Gulf Shores plans for a second beach concert
From the article “After Jimmy Buffett success, Gulf Shores gets go-ahead for 2^nd concert” by Russ Henderson in the Press-Register:

Two weeks after Jimmy Buffett’s free performance brought a needed boost to coastal businesses, Gulf Shores officials said Thursday that they now have the go-ahead to spend $2 million in BP PLC money on a second concert to take place sometime in August. ”Just like the Buffett concert, we anticipate it will again be a no-charge event, but a ticketed event,” said Grant Brown, Gulf Shores’ director of recreation and cultural affairs. No artist has been announced for the show.  Organizers favor the weekend of Aug. 21-22, but the concert’s date will ultimately be up to the artist, he said. “There’s a lot of conversation in town, and everybody in town thinks they know something,” said Mike Foster, vice president of marketing for the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. “But really, there’s not a lot to know, yet.” State tourism officials met in Gulf Shores with representatives of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, Brown said. Contracts were sent to the three artists soon after that meeting.

The Knowland Group, which collects data in the tourism industry, surveyed hotels within 75 miles of Gulf Shores July 19-20. The survey found that 60 percent of guests who came for the Buffett concert stayed two nights or more. Almost 90 percent of respondents said the concert helped their business, but 60 percent reported that bookings dropped off again after the concert, according to survey results.   “The purpose is economic stimulus and awareness, to bring additional people to our area at a time when it’s harder to get people here,” Brown said. The U.S. Travel Association released an Oxford Economics study projecting that the BP spill could cost Gulf Coast economies $22.7 billion over three years. The study concludes that an “aggressive and comprehensive $500 million effort to attract visitors to the Gulf Coast could reduce the total economic impact by $7.5 billion.” The Buffett concert was the first in a series planned by the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Alabama Tourism Department using BP PLC money to promote tourism. BP’s tourism grant to Alabama was $15 million. ”If we can continue to hold these concerts through the summer, maybe we can help the local businesses get through the summer,” Brown said.

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/after_jimmy_buffett_success_gu.html

“Star Wars” exhibit breaks even in first 10 days
From the article “Star Wars exhibit breaks even in first 10 days in Huntsville, more than 29,000 have attended” by Chris Welch in The Huntsville Times:

During the last month, crowds have come out in force to see The Force. This week marks the one-month anniversary of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s new exhibit, “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination,” and officials couldn’t be happier.  The traveling exhibit from the Boston Museum of Science, based on the George Lucas film series, has drawn more than 29,000 people since opening June 25 in Huntsville and broke even financially within the first 10 days of the exhibit, according to Space Center CEO Larry Capps. The exhibit, which features costumes, props, models and hands-on exhibits, remains here through Sept. 6. “I’m exceedingly pleased at the new visitors that come here,” Capps said. “We’ve seen more young children than we ever see at a normal day at the museum. There’s a lot of mothers and daddies with strollers, in fact two or three strollers.” “It’s essentially everything we hoped it would be,” said Al Whitaker, director of media relations for the Space Center. “We’re getting people who would not have come to the Space and Rocket Center otherwise. It’s like a brand new facility.”

On July 17, a Saturday, 4,185 people visited the Space Center, the highest one-day attendance in the museum’s 40-year history. The previous record was 3,200, Whitaker said. On that Saturday, 3,456 people visited the museum, including 2,368 who came to the “Star Wars” exhibit. There were also 522 people there for special events – a wedding reception and family reunion picnics – and 207 kids for the weekend camp programs, including a group from China. “It’s that July attitude,” Whitaker said. “There’s so many schools that go back in August, and for whatever reason, people are getting that last hurrah.” Capps said the initial projections of 150,000 people through the exhibit by Sept. 6 was a little ambitious and based on the numbers that had attended the same exhibit in Portland, Ore. He said some of that shortfall may be because the numbers of people from the North that traditionally stop off at the Space Center on the way to the beach are down this year because of the Gulf oil spill. Capps said only 1 in 20 museum visitors from up North say they’re going to the beach this summer. So far, the highest percentage of visitors are from Alabama, followed by Tennessee and Georgia, proving the exhibit is “a regional thing,” Capps said. Still, Capps said the exhibit is on course to be a great boost for the Space Center. He’s digging into the data and may file a claim with BP if it turns out the oil spill has affected the center’s numbers. “As far as the total numbers, we’re probably not going to be where we thought we might be – 150,000 new visitors,” Capps said. “But, we met our break-even point in the first 10 days, and it will still be a big success.”

