone. Hopefully we’ll entice many of them to our local retailers to do some shopping too.<br />But again we are faced with the challenge of finding appropriate facilities. The group needs an auditorium that will seat 800 people which limits it to McPherson College or the high school auditorium. To be able to use the high school we asked them to schedule prom on the same day as the ACT next spring. It’s not ideal but it’s been done before. Unfortunately, our request was denied and here we sit with a golden egg and nowhere to hatch it.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-32900910079257052262012-03-30T06:53:00.001-07:002012-03-30T06:55:17.693-07:00Community Building deserves our attentionWell the women’s show is over and considering it was our first year, things went fairly smoothly. Hopefully we can tweak things and have an even better show next year.<br />While cleaning up the community building from the show, I was shooting baskets with wads of paper into the trash can. After sinking a particularly long shot, my arms shot straight up in the air and a deep-throated “Yes!” shot out of my mouth. I looked around to see if anyone had seen my moment of triumph but the only onlookers were the faces of the Refiners from the photos we’ve put up in the balcony. <br />I had to laugh at the thought of the Refiners cheering me on. The Community Building saw more than its fair share of amazing basketball courtesy of Coach Johnson and his helter-skelter players. <br />The Community Building has seen quite a few amazing things over the years – games, musicals, pancake feeds, trick-or-treaters, school dances. I didn’t grow up here and as I’m sometimes reminded I’m not a true “McPhersonite” but I imagine the Community Building is the backdrop for many a happy childhood memory.<br />There’s been talk off and on the last several years about what to do with this aging building. I, of course, have ideas but in the interest of staying employed, have kept them to myself lately. Now there’s talk of renovating the building again and since I got to sit in on a meeting I’m going to go out on a limb and say what I’d like to see happen.<br />First I’d like to see the gymnasium restored to have balconies on all four sides that are secure and safe for fans to sit in. I’d like the exhibit we’ve put in about the Refiners and local basketball history expanded and protected with plexi-glass.<br />The floor could be put back to wood and the drop ceiling removed to show the beams above.<br />It would be great to make the whole building into a basketball center. This could be done by converting the auditorium to a basketball court giving the Rec Commission additional courts to work with. I know Mayor Tom Brown has also looked into funding to make the Community Building a community storm shelter.<br />I’d like to see the kitchen expanded and made into something more useable. I’d like it better maintained with a new roof, heating and add an air conditioning system.<br />At one time the building was called Convention Hall and I think if proper sound and A/V were installed it could be a more usable facility for meetings of all sizes.<br />Any changes though will be a little while in coming to fruition. I hope McPhersonites – both native and adopted -- support efforts to preserve this cornerstone of our community.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-46467401149017052182012-02-23T13:14:00.002-08:002012-02-23T13:15:54.347-08:00Art and government: not an unheard of matchI’ve been working on plans for our latest mural that will celebrate the 100th anniversary of McPherson County All Schools Day in 2013. We’ll have the mural up in late 2012, hopefully well in advance of May Day. Luckily, local artist R. Bolton Smith has agreed to create an original painting for us to base the mural on. The tricky part is now finding a location for it. <br />Using guest tax to support the arts seems like a natural way of enhancing our community’s culture. With the recent actions of our governor to dissolve the Kansas Arts Council and his new plan to combine it with the Kansas Film Commission and seriously underfund it, I have to wonder if arts and government ever coexisted in a mutually supportive way.<br />My investigation of the topic on the Internet quickly led me to the murals and statues funded through the New Deal of the 1930s. As a country struggling to recover from the Great Depression, it would have been easy to get tunnel-vision and funnel all recovery funds into infrastructure and agriculture, but as Roosevelt’s relief administrator Harry Hopkins said “[artists] have got to eat just like other people.”<br />The result is we now have more than 225,000 government–funded works of public art available for every American to enjoy. <br />The majority of murals created through the New Deal were actually funded through the Section of Fine Arts of the U.S. Treasury Department (not the WPA). As new courthouses and post offices were built, 1% of the building budget was earmarked for artwork. There are 38 such post office murals in Kansas with the nearest one located in Lindsborg. For a list of murals go to www.wpamurals.com. <br />Also going on at the CVB, we’re set to host our “Leap into a New You” women’s show at the community building Feb. 25-26. To spice things up a little we added a Charity Cookoff competition with six competitors facing off on the auditorium stage. This is a great example of how we are delving more and more into event planning at the CVB. Tickets are available for the women’s show from participating vendors (free) or from the CVB for $2, or $3 the day of the show. Cook-off tickets are $10, available from the CVB, with the proceeds split between the six charities involved.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-81789534880008933962012-02-23T13:14:00.001-08:002012-02-23T13:14:25.323-08:00Bad service experience? Here’s what to doWhy is it that bad experiences stick in our mind much more prominently than good ones? I could go to the grocery store 100 times and have no problems, but the one time my Diet Pepsi doesn’t ring up at the sale price and, man, this store stinks. <br />The same could be said of bad service experiences. I hear from travelers who have had a bad experience at a McPherson business. Having gotten nowhere dealing with the business directly they will contact the CVB or the Chamber to file a complaint. <br />If only I had some sort of “be good” enforcement power to make businesses give better customer service. The steps I usually follow are to document the complaint, write a letter to the business, copy it to the owner of the business and if necessary, send a letter to the franchise offices. I can’t say it’s been terribly effective. For one, since I’m a third party to the disagreement, I’m not able to lodge a formal complaint with most franchises. Secondly, most of the complaints I receive are for the same few businesses. They’re used to my letters. <br />So I’ve decided to put together a list of steps for people to take if they have a bad service experience. One thing to remember though is, if the business makes an honest effort to correct a situation, stop at that step. Don’t pursue the matter further if you’ve received a sincere apology and/or refund for any overcharges.