to other lodging entities,

making it possible to partic-

ipate in more travel shows

and other marketing oppor-

tunities, distributing litera-

ture to all corners of Ohio

and surrounding states.

We continue to promote

our assets and attractions,

our history and heritage to

the traveling public thereby

creating an economic im-

pact in our county of mil-

lions of dollars each year.

The Convention and Visi-

tors Bureau was a direct

result stemming from the

creation of a very active

Tourism Committee operat-

ing under the Chamber of

Commerce. It was a dream

of the Committee to estab-

lish a Visitors Bureau to

further promote our coun-

ty’s attractions outside our

county borders. In 1997,

with the blessings of the

Chamber, the committee

approached the Board of

Commissioners and asked

that a lodging (bed) tax be

implemented so the Bu-

reau could be funded and

hire a director. Even

though the funds were lim-

ited (only one hotel, three

motels, one B&B and a

few cabins) the Bureau

opened in the spring of

1997 in temporary offices

with the Chamber in the

Foill building in Waverly. In

1998 we moved with the

Chamber into their new

building on State Route

104. There we remained,

enjoying a very good work-

ing relationship with the

Chamber until the summer

of 2010 when we moved to

Second Street in Waverly.

The Bureau has seen

growth in funding through a

new hotel and expansions

Pike County Visitors Bureau Celebrates 15 Years

Come and Celebrate with us!

The Pike County Conven-

tion and Visitors Bureau

will celebrate its 15th anni-

versary with a reception

from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on

Monday May 14. Come

and join us at the Bureau

office at 126 West Second

Street in Waverly Ohio.

Enjoy lively conversation,

refreshments and door

prizes. Drop in and see

our office and catch up on

all that Pike County has to

offer.

Monday May 14th

5 t0 7pm

15 year celebration

Tourism Newsletter

The Pike County

Convention and

Visitors Bureau is

a not for profit 501

(c)6 funded solely

by lodging tax lev-

ied on the traveling

public. Our main

function is to pro-

mote Pike County

as a travel destina-

tion.

Pike County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Inside this issue:

Visitors Bureau to

Celebrate 15 years

Big Rock Cabins

Inside Out Home

Décor

Calendar of Events

Night at the

Museum

Did You Know?

Movies in the Park

Calendar of Events

cont’d

Give that Dollar

LEGS!

Tourism Impact

stats

Big Rock

Cabins are

uniquely

crafted

getaways in

the Appala-

chian foot-

hills of

southern Ohio. Secluded far from the

cares of everyday life, their cabins

feature a soothing hot tub on an ele-

vated deck with a forested ravine

view. Huge picture windows bring the

scenic surroundings inside while a

beautiful Norwegian fireplace keeps it

cozy inside. Each cabin, decorated in

interesting antiques and old-time

photographs, features modern fixtures

cleverly designed to appear rustic.

The quarter-turn staircase leads to an

open loft with a queen size bed. A

ceiling fan hangs from an antique

hoist in the vaulted living room. The-

se cabins are nestled beside legendry

Big Rock, a 200 foot tall historic land-

mark near Beaver Ohio. Guests

have exclusive access to over 60

wooded acres of natural beauty,

awesome rock formations and abun-

dant wildlife. Well marked hiking

trials lead to Old Raridan’s Lair,

where you will sink to your ankles in a

cushion of moss, and view breath-

taking vistas atop Big Rock, Turkey

Rock and Prophet Peak.

www.bigrockcabins.com

May 5 - Spring Wildflower Hike

Lake White State Park, Waverly, OH.

Free admission contact Jeff Boester

740-493-2212

May 11,12 -Starving Artist Sale

Dinner, art and music hosted by

River Side Studio and the Terrace

Café at Bristol Village, Waverly OH.

For information contact Terrace Café

740-947-2805 or 740-222-2859.

May 12 - ACTHA Competitive Trail

Competition Held on the trails in

Pike State Park this event requires

advanced beginner or intermediate

rider with horse in good riding condi-

tion. Directions and info.