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/entertainment-times/2010/07/star_wars_exhibit_breaks_even.html#incart_hbx

Tram links Huntsville tourism sites
From the article “Tram links two tourist sites” by Sarah Cure in The Huntsville Times:

A $2.6 million tramway system connecting the Huntsville Botanical Garden and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is now open to visitors seeking easy access to both attractions.  The tramway, which consists of an open-air, electric-powered shuttle bus and trailer that travels along a newly created roadway between the two attractions, made its official debut July 16. U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, had been appropriating Federal Transit Administration money toward the project for several years. The project included paving part of Tranquility Base and Crater and Phantom roads, constructing a new bridge over McDonald Creek, and landscaping. The money also paid for new sidewalks, streetlights and security gates, said Holly Beach, vice president of marketing at the Space Center. “We have worked with the Botanical Garden for a long time from a promotion standpoint to capitalize on this area as a mini-destination,” Beach said.  “We are excited to continue to work with them, market events together and share tourism business.” Similar to a small bus, the open-air tram and its trailer were both acquired in 2008 through a federal transportation grant for the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, Beach said. The tram holds 14 passengers while the adjoining trailer seats 18.  Beach said the plan is to purchase two additional trams in the future.

“Thousands of people visit both the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and the Botanical Garden each year, making them important components of Huntsville’s tourism industry and economy,” Shelby said in a statement. “The tramway will alleviate traffic congestion in the area that results from visitors traveling from one destination to the other.” According to Charles Winters, the executive vice president of the Huntsville-Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center is the top paid tourist attraction in Alabama with 470,000 visitors. The Huntsville Botanical Garden came in as the sixth most visited tourist attraction in the state with 300,000. Although the tram’s route schedule is not finalized, Beach said it will first be used three times a day on Fridays and Saturdays. The schedule will be expanded based on customer needs.  “As we develop the route, visitors can be dropped off either at the Botanical Garden or at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center,” she said.  “And, it’s free.” Paula Steigerwald, president and chief executive officer of the Huntsville Botanical Garden, said it’s humbling and encouraging “to us to be linked with the No. 1 attraction in the state as we continue to grow.” “I feel that it will further advance Huntsville’s position as a tourism hub,” Steigerwald said.  “We have already met about future projects as well as expanding Galaxy of Lights and changing its entrance for public safety.”

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/07/tram_links_two_tourist_sites.html

Shoals tourism project a success

From the article “Gasoline tax collections for tourism project ahead of payback schedule” by Tom Smith in the Times Daily:

Sheffield Mayor Ian Sanford remembers the negative remarks he and other leaders heard in 2003 when the decision was made to add a 2-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax to finance a tourism project in the Shoals. “It was going to ruin the Shoals, and it was going to be the final nail in the coffin in the area,” said Sanford, recalling a small portion of the pessimistic remarks he heard. Sanford is a member of the Shoals Public Park Authority, which was formed to oversee the tourism partnership with the Retirement Systems of Alabama. The authority also is charged with making sure the gas sales tax is used to pay off a $16 million bond that local governments obtained to pay for their portion of the nearly $100 million project. “(This project) has done nothing but the opposite of what people were saying then, and I never hear a negative word now,” Sanford said. The gasoline tax was added in June 2003 for all gas sold in Colbert and Lauderdale counties. Proceeds go toward retiring the $16 million bond debt. The total payoff of the 30-year bond, including interest, is $17.9 million. At the present rate, the bond will be retired in 2021, about 12 years ahead of schedule.