<br />1. Talk to the manager. Give them a chance to make things right before you “go public.” Any manager worth his/her salt will appreciate the opportunity.<br />2. Put it in writing. Send letters to the business, the franchise, Better Business Bureau and local Chamber of Commerce or CVB. Follow up with the business to see if they received it and if they plan to take steps to correct the situation. Allow reasonable time for a response.<br />3. Go public. There are a myriad of different travel sites that let you review a business. (tripadvisor.com; expedia.com, orbitz.com, priceline.com just to name a few) Objectively document your experience and save future travelers from having a similar bad experience. Use social media to let people know about your experience. Most chains have a Facebook page; try posting on their wall. Start a Twitter hash tag like #badservice if you want to Tweet about it.<br />Some other useful information: <br />To file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau go to bbb.org and click the “File a Complaint” link.<br />To report a business for health code violations go to the Kansas Department of Agriculture – Food Safety Division website ksda.gov/food_safety/. KDA also handles lodging complaints.<br />My email is cvb@mcphersonks.org, phone (800) 324-8022. If you’re planning a visit, meeting or convention in McPherson, start with the CVB office. We know the facilities in McPherson and can help you find the one that will work best for you.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-29060959548349224852011-05-17T12:35:00.000-07:002011-05-17T12:56:50.601-07:00To Do ListsAt the very top of my to-do list is to hire someone to help me get some things done on my to-do list. The CVB is interviewing for an event planner/convention sales person. This is a good sign although it took some convincing by the mayor that we needed to add to our staff. I have a tendency to think I can do it all myself but the CVB has taken some big steps into event planning, something not traditionally done by this office. The truth is, one person can't put on a multi-day festival. It takes many, many volunteers and helpers to make an event happen. If you've ever been in McPherson for All Schools Day or the McPherson Scottish Festival you'll see some of the best organized celebrations in the state. <br />We have one event coming up in June that will help us get our feet wet on events -- Biking Across Kansas will stop in McPherson June 7. It will be great to have 900+ guests on bicycles visit our city and it's a great opportunity to roll out the red carpet. We plan on having live music at the bandshell beginning at 5 p.m. including the McPherson Community Band, McPherson Pipe Band and Celtic band Raging Sea. The concert isn't just for BAK guests, the whole town is invited! We'll also have a great variety of food booths set up in the park too so grab your lawn chair and come on down.<br />Once we've recovered from that we'll be going full steam planning the first-ever McPherson Basketball Traditions Celebration Aug. 12-14. Here's the schedule for that.<br />Friday, Aug. 12 at Roundhouse<br />5 p.m. Free barbecue for first 300 people sponsored by Midway Motors<br />Kids contests 25-cents per game to benefit WACCC, plenty of prizes!:<br />peach basket toss<br />free throw, 3-point contest<br />half court shot<br />Slam Dunk tank<br />Bungee hoops<br />Pop-a-Shot<br />dribble obstacle course<br />7 p.m. Alumni of past state champ teams scrimmage<br />Half-time entertainment TBA<br />Sponsorship: NCRA<br /><br />Saturday, Aug. 13<br />9 a.m. 3-on-3 tournament--- 5 divisions, $30 entry fee, shirts additional $, sign up your team!<br />Volunteers: McPherson Chamber of Commerce<br /><br />7 p.m. movie at Opera House “Fast Break: Breaking Social Barriers Through Basketball” documentary by Keith Zimmerman, Eric Monder presenting “Olympiad” clips from 1936 Olympics, Stuart Naismith, grandson of James Naismith<br />Sponsorship: CVB<br /><br />Sunday, Aug. 14<br />3 p.m. Reception at Community building<br />Basketball historians giving short speeches<br />Rich Hughes, author<br />Steve Farney, author & basketball Historian<br />Stuart Naismith, keynote sponsored by Wise and ReberAnne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-57275426843713653262011-04-26T14:55:00.001-07:002011-04-26T14:55:51.305-07:00Promoting your business? The CVB can help!Are you struggling with how to best promote your business without spending a fortune? There are many opportunities available through the Convention and Visitors Bureau for free or at minimal cost. <br />For instance, this last month I attended two shows geared to consumers looking for weekend getaways and day trips. Attractions like the water park, opera house and festivals always grab their interests but many are also interested in our shopping and dining. Ann Engel, Main Street director, has helped me keep an updated map and directory of the downtown area marked with shopping, businesses, restaurants, ATM locations and available buildings. I hand out hundreds at every show that I go to, as well as, at local hotels, restaurants and shops. This is a free service of the Convention and Visitors Bureau we provide to local businesses.<br />Another free service we offer is our Visitor Coupon Book that we print and hand out to visiting groups and conventions and hand out at shows. We currently have 35 merchants participating in this book for free. We handed out 1,200 at the Taste of Home Show in Hutchinson alone last week. Our criteria to participate is that businesses offer a percent discount or BOGO offer, have no expiration date, and keep a tally to turn in to our office every quarter of coupons turned in. Anyone in McPherson that can meet the criteria can participate.<br />There are also online opportunities where you can list your business with the state’s tourism website via the CVB and even include a picture at no charge. Additionally we can list you in their printed official visitors guide for the state at a nominal charge. Close to 800,000 of these guides are distributed to potential visitors. The more listings we can get for McPherson, the more these potential customers will want to plan a trip to our town.<br />Often when I go to travel shows there are opportunities for door prizes or to have us hand out a brochure about your business. All of the names we collect through our prize drawings are entered into a database that we will share with any business that provides giveaways or decorations for our booth. <br />Another great inexpensive way to promote your business is to join organizations like McPherson Main Street and the Chamber of Commerce. The amount of promotional opportunities and networking opportunities you get for your membership is invaluable. A strong Main Street and Chamber that plan community events certainly make my job easier. The CVB tries to support both organizations with marketing grants and partnerships like I listed above.