Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The bureau executive director is open to suggestions about how to promote agriculture.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MERCER, Pa. — Janet McDougalll will be nominated to the Mercer County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau board of directors next month in an effort by county commissioners to promote the county’s agricultural activities more intensely.
McDougall is the interim regional director of the Cooperative Extension in the Northwest Region.
County Commissioner Kenneth Seamans said Tuesday that even though agriculture is the county’s largest industry, he does not feel it has been promoted aggressively enough by the bureau. He said the bureau is weighted toward businesses andin the past agriculture hasn’t had “much of a voice.”
Seamans said since the bureau receives about $600,000 in hotel/motel taxes a year, he thinks that the numerous fairs and other activities serving local agriculture should receive more promotion.
‘Open to suggestions’
Peggy Mazyck, the bureau’s executive director, contacted later Tuesday, said that she is “certainly open to suggestions.”
She said the bureau considers agricultural fairs as tourism events and lists them in its calendar of events on its Web site and in its visitors guide. She said some of these include the Stoneboro Fair, Mercer County Grange Fair, the Jefferson Township Fair and the Jamestown Community Fair. She said it is possible that Seamans doesn’t feel that the agricultural events are advertised enough. She said she would welcome any of McDougall’s ideas for developing an agricultural farm tour or similar events.
Mazyck said that the bureau has a membership of about 160 people from mostly tourism-related businesses who will vote on a slate of members that the nominating committee will present at its annual meeting June 13. She said that McDougalll will be on the slate and that the list presented by the nominating committee has always been approved by the membership.
McDougall was traveling on business and not available Tuesday to comment.