ABCDE
– Better Together
Greetings!
This is the eightieth edition of the Monday Messenger. Its
purpose is to bring you current information about the ABCDE
project and area. ABCDE consists of local residents from
Atlanta
, Burden,
Cambridge
, Dexter and
Eastern
Cowley
County
working together for community development. If you have
anything to submit for the newsletter, please send it to shannonthom@hotmail.com.
Atlanta
Labor Day Celebration
The
annual Labor Day Celebration will be held in
Atlanta
September 1st through the 3rd. It features many
events including Lawn Mower Races, BBQ, Youth Rally, Parade, Craft
Show/Farmer’s Market, Carnival, Barnyard Olympics and many more.
For more information contact Julie at (620) 394-2794.
The
pie tasting contest was such a success that it will again be
held Sat. evening during the BBQ dinner. Pies need to be delivered
to the park by 4:30 pm. The dinner and pie tasting contest
starts at 5 pm. Briarpatch and Ice Cream Social will be following
BBQ and pie tasting contest. For additional rules and an entry
form, contact Julie.
We'll
be having a blood drive from noon - 5 pm on Monday. The Red Cross
brings their AIR CONDITIONED!! Donor Coach to town and
sets up just south of the stoplight on Omnia St. To schedule
a time, contact Tish Couch at 394-2294. Walk-ups will also be
welcome. You must have a picture form of ID or a Red Cross donor
card to donate.
Of
course there's the parade at 10:30 where the kids will need a
grocery sack to carry home the goodies (I'm serious!!). The craft
& farmers' market starts at 9:30 am, watermelon feed at
the park and various games and bingo throughout the afternoon and
the free bean feed at the
Community
Building
at 5 pm.
It’s
a day full of fun and activity! Come on up!
Atlanta
Fire Dept Labor Day Raffle
The
Atlanta Fire Dept is holding their annual Labor Day Raffle. This
year's prizes include a Troy-Bilt portable generator, 3250 watts
and a 155 piece Craftsman Tool Set. Tickets are $1 each, or 6 for
$5. Contact Phillip or Julie Headrick or any Atlanta Fire Dept volunteer for
tickets. You do not
have to be present to win.
Flint
Hills tourism workshop offered
Winfield
,
Kan.
– Tourism is growing in the Kansas Flint Hills and many current
and potential agritourism providers are looking for ways to reap
the benefits of the increasing number of visitors.
Tuesday,
September 18 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 700
Gary
in Winfield’s
Baden Square
banquet room.
To
help these current and potential agritourism providers work more
effectively together, the Center for Business and Economic
Development (CBED) of the Emporia State University School of
Business will hold a workshop on Tuesday September 18, entitled
“Packaging Agritourism Events: You can do it! We can
help!” featuring Jan Jantzen, who has successfully developed and
managed such events in the Kansas Flint Hills.
“This
workshop will explain an actual package which attracted guests
from as far as
New York
and
California
last spring. We hope that a similar package involving workshop
participants will come out of this workshop,” said Jan Jantzen,
owner of Flint Hills Adventures, LLC, and agritourism consultant.
This
workshop is for current or prospective business owners who wish to
provide visitors with such things as lodging, food, entertainment,
hunting, trail riding, music, or Kansas Flint Hills products.
Visitors to the region have shown a willingness to pay to
experience the Kansas Flint Hills and Tallgrass Prairie region.
The
workshop – developed in partnership with the Flint Hills Tourism
Coalition, the Flint Hills Resource Conservation and Development
AgriTourism Initiative, and the
ESU
School
of
Business
Small
Business
Development
Center
– is part of a series of monthly workshops designed to enhance
tourism in the Flint Hills. The July workshop in
Emporia
featured a panel of website developers discussing how better use
of your website can dramatically increase revenue. More topics for
future workshops will be announced at a later date.
For
more information, or to register for a workshop, contact Dr. Smith
at (620) 341-5345 or by email at wsmith@emporia.edu, or visit the
program’s website at www.emporia.edu/business/cbedworkshops.php.
There will be a $10 fee charged at the door to all participants.
Advertising
Opportunity at
Bluegrass
Flinthills
Aromatherapy is producing a tabloid to be distributed for free at
the Walnut Valley Festival and other shows Wanda goes to such as
the Women’s Fair in
Wichita
and Country Roundup in Winfield. If you are interested in placing
an ad featuring your
Eastern
Cowley
County
business, please contact Julie at 394-27914 or countrycookin@sktc.net.
A business card sized ad will be $20, larger ads and story combos
are also available. They’re expecting 14,000 people at the
Festival this year!