<br />One project that we are all three partnering on is an update to our official visitor guide and community profile magazine. This publication will be distributed at all the travel information centers and locally at hotels, restaurants, shops and at our office. When you get a call to support this guide I hope you’re able to help us put out a quality publication that represents our fine community.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-67271014162026025102011-03-01T09:41:00.000-08:002011-03-01T11:16:32.650-08:00What I've learned since TopekaIt never fails that before an article is even published, some of the information becomes questionable or out-of-date.<br />While giving a TIAK report to the members of the South Central Kansas Tourism Region last week I mentioned what was discussed at the TIAK Day on the Hill. All reports then indicated that the governor's decision to dissolve the arts commission would not jeopardize federal funding for the arts in Kansas. <br />In a release from Governor Sam Brownback's office he stated "As a state agency, the historical society will be eligible to receive federal matching funds for the purpose of advancing the arts in the State of Kansas."<br />It was this statement that made me think arts would not suffer from a loss of funding and perhaps a private non-profit was a viable option much like the Humanities Council.<br /> It was brought to my attention by Christine Downey Schmidt that this is not necessarily the case.<br />Here is a summary of what the National Endowment for the Arts had to say in response to Gov. Brownback's ERO.<br /><br />The National Endowment for the Arts’ investment in a state is predicated on a significant financial and programmatic commitment from state government to its arts council. In each case, state and federal funds are combined to support local programs and priorities. The National Endowment for the Arts stated in an email to the Kansas Legislative Research Department on February 14, 2011:<br />Federal Match<br />· Kansas may forfeit its ability to receive federal funding depending on how the new entity is structured and how this restructure addresses the NEA requirements for a fully functioning state arts agency.<br />· The funds utilized for the 1:1 match to the NEA Partnership Agreement must be directly controlled and managed by the state and may include state appropriated, donated or trust funds.<br />· If the state does not provide state controlled funds for support of the state arts agency, all federal funds are at risk.<br />Kansas Arts Foundation / Kansas Historical Society<br />· It is unclear which agency, the Kansas Historical Society or the 501(c3), is controlling the funds.<br />It is unclear as to who will be the applicant to the NEA and who will be responsible for performing the responsibilities of the NEA Partnership Agreement; the Kansas Historical Society or the Kansas Arts Foundation.<br />· Continued federal investment is contingent on the State of Kansas providing financial support to its designated state arts agency. The agency must have the capacity to carry out the significant responsibilities of the NEA Partnership Agreement, including:<br />· The implementation of an NEA-approved state arts plan, developed as a result of a comprehensive and inclusive planning process that addresses the state’s cultural priorities and those of the NEA, as stipulated in the Endowment’s strategic plan.<br />· Fair funding decisions based on criteria that take into account artistic excellence and merit, as determined primarily through a panel process.<br />· Maintenance of sound fiscal and administrative procedures.<br />· Demonstration of leadership in arts education and in strategies for making the arts available and accessible to those in underserved communities throughout the state.<br />About the National Endowment for the Arts<br />The National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, currently provides $778,200 in funding to the KansasArts Commission, a state agency, for grants, programs and services to artists and organizations of Kansas.<br /><br />If nothing else this outlines some criteria for how the new arts council should be structured, funded and administered and I, for one, would like to see some reassurances from the governor's office on these points.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-66568530629099628872011-03-01T09:40:00.000-08:002011-03-01T09:41:54.740-08:00What I learned in TopekaLast week I attended two days of meetings as part of the Tourism Industry Association of Kansas’ Day on the Hill. I don’t know what it is about politics, but I find it fascinating. Maybe it’s the implied power of being a lawmaker or the historic statehouse with its five floors of marble and ornate woodwork. I don’t know but it sure was a rush.<br />Our group heard from Parks and Wildlife Secretary Robin Jennison about the recent addition of Tourism to his department. Sec. Jennison is a big outdoorsman and hosted a radio show all about the outdoors for four years. This new alignment of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism will put more of an emphasis on our outdoor recreation when marketing the Sunflower State. While a few larger metros have expressed some concern their attractions will get overlooked, the consensus by Director Becky Blake and those in the industry is that it is a good move. I myself like the switch but I’m a little confused as to why it was necessary to add a third undersecretary to the department if the Governor’s ideology has always been one of smaller government.<br />The other major issue discussed was the executive reorganization order to eliminate the Arts Commission and make it a non-profit funded by private donors. The state is facing a $500 million shortfall and comparatively the Arts Commission $592,000 budget is just a drop in the bucket. <br />Arts supporters are concerned the loss of state agency status will mean a loss in federal arts funding but the Historical Society is able to accept federal funds and funnel them on to a private Arts Council. There is also concern that not having a state agency dedicated to the arts will give the stigma that Kansas is not arts-friendly. <br />My two cents are that this is not a necessary action by Governor Brownback. On the other hand, if arts supporters truly believe in supporting the arts, hopefully they will support it with their wallets when necessary.