Seven communities banding together

to promote tourism  

by Felice E. Krycia

     Here in the Southtowns we just about have it all, and the Southtowns Community Enhancement Coalition wants to market it to the rest of the world.

     That is the plan, but just how to do that is the big question for the seven municipalities that make up the coalition.

     The coalition consists of the towns of Brant, Eden, Evans and North Collins and the villages of Angola, Farnham and North Collins.

     Last week the towns of Eden and Evans hosted two separate informational meetings presented by the Institute for Local Governance and Regional Growth at the University at Buffalo.

     At the Feb. 3 meeting at Evans Town Hall, Rachel M. Teaman and Kathryn A. Foster discussed the multiple goals of the group, which includes not only marketing the various and unique assets in the seven municipalities, but also preserving the rural atmosphere of the area.

     “One of the biggest tourist attractions is agri-tourism,” said Foster, who serves as the Institute’s director. “Agriculture is an important part of the history and life of this area. There is a diverse base of agriculture from alpacas and dairy to a wide variety of cultivated farms.”

     Already a big agricultural draw is the annual Eden Corn Festival, now a four-day event whose roots are based in the agricultural history of Eden, as well as the two-day Langford Down Home Country Weekend, which features a country jamboree and truck and tractor pull events.

     In addition, the Tomato Festival in Evans, a relatively new event that offers a multitude of events at Evangola State Park.

     Other points of interest in the area that are considered tourism strengths include the following:

   •  Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural gem Graycliff in Derby.

   •  The Kazoo Factory in Eden.

   •  The historic one-room schoolhouse and some Quaker landmarks in North Collins.

   •  Several old cemeteries where early settlers, Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans are buried.

   •  Plenty of railroad history, including a site in Angola where over 50 people were killed, and possible connections to the Underground Railroad.

   •  Beaches and scenic overviews along Lake Erie, with the potential for boat launches and camping.

     Since December 2004, when the seven municipalities formed the coalition, town and village officials have been working together to develop a tourism strategy that would promote economic development and an improved quality of life.

     They have since developed a two-phase plan for the Partnering for Tourism Development in the Southtowns of Erie County, with phase one including writing grants for funding, making an inventory of tourism assets, which include hospitality services such as dining, lodging and shopping, and creating a database of all of this information.

     “There are a lot of niche businesses in the area, but lodging is lacking,” said Foster. “There’s this saying, ‘heads on beds is where the money comes in’ and it’s so true. If you can get people to stay overnight, they spend more money in the area.”

     The first phase of the project was to identify the strengths and weaknesses in the area and was funded by a $37,000 grant from the New York State Quality Communities initiative.

     According to Lori Szewczyk, the coalitions coordinator and community development director of Evans, they have already submitted three more grant applications for additional funding for the second phase.

     “This would be developing a long-term vision and strategic plan for tourism,” said Teaman, pointing out issues such as signage, transportation, visitor information and proper marketing need to be addressed.

     “We want to make this the place people come to on purpose, not as a mistake,” added Foster.

     According to Tom Perkins, one of the owners of the Evans Country Depot near the intersection of Route 20 and Eden Evans Center, that’s exactly what is happening now. “People pull in here looking for directions because they got off the Thruway here by mistake,” said Perkins. “People are asking the same questions... where can I launch my boat, where can I hook up my RV and where the heck am I?”

     The ultimate goal of the group is to make it so that Exit 57A is the destination and not the mistake for future motorists traveling through the Southtowns.