Flint
Hills Tourism Coalition
The
next meeting of the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition will be Sept 21,
2007 at Eldorado.
2007
Kansas
Tourism Annual Conference
It’s
that time of year. Another
conference that you might be interested in attending is the 2007
Kansas Tourism Annual Conference.
It will be held on September 30 – October 2 in
Topeka
. For more
information visit www.tiak.org.
I'm
in! for Group Tour Marketing
Looking
for an effective way to market small leisure group
experiences to your destination including girlfriend
getaways, guys golf trips, outdoor adventures, spa and shopping
weekends and arts and culture trips? The Department of
Commerce is looking at creating a landing page on a new website
called I'm
in!, which
combines unique trip ideas with helpful planning tools to turn
group trip planning from frustrating to fun. In order
to do this, they need a minimum of 5 itineraries to be featured on
our branded landing page. The fee for you to submit your
itinerary for the landing page is a flat fee of $50 for
a 6 month term. Please click on the following link for an
example: http://www.imin.com/partner/silos_smokestacks_iowa. If
you are interested in participating please contact Kelli Hilliard
at khilliard@kansascommerce.com
or (785) 296-4922 for more information.
Kansas
Downtown Development Association’s Conference
Plan
to attend the Kansas Downtown Symposium October 10-12th
in
Hutchinson
. Presented by the KDDA, this symposium will feature
Downtown Success Stories, Streetscape Development, How
Attractions, Art and Tourism Work for Downtowns. Watch for
more information in the Monday Messenger.
Flint
Hills Heritage Conference
The
first ever Flint Hills Heritage Conference will be held on Friday,
October 19 in
Cottonwood Falls
,
Kansas
. A registration
flyer is attached. The
ABCDE project participates in the Kansas Flint Hills Tourism
Coalition, the sponsor of the conference.
The cost is $35.00 per person.
There will be discussion on applying for National Heritage
Area designation.
Mark
Your Calendars
A
celebration dinner will be held for the end of the ABCDE
Governor’s Pilot Project on Saturday, October 20th.
The dinner will feature products made in
Cowley
County
and will hold much fun and surprises!! Watch for more
information in the Monday Messenger. The Fall Farm and Ranch
Tour will also be held that day along with the Dexter Country
Music Opry.
Do
you have an idea for a business?
Jack
has assisted 20 businesses in
Eastern
Cowley
County
since ABCDE joined QUAD.
Through
2007, business owners and those with business ideas have access to
a Professional Business Coach. His name is Jack Newcomb and
he is available for free, confidential advice and he will even
come to you. Through the ABCDE program, we have joined the
QUAD EF project and have access to their business coach.
Many local banks, businesses and Cowley First assisted to pay the
QUAD membership fee through December of 2007. For more
information contact Jack at (620) 249-2108.
UNIQUE
WEDDING LOCATION
The Backdoor Garden Room
at The Gathering Place in
Dexter
,
KS
is now taking reservations for your unforgettable wedding moment. Unforgettable
wedding moments can be yours when you choose The Back Door Garden
Room for your ceremony. Imagine, taking your marriage vows in a
quiet small town atmosphere, in an historic setting. A lush,
flower-filled setting will surround the bride and groom as your
closest friends witness the beginning of your new life. Listen and
you will hear the delightful sounds of our waterfall as you walk
down the aisle. Use our bridge for wedding pictures to record the
beginning of your new life.You will be able to have the ceremony
and reception in the same place. It's
your wedding, and your reception--why follow the 'cookie-cutter'
approach? Make your special day most memorable by holding it in a
non-traditional place--or even in a smaller way.Your
wedding day is always the day you remember for ever, so why not
make sure it truly is the most memorable event in
your life, reserve your special date now at The Back Door Garden
Room. If your
wedding ring has the perfect setting, why not your wedding itself?
Although we specialize in weddings and receptions and other
festive occasions, such as Red Hat groups, birthday and
anniversary parties, we can also accommodate your next seminar,
sales meeting, or corporate function. Call, 620-876-3188
620-876-5560
620-876-5579 620-876-5768
to make reservations. Memories begin at The Back Door Garden
Room!
ABCDE
Website
Don’t
forget to visit www.cowleynet.com
for information about the ABCDE project.
Upcoming
Activities/Events
September
1-3
Atlanta
Labor Day Celebration
September
18
Flint Hills Agritourism Packaging Workshop
September
22
Burden Celebration
September
28-30 Blackdog
Festival, Dexter
To
submit information for the newsletter, send an e-mail to Shannon
Thom Martin at
shannonthom@hotmail.com.