<br />By far the best meeting I had in Topeka was the time I spent with Rep. Clark Shultz talking about McPherson. I’m hoping he will support some kind of resolution to make McPherson the Olympic Basketball Capital of Kansas in time for the 75th anniversary of the Globe Refiners 1936 Olympic victory in August. If you agree, mention it the next time you see Rep. Shultz, Sen. Jay Emler or Rep. Don Schroeder. Or just thank them for all of their hard work.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-24576770604624788322011-01-31T08:02:00.000-08:002011-01-31T08:28:04.085-08:00TalentEvery year I try to make time to watch the Academy Awards. I love films. I studied them in college and have watched more than my fair share in my life. I always wondered why you never see a category for Best Producer? I guess that just defaults to the best picture winner. I also think being a good producer means recognizing good talent, giving them an opportunity to perform and basically getting the heck out of their way.<br />It's funny that in my job I've done a fair amount of producing (and Mom said my film degree was useless). I look for others with talent, enlist them in a task and then stand back and enjoy their work. Talent is a gift. Recognizing it in others is a skill. Seeing others develop their talent is a blessing.<br />One of the first "discoveries" I made as CVB director was to happen upon the Flickr photostreams of James Bruntz(sicklittlemonkey) and Jessi Bruntz (jessi). I loved their individual style but I loved even more how once these two got together their collective work improved. James and Jessi feed off each other and it's cool they're also madly in love. I'm in love with their work and if you look at any of the downtown photos James shot, you'll see his talent. James, Jessi and I judged last year's photo contest and it was one of the funnest half hours of my life. <br />Another photography talent I've been blessed to befriend is Jim Griggs, the winner of last year's photo contest. I can't claim to have given Jim a leg up when he really did me a HUGE favor in submitting to our contest last year. Jim's been published in National Geographic and his photos of wildlife at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge are, in a word, breathtaking. To see more of his work, go here: http://selective-focus.com<br />My most recent project is to put together a McPherson DVD and I was lucky enough to come across Keith Cantrell. Actually, Keith first came to me wanting to show the movie he'd made "Listening" as one of our Movies in the Park. I was happy to do it, mainly because I'd heard good things about Keith but also because he didn't charge any royalties ;). Keith has since shot some great videos of families in McPherson that you can find on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhum">YouTube channel</a> <br />I'd be lost without the enormous talent and organizational skills of our mural artist Naomi Ullum. Naomi has been decorative painting and creating murals for years. She teaches art classes at Central Christian College of Kansas. Naomi and three of her students spent weeks putting together our Globe Refiners mural last year based on a drawing Naomi created herself. She's amazing. Stop by the Wesley Black Fine Arts Center at CCCK to see what Naomi and her students are working on. Even better, volunteer to work on one of our upcoming murals and learn from Naomi first-hand.<br />This is only the tip of the iceberg of talent I get to work with. I hope you enjoy the products of our combined efforts.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-19513745012530337792011-01-31T08:00:00.000-08:002011-01-31T08:02:41.584-08:00A slow time of yearThe bad thing about January is that it’s cold and no one is traveling north of Florida, or at least not to places without a ski lift. The nice thing is you get a clean slate – a fresh budget to work with and a brand new calendar to fill with dates and appointments.<br />I’ve already booked several travel shows and conferences to attend in 2011, including the Great Escapes Expo at Fort Riley, the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson and a conference in Topeka where we get to hear about all the issues before the legislature that affect tourism.<br />I am also planning several events right here in McPherson. Traditionally, CVBs are meant to assist organizations and attractions promote their events, not to stage events on our own. Last year I got my feet wet with the Scottish Evening at the McPherson Opera House. This year we’re looking at several activities to promote the 75th anniversary of the 1936 Olympic victory in August. We might also have a large number of guests pouring in June for another event but I’ll go into that more another time.<br />Planning events is a large amount of work but also a fun way to work with volunteers and meet visitors that come to town. <br />If you’re thinking of planning an event, why not stop by the CVB office and find out how we can help? The CVB has grants, promotional information, welcome bags and will help publicize your event.<br />Please contact Pam or myself at the CVB for all of your tourism questions – (620) 241-3340 or follow the CVB on Facebook: www.facebook.com/visitmacAnne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-44826146272145764552010-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:002010-12-22T10:00:28.166-08:00Poking at beehivesCommon sense would tell you to let sleeping dogs lie or not go stirring up trouble. But sometimes it's fun to poke at beehives even if you know you might get stung.<br /><br />We've been working on making some modifications to our city welcome signs on I-135. While researching the "Signs" file I came across some great correspondence from when the city adopted its new logo in 1998. Apparently, it was not popular with several people and many wrote lengthy diatribes to the editor of the Sentinel. The logo was called an "exploding ice cream cone" and the lettering we affectionately call "the confetti logo."<br />In my naivete, one of the first things I did as CVB director was ask a graphic designer to come up with a new logo for the CVB to use. Talk about wading into a pool of alligators. He did come up with a cool line art logo using the courthouse, Gen. McPherson Statue and the trolley. As an afterthought we added a one-color version of the confetti logo. Maybe not everyone's choice of iconic figures but they worked well for the CVB's purpose. We put it on t-shirts, visitor bags, our letterhead. Most city agencies still use the 1998 logo which is great. I don't use it much, especially when printing because it's a four-color artwork. Our new CVB artwork is one-color and cheaper to print. I haven't heard much feedback on the CVB logo because we've sort of quietly put it out there. We didn't put it to a public vote or have a large committee help shape it. I probably stepped on some toes, but no disrespect was meant. <br />Trying to find a logo that makes every entity in town is impossible. Should it be Scottish? Should it be industrial? Feature historic buildings like the Opera House? We don't have an iconic symbol like the dala horse so it's doubtful we'll find one unifying logo. <br />I did come up with an "it" for the Kansas Sampler last year. It's about the closest thing we'll probably ever have to an icon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnkoa5BGUOcXAfgDhANFz-c7g5TG4JrsGtACEatgzvWK1bmAaeMC-MS4QrW5Ur3OdTX4113RcMzd5G7SWqGTlSBjAsHC6QNz3EXQH5qwNsghbZzuojp7YLROwnyfhi9k7kM0kDbyKNBk/s1600/mac.