By most everyone’s account, the tourism project, which includes two 18-hole courses in Colbert County that are now part of the famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail as well as a luxury hotel in Florence, has been a huge success. “This has helped people look at tourism as something to boost the economy,” said Susann Hamlin, director of the Colbert County Tourism Bureau. “It put a new light on tourism and how important it is to our area.” Rex Burleson, president of the Shoals Public Park Authority, said the project has exceeded expectations. “It has created jobs and brought money to this area that otherwise would not have been coming in,” Burleson said. “We took a lot of heat (for the decision), but I have people come to me now and say they understand what we were doing. They understand now that it wasn’t just building a golf course; it was about economic development.” Burleson and other authority members said they also are pleased that the bond will likely be repaid sooner than anticipated. They said the project would never have materialized without a consistent funding mechanism. Johnny Dill, an agent for Joe Jolly and Co., said the gasoline tax has generated about $10.8 million to date. “It’s still on target to pay off before the 30 years,” Dill said. The gasoline tax is producing an average of more than $1.6 million per year. And the amount coming from the two counties are very similar – $5.44 million in Lauderdale and $5.41 million in Colbert.

“This has been a wonderful project for this area,” said Florence Councilman Dick Jordan, vice president of the park authority. “This is something the entire area can be proud of. “It amazes me every time I’m at the Marriott (Shoals Hotel and Spa) and looking over that complex and seeing what has been done there. Then you look at the number of people using the conference center and the golf course. It’s really unbelievable what (the project) has done.” Dill said one reason for some of the initial negative reactions is because the project wasn’t about “smokestacks and manufacturing.” “It was meant to bring people to the Shoals, and it has done that,” Dill said. Burleson said he constantly meets people from other states who come to play golf at the Trent Jones complex. “People from every state and even six or seven foreign countries have been here,” Burleson said. One of the golf courses opened in August 2004, with the other following in July 2005. The number or rounds played at the complex has remained steady despite tough economic times, officials said. “We’re averaging about 43,000 rounds of golf each year,” said Libby Watts, sales and marketing director for the local Robert Trent Jones operation. “I still drive by the parking lot and look at the license plates and it’s really amazing at the number of people from out of the state.”

Watts said the national advertising the area has received from the RSA project has lured companies in for retreats, conferences and seminars – “things that the area was never looked at before.” “People who didn’t know a lot about us before thought we were just a sleepy little area,” Hamlin added. “Now, they know who we are and where we are, and that’s because of the project.”  Burleson said the project attracts travelers who previously passed through northwest Alabama on the way to somewhere else. “Now, they come here for a reason and they spend their money here before going home or heading somewhere else.” Kerry Gatlin, dean of the College of Business at the University of North Alabama, said the project has had a positive impact on the local economy. “While I don’t have specific data, I regularly observe a substantial number of guests with out-of-region license plates at the Marriott and conference center,” Gatlin said. “In my travel, I find very few communities of our size with a conference center that equals that of the Shoals. The same can be said for the RTJ golf courses.  “The economic impact of the two facilities goes beyond current spending, however. The executive business traveler who spends a few days in the Shoals is invariably impressed with our community. This places our community on their radar screen when expansion opportunities arise. Being on the radar screen won’t close the deal – but it is a first and necessary step – and the conference center and RTJ courses clearly play an important role in putting us up for consideration.”

Jordan said the project also launched a productive relationship between the Shoals and RSA Executive Director David Bronner, who also has invested in other areas or the Shoals economy, including Wise Alloys and National Railcar. His total investment in the Shoals is nearing $1 billion. “There were some bumps in the road along the say, but it was fun and it’s great to sit back now and look at the fruits of the labor and the success of the RSA project for this area,” Jordan said. “The best part of the whole thing was it never became ‘I’ or ‘me,’ it was ‘we’ and what’s best for the Shoals. “It has been a true partnership, and we’re reaping the benefits. It was, still is and will always be a win-win situation for northwest Alabama.”

