FIND AN ADVENTURE in FORT DODGE E-News Quarterly June 2017 Fort Dodge CVB Staff 24 N 9 th Street, Suite C Fort Dodge, Iowa 50501 888.573.4282 www.fortdodgecvb.com Kerrie Kuiper Executive Director Kerrie celebrated her 10-year anniversary with the Fort Dodge CVB June 4 th, 2017. Kerrie was named President of the Central Iowa Tourism Region. The CITR is one of three tourism regions in the state. CITR works with communities, attractions, events and visitor services on tourism development and marketing initiatives. Her term runs from July 1, 2017 June 30, 2018. Congratulations Kerrie! Emily Johnson Intern Emily joined the Fort Dodge CVB on May 8th for the summer as an intern. Emily is a graduate of St. Edmonds High School and is currently a junior at Creighton University in Omaha, NE. She plans to earn her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a major in chemistry and eventually enter graduate school with the hopes of an occupation in orthodontics. Emily is busy this summer not only working at the CVB but also at Lefti s Bar and Grill. Emily is working on a variety of projects including the Find Fort Dodge reference binders for lodging and hospitality businesses; updating and stocking promotional materials and assisting with the Fireball Run efforts as part of the public events committee. Connie Lind-Fraher Visitor Services Director Connie joined the CVB team on May 1 st after a successful career as President/Owner of her family s business, A-1 Home Healthcare. Connie is and has been involved with numerous boards and activities in the community. She is a past recipient of the Athena Business Woman of the Year award, Fort Dodge Small Business of the Year and Medical Equipment Provider of the Year award. Connie works with tour groups, provides services to special events and has also joined the Fireball Run efforts working on the marketing, reception and public event committees. She is also the newsletter editor.
Fort Dodge CVB Sports Shows Marketing Campaign Kerrie Kuiper represented the Fort Dodge region at six sports shows the first quarter of the year. She marketed the outdoor recreational opportunities including Gypsum City OHV, water trails, Fort Dodge multi-purpose trail system, mountain biking trails, equestrian trails, Brushy Creek State Recreational Area, fishing and snowmobile trails. This project was partially funded through a grant from the Iowa Tourism Office. 2017 IOWA BIKE EXPO The Iowa Bike Expo was held January 21, 2017 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The main topics of interest about Fort Dodge were the Fort Dodge bike and water trails.
2017 Cedar Rapids Sports Show The Cedar Rapids Sports Show was held Feb. 10-12, 2017. Brushy Creek State Park fishing, camping and water trails were the main interest of visitors to the Fort Dodge booth.
2017 Quad Cities Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Adventure February 16-19, 2017 Rock Island, IL hosted the Quad Cities Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Adventure Show. A large camping and fishing crowd attended. Kerrie told visitors the positives of fishing on a no-wake in Brushy Creek as an alternative to fishing on the Mississippi River. 2017 Omaha Boat, Sports & Travel Show Emily Johnson joined Kerrie February 23-26, 2017 in Omaha for the Omaha Boat, Sports & Travel Show. Destinations from South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Missouri and Canada were all participants. Gypsum City OHV, water trails, snowmobiling and camping opportunities were the top marketing points made by staff.
2017 Eastern Iowa Sports Show The 2017 Eastern Iowa Sports Show was held at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, March 11 13, 2017. Attendees learned of the opportunities in the Fort Dodge Region for camping, fishing and water trails. Brushy Creek and Gypsum City OHV park were the most popular destinations discussed.
2017 Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo Minneapolis hosted our last event April 28-30, 2017. The Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo was held in a tent in a parking lot in downtown Minneapolis. The attendees were very environmentally conscious and had major interests in biking and water trails. Vendors were encouraged to offer a drawing item for the Beer and Gear event. Thank you to the following businesses for their contributions to the CVB basket: AmericInn lodging certificate; Shiny Top - $20 gift card; Soldier Creek Winery - $25 gift certificate; Fort Frenzy two passes; Fort Museum two passes and buffalo toy.
CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING On April 19 th, Brenda Clark-Hamilton, Fresh Coffee Professional Growth Programmer, presented and facilitated a Customer Service Training Workshop. It was conducted in two sessions for a total of 110 attendees. Businesses that sent staff will be offered the Find Fort Dodge customer service training packet as well as a video of the training. The Fort Dodge CVB was recognized by the Iowa Tourism Office for its support of 2A and Boys contributions Golf to the State travel industry Tournament in Iowa. Nicole Yoder, Marketing Liaison, Iowa Tourism Office, presented the certificate to Kerrie Kuiper and Connie Lind-Fraher at the CVB office on May 10, 2017. 2017 2A Boys Golf State Tournament The 2017 2A Boys Golf State Tournament was held at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course on May 26-27. Almost 100 student athletes vied for the championship title. Congratulations to Carter Stochl from New Hampton, IA as individual champion and to the Clear Lake team for capturing the team championship.