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjnkoa5BGUOcXAfgDhANFz-c7g5TG4JrsGtACEatgzvWK1bmAaeMC-MS4QrW5Ur3OdTX4113RcMzd5G7SWqGTlSBjAsHC6QNz3EXQH5qwNsghbZzuojp7YLROwnyfhi9k7kM0kDbyKNBk/s320/mac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553567966219536210" /></a>Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-40698657770147208182010-12-17T06:37:00.001-08:002010-12-17T06:37:42.269-08:00Forecasting for 2011I recently received a charm bracelet as a gift for my birthday and among the many funny charms my friend had picked out there was a crystal ball. Knowing her sense of humor I was a little hesitant to ask what it symbolized.<br />“You know how you have to predict the future when you’re putting together budgets and stuff,” she said.<br />I wish I had a gift for divination to figure out what the coming year will hold for tourism in McPherson. We really don’t fit the mold when it comes to attracting visitors. Hotels are busier during the week than the weekend and many visitors stay for a week or longer. It’s that strong industrial base we have again.<br />If I had to make a prediction for 2011 it would be that most leisure travelers are still taking smaller, more modest vacations. They roll in a weekend activity like their kid’s soccer tournament with a short family getaway. They plan their fun on the way to or from a family event. I’ve been to Disneyland once since my daughter was born 11 years ago. I’ve seen every zoo, botanical park, children’s museum, semi-pro sports team, water park, drive-in theater and outdoor festival in central and eastern Kansas several times though. <br />People still like to have fun even if their resources are limited. If you have family that’s planning to visit in 2011, why not point out some of the fun activities going on in McPherson next year – the water park, Opera House, All Schools Day, trolley rides, museum, Scottish Festival and golf course come to mind.<br />The group tour industry has a term I find interesting – a hub-and-spoke tour. Pick a central location and take day trips out from there to all the interesting sites. From Mac you can do day trips to Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Little Sweden, the Kansas Motorcycle Museum, Cosmosphere, Underground Salt Mines, Kansas State Fair or drive a scenic byway to the lake or wetlands.<br />Keeping an eye on business traveler trends is a little tougher. Most association leaders I spoke to at a recent convention are starting to weigh their loyalty to a certain meeting place against more economical alternatives like McPherson. Hopefully we’ll see an increase in this type of traveler to town too.<br />There’s my slightly rosy outlook for 2011. I hope you have a great year.<br />Please contact Pam or myself at the CVB for all of your tourism questions – (620) 241-3340Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-5715369659931676612010-11-22T09:44:00.000-08:002010-11-22T09:45:36.644-08:00Look back at 2010Now that the Globe Refiners mural is up and dedicated it’s time to be thinking of new projects for the CVB. <br />Before we do that, I want to take a minute to reflect on 2010. We’ve had a great year and accomplished several things in addition to the mural. Movies in the park are still going strong. We published our second calendar using photos from our annual “What’s Your McPherson?” contest. We’re making many contacts for conventions and group tours and our guest tax revenue for the year is up. We’ve partnered with the Chamber and Main Street on a number of projects this year. (Don’t miss all the fun activities this holiday season.) The ASD parade had a great attendance this year. We added a Saturday night event with the McPherson Scottish Festival and had about 100 people attend. Things aren’t happening overnight but they are happening. I don’t mean to take credit for the success of any of these events because everything we do is in cooperation with other organizations or volunteers in McPherson. That’s the CVB’s role, to assist others in being successful and helping market and enhance attractions and events to attract visitors to our community.<br />In an effort to do just that, next year we’ll start two new types of grants through the CVB – sports tournament grants and event/attraction grants. Our existing grant program has been limited to assisting with marketing and we saw this as a great way to encourage community members to have activities that would bring visitors to town. If you’re interested in either type of grant, call me at 241-3340 or go to www.mcphersonks.org/visit.<br />I’m excited for all that there is to look forward to in 2011. It will be the 75th anniversary of the Globe Refiners win of the national AAU tournament and participation on the gold medal Olympic basketball team. We have the 98th annual ASD, a great line-up at the Opera House, and many contests and festivals coming up. But first we have all the great holiday activities. Be sure to catch one of our holiday trolley light tours on Dec. 9, 16, 23 beginning at the Opera House. Or go ahead and purchase tickets now for the Dec. 20-22 tours beginning from the Mid-Kansas Model Railroad display at 1111 E. Kansas Ave.<br />Are you on Facebook? Check out our Visit McPherson page at www.facebook.com/visitmac for updates on upcoming community activities.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-88507566135583760682010-09-28T07:34:00.000-07:002010-09-28T08:12:10.322-07:00The same thing year after year?I just got back from a meeting of group travel leaders in Kansas City that was very interesting. I think I made some solid contacts but I also heard some thought-provoking comments. <br />One veteran planner responded to my comment that our Scottish Festival just celebrated its 17th year this year that it must be the same thing year after year and then pretended to fall asleep. I had to point out to him how untrue that assumption was -- this year alone we tried two new components for the first time -- a Scotch tasting hosted by the McPherson Museum (which sold out) and A Scottish Evening at the McPherson Opera House with a buffet, live entertainment and a Scottish country dance that more than 100 people attended. <br />The festival has been so successful because the mainstays are consistent from one year to the next. The big events like entertainment, clan tents, Highland athletics, dancing and drum and pipe competitions are well run. I've only been to the last three festivals but I've seen new offerings every year like the Highland cow exhibit and a rugby match. <br />I've been thinking of the whole reinvention idea. Performers like Madonna will reinvent themselves with each new song. Web sites like eBay are constantly tweaking and improving their business model. If you don't hone your act you become dated, kitsch and stale. Basically Madonna is still a singer and eBay is still an auction web site, but they manage to stay relevant. <br />The Scottish Festival has some of the most dedicated volunteers in McPherson and trust me they don't like it when you tinker with their proven formula for success. This year we tried something different and it worked. I think everyone was pleased with the Opera House event. Hopefully the festival will continue to embrace new ideas and stay fresh for years to come.