Kudos to Our State magazine for the series 5 Things to Do In My Town, asking readers to become tour guides and tell everyone what to do when they visit their town and publishing them on their website. http://www.ourstate.com/new-bern/
And kudos to Wendy Card, Susan Cook and Thea Kinkaid for doing just that. Readers can go to it and read a very comprehensive article on what to see and do in New Bern and Craven County. It is an enticement that is very timely in encouraging visitors to come and enjoy all the City has to offer.
When I called the owner of the mega yacht Seafair last year in late October to inquire if they would come to MUMFEST 2012 (Seafair was at the 2011 Seafood Festival) the objective was having a new art venue at MUMFEST that would draw visitors from across the state and showcase our city as a cultural art center.
The festival, originally created as a revitalization strategy to bring people downtown, has continued to do so on a large scale by expanding with the community’s support into a major signature, award winning event with an economic impact of over $5 million.
The big push now is working with the Tourism Development Authority to increase “heads on beds”, i.e. attracting visitors to the festival to stay for a minimum of two, three or four days, filling our hotels, eating in our restaurants, shopping and visiting our museums and attractions.
SeaFair, with three decks and 28 galleries of fine art, jewelry and sculpture, has the potential of helping us reach that goal. Downtown’s reputation as an art and cultural center is burgeoning. Our partnership with the Craven Arts Council & Gallery to kick off the festival festivities with Arts Ahoy, a fundraising art venue aboard SeaFair, moored at the New Bern Grand Marina, will benefit both organizations and reinforce the importance of the arts in this community. The support of many businesses and organizations for this venue and goal is further strengthened by the support of Governor Beverly Perdue and Larry Wheeler, Executive Director of the NC Art Museum who are serving as hosts for the Arts Ahoy First View of the two tier opening.
Several thousand invitations were mailed statewide with an insert inviting people to attend this event and extend their stay throughout the weekend. For the first time on Friday, retailers and artists will host unique art exhibits, lecture series, concerts and more to enhance visitors to take advantage of this outstanding weekend.
Our State’s publication of 5 Things to Do in New Bern couldn’t be timelier, as it is probably a good bet the majority of those who receive our invitation to the October 11 Arts Ahoy event are also Our State subscribers.The website http://www.visitnewbern.com/ offers further encouragement with a Charm package offering discounts for accommodations, shops and attractions.
The article submitted by three of New Bern's biggest cheerleaders, Wendy, Susan and Thea will surely play a major role in helping us reach our goal of enticing visitors to discover a city rich in the arts, culture, history, outdoor recreation and community spirit, festival weekend and beyond.
It takes a village!
Tell us what you think.
Susan Moffat Thomas
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