Www.tanglewoodacres.com or

Actha.us

Big Rock Cabins

Calendar of Events May –August

Inside Out Home Décor

where I was. The displays were neat

and tastefully arranged in vignettes

with beautiful merchandise. I ran out

of time and told my companion that I

must come back again, thinking

there surely was something here

that I needed to take home. A few

days later we returned to that same

shop and as I entered the door, just

as before, there was a very nicely

dressed lady at the counter, not the

same one, but equally elegant. In

the background was the radio blar-

ing with the latest country music

song. It took me aback and I decided

that I really didn’t need anything

here. Not that I don’t like country

music, mind you! But the shop be-

came like all the others, nothing

different that made me think I must

return. The Inside Out Home Décor

on Second Street in Waverly re-

minds me of that shop I found with

the French lady singing. I do hope

that pink chaise that I found there is

not gone by the time I get back! LB

On a trip out west checking out the

shopping opportunities as I often do,

I had occasion to visit a little shop in

Richland Washington. The façade

wasn’t different than any other’s, but

when I stepped through the door I

heard the soft voice of a French lady

singing. Behind the counter stood a

tall willowy blonde, an older lady,

dressed in a blue suit and a white

silky blouse with a ruffled collar. It

immediately took me to another

place, someplace different than

Page

May 19—Spring Wildflower Hike

Pike Lake State Park, Bainbridge

OH. Free Admission contact Jeff

Boester 740-493-2212

June 8—Waverly Street Fest

Live music, taste of local restau-

rants, Great American Cow Drop with

a $1000 prize. Contact 740-947-9650

June 8-10—Elm Grove Days

Annual festival, family atmosphere

and free admission, Elm Grove OH.

Contact Mike Carrico 740-222-2535

June 9,10—Antique Tractor and

Machinery Show Farm Power of the

Past and Pike County Ag Society

team up for this event at the Pike

County Fair Grounds in Piketon OH.

Contact Larry Veach 740-820-2458

June 23—Pike Lake Appalachian Music

Festival Musicians from all over south-

ern Ohio gather at the Cooper Outdoor

Amphitheatre at Pike Lake State Park ,

Bainbridge OH. Free admission. Con-

tact Jeff Boester 740-493-2212

July 4—July 4th Wing Ding

Celebrate at Enrichment Park 11:30 am

to fireworks at dusk, Piketon OH. Free

Admission. Contact 740-289-8154

July 7—Dailyville July 4th Celebration

Ball games start at 9am, food starts at

noon, music at 7pm, fireworks at dusk

at Dailyville Ball Park, Waverly OH. Free

Admission. Contact Bob Dixon 740-947

-2009

Continued on page 3≥

Old Raridan’s Lair

Festivals, events,

canoeing, camping,

fishing, hunting, hiking,

golfing, 50 miles of

bridle trails, Buckeye

Trail, restaurants, muse-

ums, toe-tappin’ music,

Civil war sites, 2 state

parks, state forest,

nature preserve, Ohio &

Erie Canal, Ohio’s Most

Perfect Tree, 2 National

Geographic trails, rem-

nants of the Mound

Builders, Amish & Men-

nonite stores and bak-

ery, railroad museum,

Long’s Resort, historic

districts, and the largest

night time illuminated

Christmas Parade in

southern Ohio!

Lying on the worn wooden floor, in the

moonlit shadow of the handcrafted replica

of the Ohio-Erie Canal, I had finally fallen

asleep in my down-lined sleeping bag.

Doris Cooper, caring Curator of the Pike

Heritage Museum in downtown Waverly,

had acceded to my wishes to create my

own ”Night at the Museum” in the old

German Evangelical & Reformed Church

to which the Museum had moved into in

1992.

With a startled jerk I sat upright, my head

grazing the nearly 100 year old Canal

marker just above me, as a Phantom of

the Opera-like chord burst from the huge

pipes of the old church organ which had

first filled the sanctuary of the church with

hymns more than 150 years ago. A

shadowy “organist” eerily floated above

the polished hardwood bench before the

backdrop of the organ’s illuminated brass

pipes.

Mustering all of my own German heritage

courage and clutching my sleeping bag

around me, I cleared my throat and

asked, “James Emmitt, I presume?” ( I

had heard that the foundling father of

Waverly sometimes “visited” other estab-

lishments in the area.) “No”, replied a

very firm feminine voice , “it is your wife!

You have an appointment with the editor

of the newsletter for the Visitors Bureau

about a museum article and you’ve over-

slept! Time to rise and shine, Hemming-

way.” MG

Editor’s note: The Pike Heritage Museum

is located at 110 South Market Street in

downtown Waverly Ohio. Open Wednes-

day , Thursday, Friday summer hours 11

-2pm, Saturday and Sunday 1:00 to 4:00

pm year round and by appointment other

times by calling 740-947-8200. You will

be fascinated by each piece of Pike

County’s history you discover during your

visit, just around the corner from the

Visitors Bureau.

*Pike County was created by the Ohio

General Assembly on January 1, 1815.

*The county was divided into the Virgin-

ia Military District which was reserved

for Virginia’s Veterans of the Revolu-

tionary War, and the Congress Lands,

which was surveyed and sold to settlers

by the federal government.

*The first pioneers came to Pike County

after the Treaty of Greenville was

signed in 1795.

*The Civil War interrupted the lives of

Pike Countians from 1861 to 1865

with more than 100 dying in the con-

flict.

*Pike County resident, Robert Lucas

was elected Governor of Ohio in 1832.

* Pike County and Piketon were both

named after explorer, soldier and

Brigadier General Zebulon Pike.