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-14070178643455988392010-09-20T13:43:00.000-07:002010-09-20T13:45:53.044-07:00What makes a town cool?I recently read an interesting article at budgettravel.com about the coolest small towns in America. Budget Travel has run this feature on the top 10 small towns under 10,000 in population for the last five years. The towns are nominated and voted on by readers. After perusing the lists I’ve noticed some recurring features that make these towns “cool.”<br />• Scenery: Beautiful beaches, tall pine trees, lakes, mountains and rivers can be found in most every “cool” town. What’s cool about this scenery is not simply that the town is conveniently located in a scenic area, the town has taken steps to make the scenery accessible. Parks have been built along waterways, wildlife centers funded in natural areas, biking and hiking paths explore the great outdoors. These small towns haven’t just built large hotels to take advantage of the scenic views, they’ve made the scenery an integral part of their identity.<br />• Culture: Outdoor music festivals, buildings repurposed as art galleries, paintings on the sides of barns and building for the public to view and renovated theaters all help distinguish these towns as culture-friendly communities. <br />• Food: Sea salt cookie bakeries, regional barbecue, wines from local vineyards – the food is as unique as the towns themselves.<br />• Shopping: Nearly every cool town boasted a vibrant downtown with unusual locally owned businesses. Stores that sell locally made products and cater to visitors that yearn for originality stand out like the goat cheese shop in Waitsburg, Wash., or a gift shop celebrating Kennett Square’s top agriculture export – mushrooms.<br />• Imported locals: Nearly every cool town story has a transplant from the big city that fell in love with the town, sold their successful business or cashed in their stock portfolio to open a gallery/bed and breakfast/café. I take this as a sign that many Americans are looking for a better quality experience when it comes to choosing where they live or vacation.<br /><br />If you look at the list of what makes a town cool, you can see McPherson has many of those qualities. It takes nature to provide you with great scenery or agriculture opportunities but it really requires forward-thinking and innovative individuals to create a town that is interesting enough to draw new residents and visitors.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-49995994357683452892010-07-21T14:33:00.000-07:002010-07-21T14:59:49.325-07:00Civic TourismThis quote from Dan Shilling, keynote speaker for the Civic Tourism conference I plan to attend in Colorado in August, gave me quite a bit to think about lately.<br />"...tourism, as the largest industry in many states and communities, has an obligation to partner with political, cultural, environmental, and economic sectors to help craft a healthy quality of life – for residents as well as visitors. That means more than 'heads in beds' or lavish websites; it means acting as a responsible corporate citizen, socially and politically. It means leadership."<br />As I wrestle with the mission of what the CVB is for McPherson, I like to think my job is about more than putting heads in beds and helping build up the hotel business in McPherson. After all, visitors come to McPherson to conduct business, play sports, visit relatives, enjoy leisure activities and not to specifically stay in a certain hotel. Hotels are the byproduct of a vibrant community and not the other way around.<br />I had the good fortune to run into Bob Workman at two meetings I attended this week. Bob is the director of the Discovery Flint Hills Center in Manhattan that will open in 2012. Bob has a unique vision for the center to be primarily a place to tell the story of the Flint Hills and to be a non-collecting museum. He plans to have staff that is more geared to marketing and no curator. The center is being built with Star Bonds money and once built, will receive 1 percent of the 6.25 percent guest tax in Manhattan. The center will be a true draw for visitors and be adjacent to a hotel, convention center and public park that are also part of the project.<br />The more I talked with Bob, the more I liked his project. It is being backed by the city, works closely with the local university as a place for faculty to share their research, has a public area that benefits the citizens of Manhattan. It is a place to bring in traveling displays, artists, and host events in the community. It brings more traffic to the downtown shopping area and creates new jobs. I like it because it does as much for the residents as it does for visitors.<br />I also recently visited Dodge City and the Boot Hill center for the first time. Dodge has had a sales tax in place for a number of years called the "Why Not Dodge?" tax. Proceeds from the sales tax have helped complete the Boot Hill Visitor Center, a raceway and now a convention center. These projects are primarily geared to tourist but they do create jobs and help preserve a part of Dodge City's history.<br />Juxtapose this with the privately owned casino facility with its state-owned gaming equipment on the outskirts of town and I wonder who, if anyone, receives a benefit from it.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-23293120314275261592010-07-09T20:24:00.000-07:002010-07-09T20:36:24.594-07:00Celebrating others' talentsToday I stood mid-stage at Greer Auditorium at Central Christian College. My focus wasn't on an audience but the black box theater stage right. What I saw there was just as breath-taking and full of drama as any theater production -- our 16 by 32-foot mural was coming into shape under the steady hands of Naomi Ullum and her students. I'd sat with Naomi and brainstormed and looked at her sketches but seeing the Globe Refiner mural materialize and come together so beautifully made me very happy. I don't think it's a stretch to say when the mural goes up at Kansas and Ash in August it will stop traffic. <br />Tonight we announced the winners of our 2010 photo contest. We'll use all 12 winners in our 2011 calendar that we publish with the McPherson Sentinel. Choosing just 12 photos out of the 285 submitted was incredibly tough. When I look at the images of McPherson seen through the eyes of so many talented people I feel really proud.