June
26,
2008
IN BRIEF: TOURISM, FILM AND THE ARTS NEWS
Governor launches plan to energize cultural community
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Gov.
Martin O’Malley has invited public participation in
a new cultural planning initiative – Imagine Maryland:
2008-2013 – that will identify opportunities to enhance
the arts landscape in Maryland.
Coordinated
by the Maryland
State Arts Council (MSAC), Imagine
Maryland is intended to stimulate economic development,
boost Maryland’s quality of life, attract visitors,
and support artists and
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organizations. The
Arts Council is part of the Division of Tourism, Film and
the Arts, an agency of Maryland’s
Department of Business and Economic Development. Continue... |
State leverages tourism projects with federal grants
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The Maryland Tourism Office recently secured
$121,500 in federal grants to enhance tourism products related
to the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail and the
Underground Railroad.
A
$100,000 Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network (CBGN) grant will
help fund stewardship, accessibility and interpretation
of
the water trails portion of the Star-Spangled Banner Trail,
according to a joint announcement by (l to r) Rep.
Chris Van Hollen (second from left); Sen. Ben Cardin;
John Maounis, director, CBGN; Hannah Lee Byron, assistant
secretary, Tourism, Film and the Arts; Bill Pencek,
director of Culture and Heritage Tourism; and National Park
Service officials at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, June
16. Continue...
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Tourism Office using federal funds for I-70 Welcome Centers
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More
than $900,000 in Transportation Enhancement Program funding
and $145,000
in Scenic Byway Program funding from the Federal Highway
Administration will help the Tourism Office complete reconstruction
of its two Welcome Centers – eastbound and westbound – on
I-70 near Myersville, along the crest of South Mountain.
The reconstruction projects are designed to update and improve
visitor services at the centers. Both I-70 facilities were
built during the 1970s. When completed, the centers will
have a more contemporary look and provide visitors with an
impressive view of Maryland attractions, accommodations and
services. Continue...
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Governor names four new members of Tourism Board
Gov.
Martin O’Malley recently announced the confirmation
of four appointments to the Maryland Tourism Development
Board, effective July 1. The board is an advisory panel
for the Office of Tourism Development, the tourism-marketing
arm of the state.
“The
tourism board is a vital entity that guides our efforts
to showcase and expand Maryland tourism – the fourth
largest industry in our state,” Gov. O’Malley
said. “It’s especially valuable in today’s
competitive climate to have the counsel of a strong, experienced
tourism board.” Continue... |
Ad space available in Maryland travel guide, calendar
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Applications
for listings in the 2009 edition of Destination Maryland,
The
Official Guide to Maryland State Travel, are due by Friday,
July 11. This comprehensive directory features attractions,
itineraries, outdoor recreation and accommodations throughout
Maryland’s five regions. It will be released in March
2009.
Applications for event listings in the 2009 Maryland
Calendar of Events are also due July 11. The calendar is a magazine-style
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publication
that presents month-by-month listings from across the
state.
You
can access applications
online or by contacting Kat
Evans at Maryland’s Tourism Office, 410-767-6330. For
display advertising, call Media Two, 443-909-7828. |
DEW Tour gives city, state national exposure
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The
AST Dew Tour – an action sports competition with
$2.5 million in prize money that features skateboarding,
freestyle motocross and other related events – made
its first stop of the season at Baltimore’s Camden
Yards last weekend for the Panasonic Open. More than
52,000 people attended.
Baltimore
received national exposure through NBC’s live
two-day broadcast of the competition and the network’s
taped footage of the downtown area. The USA Network,
Fuel TV and MTV also taped segments for later use.
Maryland’s
commercial for its current tourism advertising program, “Pretty.
Close.” aired twice during the NBC broadcast. Continue... |
IN
THE NEWS:
Sun
endorses current Maryland tourism campaign
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A
June 24 Baltimore
Sun editorial states why “Tourism officials
are smart to seek visitors close to home.” Referring
to Maryland’s tourism marketing campaign, the Sun endorses
the slogan “Pretty. Close.” as the two best reasons
to make Maryland a destination. “It’s important
to remind Marylanders that seeking recreations closer to
home can make limited dollars go further.”
Maryland’s
Office of Tourism launched the current campaign in late
April. The campaign includes print advertising
(pictured), radio and television spots, Internet messages,
and a new element for this year – a 19-foot truck that
functions as an interactive billboard for the state as it
travels through the region. |
Silverdocs awards Sterlings to filmmakers
The sixth annual Silverdocs film festival ended its eight-day run
in Silver Spring June 23. Co-sponsored by the American Film Institute
and Discovery Channel, the festival screened 108 documentary
films from 63 countries. A Washington
Post article reviewed the
festival’s Saturday night awards ceremony.
Newspapers
echo state’s “Pretty. Close.” message
Three recent articles – two in the Washington
Post, one in
the Baltimore
Sun – addressed the notion that closer to home
vacations are in order this summer. The articles reinforce what
the Tourism Office has been saying in its current “Pretty.
Close.” marketing campaign: Maryland has lots to offer and
it’s all nearby. The June
12 Post article also refers to “research
showing that the vast majority of ‘visitors to Maryland are,
in fact, Marylanders or their closest neighbors.”
Tourism
experts invest in regional appeal for visitors
A June 23 front-page Baltimore Sun story, “Tourism
officials aim close to home,” quoted a variety of tourism
professionals who all agree that vacationing in Maryland is a
good bet for
regional residents. Connie Del Signore,
one of the experts quoted, is president of Anne Arundel County’s
visitor bureau. She’s
also a member of the Maryland Tourism Development Board, an advisory
group for the Tourism Office.
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
Independence
Day festivities light up Maryland skies
Calvert County museum hosts free War of 1812 lecture
The next talk in the War of 1812 lecture series, War Comes to
the Chesapeake, will be Thursday, July 10, 7 p.m., at the Jefferson
Patterson Park & Museum in St. Leonard. Ralph Eshelman,
a maritime historian and paleontologist, presents Battlefields,
Skirmishes and Encampments: Remnants of the War of 1812
in Maryland. Jefferson Park & Museum and the Calvert
Marine Museum in Solomons are co-sponsors of the series. Information,
410-586-8501.
Little Italy offers dinner and a movie on Friday nights
Baltimore’s
Little Italy presents cinema al fresco, outdoor
movies, on eight consecutive Friday nights, July 11 to Aug. 29.
The 9 p.m. screenings at the corner of High and Stiles streets
are free and open to the public. A limited number of folding
chairs are provided – you can also bring your own. This
summer’s schedule includes Moonstruck, Life
is Beautiful and Cinema Paradiso.
Cecil Arts Council presents exhibition, free concert series
The Cecil
County Arts Council’s member exhibition will
run through July 11 at the Elkton Arts Center, 135 E. Main St.,
in Elkton. The Arts Council also opens its Summer Music in the
Park concert series July 6 with the Larry Tucker Band. Concerts
take place Sunday evenings in July and August at Pell Gardens
in Chesapeake City.
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