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  Fall 2011
 

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In This Bulletin
 

Register Now for the Industry Conference

Tourism Website Almost Ready for YOUR Listings

Newtowne Neck State Park Gets Funds

 

New St. Mary's County Destination Guide Available


Get Out the Vote for the 2012 Free State's Finest

Sotterley Plantation Works to Overcome Hurricane's Blow

Sotterley Plantation to be Part of Star-Spangled Banner Trail and Byway

War of 1812 SMCT Partner Exhibits

Civil War SMCT Partner Projects

Group Hugs: Promoting St. Mary's to Groups

Partnership Actively Promotes the Magnificent Seventh

Religious Freedom Byway Map and Guide Published

MATPRA Travel Writer Conference: Multiple Events in St. Mary's


Pre-Conference Writers' Tour of St. Mary's and Charles Counties

St. Mary's Wineries Garner Governor's Cup Awards

Air Expo Numbers Soar

Ghost Hunters at Summerseat Episode Premiered

Where the Art Is: Leonardtown!

Candy Cummings Shows at American Visionary Art Museum

State Tourism Enhanced E-Calendar for Events



IndustryInterestIndustry-Interest Events
 

Maryland Travel and Tourism Summit

November 2-4

Marriott Inn & Conference Center

University of Maryland College Park

3501 University Boulevard East

Hyattsville, MD 20783

The Maryland Tourism Industry's annual conference. Click here to register
on line. Click here for silent auction and sponsorship opportunities.

  



Ongoing Industry Meetings

   

 

St. Mary's Chamber of Commerce Tourism Advisory Council

Second Tuesday of the month, 9 a.m.
St. Mary's County Chamber of Commerce Office, California 

Need not be a chamber member to attend.  Tourism and hospitality stakeholders meet to discuss industry topics.  Contact the Chamber Office for more information: 301-737-3001.

Leonardtown Business Association Meeting

Second Friday of the month, 8:30 a.m.
Various Leonardtown locations

Businesses, organizations and other corporate entities located in Leonardtown meet to discuss ways to promote the Town.  For membership and meeting information, contact admin@thelba.org.

St. Mary's County Hotels Meeting

Third Thursday of the month, 1:30 p.m.
Location varies

St. Mary's County hotels meet with SMCT to discuss industry topics, programs and marketing initiatives.  Contact SMCT for meeting info and location at 301-475-4200 ext. 1404.  

 


   
Calendar of Special Events    

   

 

To view the calendar of special events in St. Mary's County visit www.visitstmarysmd.com.       

 

 


 

This is the official Industry Bulletin produced by St. Mary's County Tourism (SMCT), a division of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

News You Can Use 

IndustryConferenceRegister Now for the Industry Conference 

 

MTTS LogoThe Maryland Travel and Tourism Summit is just around the corner (November 2-4), and this year, it's not too far away (Marriott Inn and Conference Center at University of Maryland College Park). If you haven't attended before, this is the year to go! Tourism colleagues from across the state will be there to share, to learn and to have fun. David Reel, CEO and President of the Maryland Tourism Council said, "This event is all about education, opportunity and resources that will help the collective tourism industry succeed... (at MTTS) tourism professionals and decision-makers from across Maryland come together to make a positive difference for their business, travelers, residents and the state's economy." You can register on line by clicking here (on line registration requires a one-time account activation). Please click here to download MTTS Sponsorship opportunities.  Please click here to download MTTS Silent Auction opportunities.

 


WebsiteListingsTourism Website Almost Ready for YOUR Listings 

 

Development of the St. Mary's County Tourism website is currently underway.  By December, the website will be ready for partners to log-in and add their listings.  Be on the lookout in December for information on how to create a user account and add your listing(s).

 


NewtowneNeckNewtowne Neck State Park Gets Funds 

 

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has received a $400,000 matching federal grant to develop outdoor recreation facilities at the new waterfront state park. The total funds of $800,000 will be used to construct hiking, biking and equestrian trails, tent and RV camping sites, mini-cabins, swimming, picnicking and shelter areas and motorboat access areas. Newtowne Neck State Park is a 776-acre peninsula surrounded by Breton Bay, St. Clement's Bay and the Potomac River.  The county's fifth water-based state park is close to Leonardtown and presents new tourism opportunities to the area.