<br />It's this part of my job that I love the most -- finding ways to celebrate others' talents and sharing it with visitors and residents alike.<br />Most days I love my job but today, I really loved it.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-4177532543101670932010-06-04T12:39:00.000-07:002010-06-04T12:53:38.264-07:00Walk in the park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdMyJtcSuR3CB17q8ULMpzy5wdBBgX4CeUFXrdr772EBtOGkJXiXZnl7RcAnCHjc5jeaZ-9Y0LsDVTK_ZyBr8opm7jMSk6UrHjwgMFstiKSj0HjldAcUmAQjFdFVrxACpX5MaELgDwfk/s1600/BSA+Cabin+1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmdMyJtcSuR3CB17q8ULMpzy5wdBBgX4CeUFXrdr772EBtOGkJXiXZnl7RcAnCHjc5jeaZ-9Y0LsDVTK_ZyBr8opm7jMSk6UrHjwgMFstiKSj0HjldAcUmAQjFdFVrxACpX5MaELgDwfk/s320/BSA+Cabin+1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479008771329107794" /></a><br /><br />It's Friday afternoon and I'm excited for the weekend to get here. I don't have any grand plans but a few things to do at home this weekend. Tonight I'll walk in Relay For Life on my friend Amy's team at Wall Park. Tomorrow we will show a free movie in the park at Lakeside Park. Sunday I hope to go swimming at the McPherson Water Park with my kids. I guess my weekend is centering around parks. <br />When I first visited McPherson in 2006 we drove around town and I was struck by the beauty and the quantity of McPherson's parks. I've lived in 13 different communities in my life and the parks here are by far the most beautiful of any town I've lived in. It says much about the city's commitment to the quality of life for its citizens. But beautiful parks don't just happen. <br />Consider this from the city's Web site www.mcpcity.com:<br />The City of McPherson Park Department employees 6 full-time workers who maintain 14 city parks and public rights-of-way totaling approximately 300 acres. A wide range of activities are available in our city parks. Activities include fishing, swimming, picnicking, tennis, raquetball, basketball, and ice skating. There are also batting cages, baseball and softball fields, frisbee golf, jogging, fitness trails and a skateboard facility.<br />I know the parks department also takes care of the planters and the plaza downtown. They do hire additional summer help, but I'm telling you it's all I can do to keep my little yard mowed. I can't imagine 300 acres.<br />Get out to the park this weekend. Take a pic of your family in one of our parks, send it to me, and I'll give you a free McPherson Frisbee. Have a great weekend!Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-679390622690169092010-05-12T12:59:00.001-07:002010-05-19T18:17:50.768-07:00You are our best marketing tool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwbh1fltyLCxvFHfVgjvm3cv7L_ZuJg5LF2sSw-V2l3IyR0QzpdteopnAHwtHczaF81kwhYE9VZnXIT_Mhcjg9fTJrMAsr1zSoiFDWkpuVhfwZFW2gA80_dL4w9HoXJtMTIrJ-iasn_c/s1600/bw+holiday+manor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwbh1fltyLCxvFHfVgjvm3cv7L_ZuJg5LF2sSw-V2l3IyR0QzpdteopnAHwtHczaF81kwhYE9VZnXIT_Mhcjg9fTJrMAsr1zSoiFDWkpuVhfwZFW2gA80_dL4w9HoXJtMTIrJ-iasn_c/s320/bw+holiday+manor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470476805529988098" /></a><br />Nothing speaks louder to the benefits of a community than a person who lives there, who loves their hometown and is excited to welcome visitors to it.<br />We recently worked with Perkins, EconoLodge and Best Western to successfully bid for the 2012 Kansas State Firefighters Association annual convention. KSFFA has held their convention in McPherson before in 2003 but the whole bid would not have happened if a local member of the organization had not stepped forward and asked for our help in bidding on the convention. <br />The McPherson Fire Department and Capt. Wade Hall in particular worked with us to bid for the 250 plus person convention. To make it work we’ll use convention facilities at Perkins and Best Western that are just across the parking lot from each other.<br />We have other convention and meeting facilities as well at The Cedars and the McPherson Opera House that can accommodate large groups.<br />I know McPherson has a wide and varied workforce and population and many of us are members of one or more associations or organizations that hold district, regional or statewide meetings. <br />In April alone we saw five groups – American Legion, Optimist Club, County Treasurers and Registers of Deed, Kansas Twins Association and the Wordfest Writers Conference – hold meetings in McPherson. The CVB worked with each of those to provide gift bags, door prizes, name tags and printed information to assist with their event. We are here to help and if you would like to bid on a convention for your organization, we are the best place to start. The CVB can be a go-between the organization and convention centers, hotels, entertainment venues and caterers when pulling your bid together. If you are successful, there are many ways we can help as I mentioned before.<br />Finding local members is the best way for us to make a connection with an organization. Conventions can pump thousands of dollars into a local economy, boosting guest and sales tax. A favorable impression of our town can create return business, possibly even future residents. <br />Here’s a few talking points when considering why you should hold your meeting in McPherson:<br />• Centrally located: If you’re tired of driving to the eastern portion of the state, centralize your meeting in McPherson. We are less than 300 miles from every city in Kansas.<br />• Affordability: Convention room rates are consistently under $80 and when blocking large blocks of rooms you can save even more.<br />• Top-notch service: I’ve personally worked with the staff at all of our convention facilities and customer satisfaction is their No. 1 priority. If you don’t have a great experience, come talk to me and I’ll pass your concerns on to the right person.<br /><br />• Modern equipment: Best Western recently upgraded its A/V system and The Cedars is a new facility with modern equipment. The sound and projection at the Opera House, as John Holecek will tell you, are superb.<br />• Activities: No matter what the interest of your group is, we can find outside activities to suit them – hunting, shopping, sports, art, historical tours – you name it.<br /><br />Give Pam and I a call at the CVB, 241-3340 or check out our group meeting planner online at www.visitmcpherson.com.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-49107980643714817532010-04-22T09:57:00.000-07:002010-04-22T10:01:34.818-07:00Changing plansNobody likes to hear the word “no.” Rejection can be a tough pill to swallow and I’ve had my share of both big and small rejections since I started this job. “No” can seem like the end or can simply be the catalyst to make you try a different path and eventually accomplish the goal in a different and better way.