Maryland Scenic Byways

Maryland Scenic Byways Program Planning WorkshopIncreasing Economic Effectiveness of Managing Byways, Heritage Areas, Main Streets, and Trails

October 14, 201512 PM – 4:30 PM

at Penn Alps125 Casselman Road

Grantsville, MD 21536

This half-day long workshop will focus on making better use of limited funds and resources. The workshop will be held twice—once in Western Maryland and once on the Eastern Shore with changes in program to reflect geography.

This workshop is for byway managers, heritage area directors, regional trail managers, main street managers, and tourism directors. Site managers and town managers are invited on a space available basis.

To register please go to the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/msbp-workshopwestern-md-

increasing-economic-effectiveness-of-managing-byways-heritage-areas-

main-tickets-18442095805

(Space seats 80 attendees)

For additional Penn Alps information go to

http://www.pennalps.com

Cost: $16 (includes lunch)

WORKSHOP AGENDA(See back for descriptions of presentations and speakers)

12:00-1:00 New Opportunities for Funding and Financing Projects & Programs (Lunch information at lower left)

This session will be an informal discussion and brainstorming session on new opportunities for funding and financing projects and programs for byway managers, heritage area directors, regional trail managers, main street managers, and tourism directors.

1:15-2:45 Connecting People and Communities to Nature and HistoryThe purpose of this session is to identify best practices that help scenic byway communities to link together the resources of related community development programs (Main Street, Community Legacy and Sustainable Communities, Rivers and Trails, and Heritage Areas) to fund and finance development of new or expanded heritage and nature-based tourism assets and attractions.

• 1:15 – River Towns, PA: And Rivers Run Through ThemCatherine McCollom, McCollom Development Strategies, LLC; Frank Maguire, Pennsylvania Environmental Council; and Donna Holdorf, National Road Heritage Corridor

• 2:15 – Little Crossings, Grantsville, MD: Small Steps to Long Term Vision: How blending heritage, byways, main streets and recreational trails creates new tourism assets and enhances existing assets.

Mike Dreisbach, Savage River Lodge, Cornucopia Cafe and Grants Mercantile; Peggy Jamison, Mayor of Oakland; Jen Durben, Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

• 2:45 - Break

3:00 – 4:30 Building Partnerships to Develop Tourism Assets: Community, Corporate and Businesses Partners

One of the more difficult challenges in the current economic climate, that of developing more things to see and do for visitors - whether it is a major event or just attracting more private hospitality enterprises. This session will focus on successful examples and approaches of partnership building for tourism development.

• 3:00 - Reinvest Maryland: Community-Centered Tourism and Economic Development

Kristen Mitchell; Smart Growth Design & Development, Maryland Department of Planning

• 3:30 - Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership – Engaging the Next Generation Through History and Heritage Programs

Shuan Butcher, JTHG Partnership

• 4:00 - Garrett County Gran Fondo Weekend; transforming a bike race/ride to a full weekend event

Mike Dreisbach, Savage River Lodge, Cornucopia Café and Grants Mercantile

Many thanks to our sponsors for their generosity.

Photos on front: (from left to right) Main Street Berlin, (Credit: Natalee DeHart); Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge; Shoppers in Berlin (Credit: Natalee DeHart); American Visionary Art Museum; Quick Draw Crowd ‘Plein Air Easton’ (Credit: Avalon Foundation, Inc.); Assateague Horses (Credit: Nico Sarbanes); Bicyclists in Dorchester County (Source: Dorchester County Tourism)

Maryland Scenic Byways/Recreational Trails ProgramOffice of Environmental DesignState Highway Administration707 N Calvert StreetBaltimore, MD 21201Phone: 410-545-8637Email: tmaxwell@sha.state.md.us

Connecting People and Communities to Nature and History

River Towns, PA: And Rivers Run Through ThemMany rural communities are embracing their inherent strengths and making the connection between nature, history and outdoor recreation. These often over-looked resources were little appreciated until recently but now create individual stories for many small towns. By focusing on the specific strengths of the communities, a variety of the successful initiatives have been launched by seemingly disparate entities. This presentation will focus on case studies drawn from three organizations: the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the River Town Program, and the National Road Heritage Corridor; working in the Oil Region in northwest Pennsylvania; the Monongahela River Valley in southwestern PA and along the historic National Road corridor traversing Maryland and Pennsylvania. The various strategies employed will be reviewed for discussion, as well as the resulting quantifiable measurements generated to confirm success.Catherine McCollom, McCollom Development Strategies, LLC; Frank Maguire, Pennsylvania Environmental Council; and Donna Holdorf, National Road Heritage Corridor

Little Crossings, Grantsville, MD: Small Steps to Long Term Vision: How blending heritage, byways, main streets and recreational trails creates new tourism assets and enhances existing assets. A look at the Little Crossings campus project and how long vision, patience, and small projects term have progressed over the past several years into a tourism destination and how they plan to continue growth into the future. And a look at Oakland’s Heritage Square - picking a focus and building upon the existing historical assets.Mike Dreisbach, Savage River Lodge, Cornucopia Café and Grants Mercantile; Peggy Jamison, Mayor of Oakland; Jen Durben, Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

Building Partnerships to Develop Tourism Assets: Community, Corporate and Businesses Partners

Reinvest Maryland: Community-Centered Tourism & Economic DevelopmentThis session will focus on commercial revitalization models and strategies that build on the unique assets of your town or region, strengthen existing businesses, foster entrepreneurship and small business growth, and give people – both residents and tourists – more reasons to visit. This session will address business district management models; business startup, retention and attraction techniques; and the importance of quality of place in economic development. (http://planning.maryland.gov/PDF/YourPart/773/infill2014/rMD-report-large.pdf) Kristen Mitchell, Smart Growth Design & Development, Maryland Department of Planning

Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership – Engaging the Next Generation Through History and Heritage ProgramsPartnership is in the organization’s name, so the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership takes the task seriously. The regional nonprofit collaborates with a number of entities to accomplish its mission as well as the respective mission of the partnering organization. A couple examples include the award-winning “Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student” project and the highly popular “Extreme Journey Summer Camp.” Both of these initiatives introduce middle school students to the historic, natural, and cultural landscape within their background and allows them to become current and future stewards of such resources.Shuan Butcher, JTHG Partnership

Garrett County Gran Fondo Weekend; transforming a bike race/ride to a full weekend eventIntegrating partners to build off of existing events such as the Gran Fondo, Race up the Face, Garrett Lakes Arts Festival musical performance and Taste of Garrett to combine and market those events together, enticing visitors and residents of all interests to attend.Mike Dreisbach, Savage River Lodge, Cornucopia Café and Grants Mercantile

Pavement project at Cornucopia, Little Crossings, Grantsville, MD, Source: Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

Barn Quilt Gran Fondo, Garrett CountySource: Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

Race up the Face, Garrett County Gran Fondo WeekendSource: Garrett County Chamber of Commerce

The Maryland Scenic Byways Program, along with its partners, seek to work together towards achieving a sustainable system of scenic byways that contribute towards the State’s goals for preserving our natural and cultural heritage, enhancing economic opportunities related to that heritage, and providing the means to experience that heritage in a safe and enjoyable manner. To see the plan, go to http://www.roads.maryland.gov/OED/MSBP.pdf