 


NewDestinationGuideNew St. Mary's County Destination Guide Available

2012 Destination Guide Cover 

The new guide is here and is in the process of being distributed to all state and regional visitor centers, plus local sites and attractions and other distribution points. The guide is also distributed to target markets throughout the mid-Atlantic and mailed in response to information requests.  The guide will also be available in digital format at www.visitstmarysmd.com.  Call SMCT if you would like to receive copies of the new guide. 

 

 


FreeStatesFinestGet Out the Vote for the 2012 Free State's Finest 

 

2012 Free State's Finest LogoIt's time once again to cast your vote in Maryland Life Magazine's Free State's finest reader's poll. Fifteen local partners got bragging rights this year along with great promotional opportunities. Go to MarylandLife.com or click the logo to cast your ballot for St. Mary's County sites, restaurants and businesses!

 


SotterleyHurricaneIreneSotterley Plantation Works to Overcome Hurricane's Blow

 

Sotterley after Hurricane IreneMore than 100 mature trees toppled over during the September hurricane altering the landscape and damaging several of the historic site's structures. Amidst the destruction, Sotterley continues to serve the public: a week after the hurricane, Sotterley hosted a travel writers' conference lunch for 140 and three weeks later, it held its annual Riverside WineFest. Contributions are sorely needed to assist with ongoing clean-up and repairs. To view images of the damage and to donate, go to http://www.sotterley.org/irene.htm.

 


SotterleyBywaySotterley Plantation to be Part of Star-Spangled Banner Trail and Byway  

 

The Star-Spangled Banner Trail and Star-Spangled Banner Scenic Byway build on the excitement of the War of 1812 bicentennial, but this combined federal and state initiative is also meant to provide a lasting legacy for Maryland and the nation. Sotterley Plantation's inclusion opens new areas of partnerships and funding opportunities for the historic site, which has a significant War of 1812 history.  Sotterley has several War of 1812 programs in the works.  

 


War1812ExhibitsWar of 1812 SMCT Partner Exhibits 

 

SMCT announces a partnership with the St. Mary's County Historical Society and the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum to produce War of 1812 exhibits that will serve as War of 1812 orientation points for visitors. The Historical Society exhibit at Tudor Hall in Leonardtown will include the story of Leonardtown's role in the war, while the exhibit at the Air Museum will tell the story of the Battle of Cedar Point which took place nearby. The project has received funding assistance from a Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium mini grant and builds upon the work of the St. Mary's County War of 1812 Committee. Exhibits are expected to be completed in early 2012.

 


CivilWarProjectsCivil War SMCT Partner Projects 

 

SMCT will work with Point Lookout State Park and the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions to enhance and develop area Civil War offerings as we move into the war's sesquicentennial period. Efforts include enhancements to the park's Civil War Museum exhibits and a wayside interpretive marker for the U.S. Colored Troops Memorial to be installed in Lexington Park in the spring of 2012. The project has received funding assistance from a Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium mini grant. Projects are expected to be completed in early 2012.

 


GroupHugsGroup Hugs: Promoting St. Mary's to Groups

 

2011 Mini-MORESMCT's Rebecca Deprey attended Mini Maryland on the Road

(Mini-MORE) September 26-28, to promote St. Mary's County to tour operators in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania region.  Mini-MORE is a group tour sales blitz that is oganized each year by the Maryland Office of Tourism, taking approximately 20 representatives from Maryland CVBs, attractions, restaurants, and hotels to a selected region to meet with tour operators.  This year's sales blitz included a total of 12 tour operators.

 

On November 22, Beverly Brown of Cherry Cove Hospitality will be attending the Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association Marketplace as part of the St. Mary's County Hotel Group co-op program.  She will be promoting St. Mary's County to the 600 group leaders that are expected to attend the marketplace.

 


MagnificentSeventhPartnership Actively Promotes the Magnificent Seventh

7th District Table at Blessing of the Fleet
Photo by SMC Museum Division

 

Tourism-related businesses in the county's historic Seventh District are working to build the area into a distinctive visitor destination. The group promoted their businesses to attendees of the Seventh District's signature event, The Blessing of the Fleet, with new promotional materials highlighting all there is to see and do in this historic section of St. Mary's County. The group is also developing its own website. 