<br />Take for example my recent application to get the 1936 Olympic Gold Medal Globe Refiners Basketball Team honored as an 8 Wonders of Kansas History. I was really excited because I think it’s the best shot we’ve had in any of the categories, but we didn’t make the cut for the top 24. Does that mean the story of this history-making team isn’t worthy of being told? Absolutely not. So instead of using the publicity from 8 Wonders, McPherson has just got to work harder at getting our story out on our own.<br />Another project I’m working on that has been meeting with some challenges lately is to paint a mural downtown this summer. I’ve been lucky to work with some great people on this project, but the site we selected has presented some real logistical challenges and the subject matter – industrial history – has been a surprisingly hard nut to crack outside of the history of the plastics industry. I still like the idea and the location but it is a much bigger project than I can pull off successfully in the next two months.<br />The two disappointments have got me thinking – why not do a more manageable mural about the Globe Refiners this year and shelve the other until next year? Let’s create our own publicity, toot our own horn and move forward. There will be more information available in the next month about how you can get involved and help with this project.<br />Another great McPherson event that’s coming up is our 97th Annual All Schools Day week of activities. I have a child who will participate in the Madathon for the first time this year and I can’t wait. During the week I’m sure we’ll hit the carnival and go to the May Fete activities. We’ll of course go to the parade and finish the week off at the free movie in the park Saturday night. Friendship and Memories seems like the perfect theme for this year’s event. I have buttons and T-shirts for sale at my office if you’d like to get a souvenir. Buttons are required at all ASD activities so be sure you have yours. You can find more information about All Schools Day at www.allschoolsday.com.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953796821916951139.post-48576521532279023572010-03-24T09:57:00.000-07:002010-03-24T10:31:28.468-07:00The Cherry on Top Department (& whatnot)I attended a talk by Creative Cities Founder Peter <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kageyama</span> to day at the McPherson Opera House. There were about 90 people there -- a pretty good turnout for 7:30 on a rainy day I thought.<br />Peter, I'm gonna call him that because that's how he introduced himself to me not because we're close friends or anything, spoke about how creativity and innovation are the natural resources of the 21st Century, similar to how oil was THE natural resource of the 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> Century.<br />Creativity is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">standardly</span> associated with artists while innovation is more linked to business and science. Creativity is a divergent process that begins a project. Innovation is a convergent process that creates an end product. Peter feels creativity and innovation are really two sides of the same coin and Apple is the best example of blurring the lines between the two.<br />It's the responsibility of all citizens to share their ideas and participate in the creative process.<br />Creative Cities will do their best to attract and retain talent and fight "brain drain." But who's job is it to attract talent to a city? The mayor can be a community's best salesman but very few people but company's don't traditionally have a director of talent.<br />The competition for talent has become a "shooting war," according to Peter. He gave the example of Louisville, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">KY's</span> mayor who will hold Kentucky meet-ups in other states to try and attract Kentucky natives to return home. Brains don't drain, they circulate and tend to come back to the community they grew up in.<br />Cities looking for talent should not focus on just one age group. Recent grads, young professionals, marrieds with children, empty <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">nesters</span> and retirees all tend to look for the same things in a community -- namely affordable housing, entertainment opportunities, transportation options beyond a car and green spaces.<br />Then he talked about growing your own elephants, fostering krill as well as whales. Despite the mixed metaphors I think his point was to encourage young talent to develop and someday create a large successful company as opposed to going after a whale-sized company in another community.<br />Ways of appealing to young talent are to appeal to their tribal tendencies, seek out and connect with an influential member of their group and let him or her spread the word. Young talent does not believe advertising and are much more likely to believe what their friends have to say via social media.<br />My favorite part had to be the Love Notes to a City portion of his speech. He said the reasons we tend to hate a city are that it has problems with its infrastructure -- potholes, lack of parking. The reasons we love a city are the little touches like murals, parks, green spaces -- the cherries on top. Great quote: "Art and culture are what make a city fall in love with itself." Pier Giorgio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Dicicco</span>. It's important we take an expansive view of arts and culture -- it's not <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">always</span> packaged in the traditional forms of symphony, opera and ballet. Another good quote: "Museums are the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">mausoleums</span> where art goes to die." I was sitting next to the McPherson Museum Director Carla Barber who got a chuckle out of that.<br />What did I take away from the lecture? I found it very helpful that Peter reinforced some of the sentiments and initiatives I've been working hard on this last year. I am a city department and while I can't improve the infrastructure I can help improve the quality of life with the small projects I take on like movies in the park, grants to help others market or stage events, hanging banners around town, holding photo contests and more. In the past the CVB adopted the stance that its job was strictly to promote and market events already taking place. I want to get more involved in hosting festivals and other events that would draw visitors to town. To do this, I need a healthy guest tax revenue, a supportive commission and the creativity and innovation necessary to think of new ideas and opportunities. Having those things is why I love my job so much.Anne Hasslerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14144498500264847682noreply@blogger.com0