Iowa Men s and Women s Senior State Bowling In April and May, Fort Dodge hosted the Iowa Senior State Bowling Tournament for both the Men s and Women s division at Family Bowling Center. Thank you to the Fort Dodge Area Bowling Association and all the volunteers who made this tournament possible. Frontier Days The Fort Dodge tradition of Frontier Days took place June 2 4 th. The theme of the 43 rd annual Frontier Days parade was, Live Today. Love Tomorrow. Unite Forever. Activities included live entertainment, food/craft vendors, kids tractor pull and historical artisans providing living history demonstrations. The Fort Museum and Frontier Village were open for viewing. Preserve Iowa Summit Fort Dodge hosted the Preserve Iowa Summit, June 8 10 th. The Summit is the only statewide annual conference for professionals and volunteers involved in historic preservation in Iowa. The Summit featured 30 education sessions and had 300 attendees. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this event such a success! Keynote Speaker, Thompson M. Mayes begins the Summit with Why Old Places Matter at the First Methodist Church.
One of the 30 education sessions held at Grace Lutheran Church. The CVB staff volunteered at the Summit, helping with registration, hosting a booth in the exhibit hall and provide information to Find Their Adventure, Experience Fort Dodge and Create Memories. A drawing for this basket of Fort Dodge products was held at Soldier Creek Winery.
The Fireball Run: Big Country The Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau is the Community Liaison between the production crews, the community and its attractions. The Fireball Run is filming in Fort Dodge September 27 th 28 th. A variety of committees have been developed and members have been diligently preparing for this big event. Volunteers are always needed and appreciated! Please contact our office, 515-573-4282 if you are interested in joining the fun. Our website has times and dates for upcoming watch parties! Our next watch party at the Crossroads Mall will be August 15 th. Please put the late afternoon of September 27 th and early morning of September 28 th on your calendar to join us at the Fireball Run public events. Be part of the fun by interacting with the teams and the festivities planned for the community.
SHELLABRATION 2017 Shellabration returns July 8 th featuring Huey Lewis and the News at the Harlan Rogers Sports Complex. This not-to-be missed event is general admission, festival-style (bring your own chair) event. There will be a wide array of food, soft drinks and adult beverages available for purchase!
The Beginning of a New Opportunity to Connect with Nature A new opportunity for kids to connect with nature debuted at Kennedy State Park. A natural playscape opened as the first phase of Discovery Point, a plan for an area that juts out into Kennedy Lake. Some of the features of the playscape are a tree house, rock climbing wall, sandbox and a water feature where kids pump their own water from a platform and it runs through a dry bed. Prairie areas, new trails and an observation tower are also a part of the area.
More Events Iowa Girls State Softball Tournament July 17-21 Applefest 5K & 10K Fun Run/Walk October 1st Dragon Boats August 11-12 Please visit our website www.fortdodgecvb.com and our Facebook page for a complete listing of all events happening in our area! In Memory of Dan Payne The Fort Dodge Visitors and Convention Bureau has made application to the City of Fort Dodge to have a block of either 1 st Avenue N or Central Avenue renamed after long- time Executive Director, Dan Payne. Payne led this organization from 1998 until his death on February 13, 2017. He will always be remembered for his strong support, passion and love of the Fort Dodge community.
The Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau The Fort Dodge CVB is a group of individuals and businesses who are committed to marketing Fort Dodge as a destination for visitors to enjoy our community by attending meetings, conventions, sports tournaments, special events and various other festivities. It is a non-profit organization run by the Board of Directors: Ann Lenox Larry Linn Ann Halbur Steve Lawler JP Mansfield Renee Anderson Rachel Maehl Paresh Bhatt Lori Branderhorst Terry Moehnke Keith Dencklau Pam Piltingsrud Matt Bemrich Wells Fargo Bank President Dominos Pizza Students in the Arts Retired Retail Best Western Starlite Village Webster County Fairgrounds TKG Holdings Comfort Inn Fort Dodge Parks and Recreation Fort Dodge City Council Webster County Board of Supervisors AmericInn & Suites Mayor Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau 24 N. 9 th Street, Suite C Fort Dodge, IA 50501 515.573.4282 888.573.4282 www.fortdodgecvb.com