June 8—September 1

TECUMSEH! This nationally ac-

claimed outdoor historical drama

begins its 2012 season depicting

the epic life story of the legendary

Shawnee leader as he struggles to

unite the tribes in an effort to drive

the encroaching whites from their

sacred homelands in Ohio in the

late 1700’s. Set at Sugarloaf

Mountain Amphitheatre in Chillico-

the Ohio affords the audience a

unique viewing experience, sheer

spectacle, galloping horse, military

cannons and the most dazzling

battle sequences! Showtime

8pm , Monday-Saturday.

Reserve tickets at

www.tecumsehdrama.com

July 21

Railroad Days Rendezvous

Held annually at the Pike Lake

State Park in Bainbridge Ohio,

this event captures the social and

economic impact of railroads in

Ohio. Displays of model railroads,

collectibles and memorabilia,

exhibits and model train displays

are open 10am to 3pm. There will

be games and live music with

food available from the Friends of

Pike Lake. Free admission.

Contact Matt Minter at

740-947-5409

July 30—August 4

Pike County Fair

Harness racing on July 27, Fair

begins on July 30. This is the

103rd annual Pike County Fair

held in Piketon Ohio at the Pike

County fair grounds. Admission.

For updated information and a

listing of events go to

www.pikecofair.com

A Night at the Museum DID YOU KNOW?

Calendar of Events cont’d

“Movies in the Park” returns!

Up to 200 parents and children

attended the first season of mov-

ies in 2011 in the easily

accessible outdoor park setting

with convenient parking, lighted

pathways and refreshments in-

cluding free popcorn. “We want-

ed to build community by offering

a form of family friendly enter-

tainment beyond that offered

by the usual festival “ said local

resident / organizer, Julie Man-

ning”, and the response has

been wonderful.” This year’s

movies will be published through-

out the season in the News

Watchman and at

www.piketravel.com. Bristol Park

at Armbruster Parkway is adja-

cent to Bristol Village Retirement

Community just off S R 335,

Waverly.

Contact: 614-301-5359

The “silver screen” will be glow-

ing again this Summer in Bristol

Park, Waverly, when the popular

Movies in the Park series kicks

off its second season of family-

oriented classics on May 26. The

schedule includes additional

Saturday night showings on June

9, 23, 30 with the season finale

on July 14.

.

Page

Pipe Organ

at the historic

Pike Heritage Museum

Pike County Convention &

Visitors Bureau

GoBus Deluxe motor coach -

connecting rural areas and urban

centers Cinn., C-bus International

airport, Amtrak, running twice daily

with a stop in Piketon. Promotional

fare to any city and in between,

$10. www.ridegobus.com

his/her salary on Friday, a

portion will be used to restock

products on the pharmacy

shelves, to pay insurance for

the employees and store prop-

erty, to pay taxes to the state

and local government and

other expenses. In turn the

clerk uses his salary for gro-

ceries, gas, house payments,

to buy a car, and yes taxes

too. The pharmacy pays the

local hardware for mainte-

nance equipment, the whole-

saler for products to restock

his shelves, and the local in-

surance company for benefits

and property insurance. The

state and local government

uses the taxes paid, for build-

ing new roads and bridges,

sewer and water lines and

Many people never stop to

realize the value of just one

dollar or the power they hold in

their hands to change the com-

munity in which they live. You

may say, “what is just a dollar?

Doesn’t buy much nowadays,

not even 100 pieces of penny

candy”! (do they even have

penny candy anymore?). I

could use a lot of buzz words

and phrases like community

building and sustainability, but

instead I am going to speak in

more simple terms. Take that

dollar from your pocket, walk

down to your local pharmacy

and go in and buy a candy bar

(probably costs a dollar now!).

While you are enjoying that

candy bar, the dollar you just

gave the clerk will be used for

infrastructure, and to pay their

employees who are your

neighbors. And on and on it

goes in an endless cycle.

NOW! Imagine what would

happen to your own communi-

ty if you spent that dollar at all

locally owed stores. That dol-

lar could create jobs, encour-

age budding entrepreneurs to

open their own businesses,

energize communities to take

pride in how they can make a

difference in where they live.

Didn’t know you could play

such an important role and

have the power to change so

many lives with that one dol-

lar? The choice is yours. Go

ahead! GIVE THAT DOLLAR

LEGS!

BUY LOCAL PIKE COUNTY!!!

A few statistics:

The impact of travel and

tourism in Pike County in

2009:

Direct sales total:

$27,891,462

Wages: $7,179,708

Taxes: $3,734,980

Employment: 570

The 2011 report is due to

come out in June.

TOURISM WORKS FOR

PIKE COUNTY!!

Pike County Convention &

Visitors Bureau

Four Seasons of Fun

Give that $ Legs!