For the complete article please see http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20100725/NEWS/100729873/-1/news06?Title=Gasoline-tax-collections-for-tourism-project-ahead-of-payback-schedule 

 

 

Fitzgerald history in Montgomery
The F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery is the only museum in the world dedicated to the Fitzgeralds. The museum is located in the house where F. Scott, Zelda and their daughter Scottie lived in Montgomery from 1931 to 1932. F. Scott wrote his book “Tender is the Night” and Zelda outlined her book “Save me the Waltz” while living in the house. The Fitzgerald Museum is a part of the Southern Literary Trail. http://www.southernliterarytrail.org/montgomery.html 
    

From the article “Jazz Age couple met, married in Montgomery” by Wesley P. Newton in the Montgomery Advertiser:

Most Montgomerians know Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald were one of the most famous couples of the jazz age, but many don’t real­ize where, or how, the couple met. Since April 1917, the Unit­ed States had been an active combatant in World War I (then known as the Great War). Shortly after the American Congress’s decla­ration of war, Montgomery was the recipient of a U.S. Army military base named Camp Sheridan. The first infantry division that arrived at Camp Sheri­dan was a federalized Indi­ana National Guard unit, the 37th “Buckeye” division. After it left the camp for the deadly trenches of northern France in the summer of 1918, a newly created Army infantry division composed of personnel from various states arrived. Most of the enlisted per­sonnel in the ninth were draftees from the Selective Service Act of 1917. One of the ninth’s junior commis­sioned officers was 1st Lt. F. (Francis) Scott Key Fitzge­rald, a native of St. Paul, Minn. In Montgomery, upper-class women dated, but few married, commissioned offi­cers. Zelda Sayre’s father was an associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Only 17, she attracted many officers who were training to be pilots at Tay­lor Field, though she only dated a few. Several of the lucky ones buzzed her home in Montgomery in their div­ing aircraft.

Scott Fitzgerald was more interested in writing than in soldiering. He had begun a novel and spent much of his spare time working on the manuscript. He also spent much of his spare time being sociable in Montgomery. As one of his biographers (An­drew Turnbull) described him: he had “a trim figure in his Brooks Brothers un­iform … There was a dash about him, a greyhound leanness and elegance. …” In mid-July, 1918, Scott ob­tained a pass to dance at the Montgomery Country Club, then located several miles east of the city. The crowd that night consisted mainly of upper class young women and young commissioned of­ficers from Camp Sheridan and Taylor Field. The most popular young woman that night (and many nights) was Zelda Sayre, a recent high school graduate who would soon turn 18. Daring and mischie­vous, and spoiled by her mother, she loved to shock both her peers and adults. One of her biographers, Sal­ly Cline, has described her physical beauty: “As Zelda blossomed into a young woman, people remarked that there was something theatrical about her eyes. They changed color: some­times blue, sometimes green, most often Confeder­ate gray. Young men stared at Zelda, and she stared right back. Her peaches-and-cream complexion was so archetypically romantic,” and she also had a “kissable mouth.” When Scott first saw Zel­da, he was attracted not only by her physical beauty, but also by her being the Belle of the Ball. As she danced with one officer, others continu­ally cut in. Scott seized his chance as soon as they were dancing together. For the next two months, Scott dated her, although Zelda continued to date other men. A point in his favor was that his neatness and polite man­ner positively impressed her parents, especially her mother. He wrote in his ledger on Sept. 7, 1918 that he was in love with Zelda.

For the complete article please see http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107250334

Upcoming “Great Alabama Homecoming” events
Some 215 towns across Alabama welcome you home this year during the Great Alabama Homecoming. It’s all part of the Year of Alabama Small Towns & Downtowns- a celebration of everything that is Sweet Home Alabama.  There are homecoming events and festivals going on practically every weekend through mid-December. Upcoming events include:

July Fest- Vina- July 31
Harpersville Homecoming- Harpersville- July 31-Aug. 1

Fairfield Music Festival- Fairfield- Aug. 7
Cotton Mill Reunion- Valley- Aug. 7
Back-to-School Homecoming- Five Points- Aug. 13-14
Centennial Celebration- Lipscomb- Aug. 13-15
Founders Day Celebration- Hobson City- Aug. 14-15
Littleville Fun Fest- Littleville- Aug. 14
Rickwood Centennial- Birmingham- Aug. 18
Homecoming Celebration- Athens- Aug. 20-21
Founder’s Day Festival- Fultondale- Aug. 21
Priceville Annual Cruise-In- Priceville- Aug. 21
Watermelon Festival- Russellville- Aug. 21
Killen Founder’s Day- Killen- Aug. 27-28
A Homecoming Celebration- Wadley- Aug. 28