 


RFBMapGuideReligious Freedom Byway Map and Guide Published 

 

Religious Freedom Byway MapRunning though St. Mary's and Charles Counties, the byway tells the story of religious toleration in early Maryland through historic sites and early churches.   The new guide, produced by the Southern Maryland Heritage Area Consortium and byway manger Jennifer Pitts, is available at state and regional information centers and historic sites. 

 


MATPRASummaryMATPRA Travel Writer Conference: Multiple Events in St. Mary's 

 

MATPRA 2011 Tour Photo
Photo by SMC Museum Division

Sixty-five travel writers joined members of the Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance at the regional September conference headquartered at the Holiday Inn Solomons. Over fifty SMCT partners joined together to provide two days of afternoon tours and events in St. Mary's which featured the county's rich heritage, recreational opportunities, and our local foods and wines. Tour stops and presenters included Summerseat Farm, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, the Chesapeake Bay Field Lab, Sotterley Plantation, Greenwell State Park, the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, Allen's Homestead, Port of Leonardtown Winery, Patuxent Adventure Center (Breton Bay kayaking), Lenny's Restaurant, the Island Bar and Crab House, Caf� des Artistes, Kevin's Corner Kafe, Quality Street Kitchen, Bruster's Ice Cream, Kona Ice, Circle C Oyster Ranch, Farmer's Daughter Cupcakes, Southern Maryland Trails and SMC Agriculture Division. Sotterley Plantation and Historic St. Mary's City hosted dining events. 

 


MATPRAPreFamPre-Conference Writers' Tour of St. Mary's and Charles Counties 

 

SMCT joined with Charles County Tourism to host a tour of the new Religious Freedom Scenic Byway prior to the start of the MATPRA conference. Byways manager Jennifer Pitts and local guide Pete Himmelheber joined the five touring writers. SMC sites visited included Historic St. Mary's City, St. Clement's Island and Christ Church in Chaptico with an overnight and reception hosted by the Town of Leonardtown.  

 


WineriesSt. Mary's Wineries Garner Governor's Cup Awards 

 

Port of Leonardtown Winery and Slack Winery garnered a total of fifteen medals between them at the recent 2011 Maryland Governor's Cup competition to include two Best in Class medals and four golds. Both wineries have been open just over one year and are already achieving high marks. Check out all their distinctive offerings. http://portofleonardtownwinery.com/ and http://www.slackwine.com/.

 


AirExpoAir Expo Numbers Soar

 

Air Show Crowd ViewThe 2011 Pax River Air Expo, which took place over the Memorial Day weekend, saw a 35% increase in attendance over 2010 numbers boasting 134,000 attendees over two days. The show comes to Patuxent River Naval Air Station every other year and features the Blue Angels.

 


SummerseatGhostHuntersGhost Hunters at Summerseat Episode Premiered 

 

Summerseat has been the site of three paranormal investigations over the last several years including work by the investigators of the Ghost Hunters TV series. The Summerseat episode debuted on the program on September 14. Summerseat's premiere party included a tour of the 333 year old property ---and its graveyard.

 


LeonardtownArtsWhere the Art Is: Leonardtown! 

 

Fuzzy Farmer's Market has a new location in the square in Leonardtown at 22696 Washington Street. The store features items derived from local sheep, goat, alpaca, and rabbit farmers including fiber art, jewelry, shawls, bags, baskets, snow-dyed silk scarves, rag rugs, blankets, and handspun yarn and fiber. Also now open on the square is Montparnasse Gallery and Gifts. The gallery showcases contemporary works of art by regional, national, and international artists.

 


CandyCummingsCandy Cummings Shows at American Visionary Art Museum 

  

St. Mary's County artist Candy Cummings' work is featured in the recently opened "all Things round" exhibit at Baltimore's popular American Visionary Art Museum. Candy's work is available locally including at Montparnasse Gallery. View her work at  www.candycummings.com. 

 


StateECalendarState Tourism Enhanced E-Calendar for Events

 

The Maryland Office of Tourism recently launched an enhanced electronic calendar of events on the state's official tourism Web site, VisitMaryland.org. The calendar now accepts event postings directly from venues, event organizers and destinations through an on-line entry system at www.calendar.visitmaryland.org. Event representatives can also purchase ads on the site as well as enhance their calendar listings with upgrades, such as images and preferred placement. In addition, the online calendar has the capability to search popular event web sites for additional content.

 


 

How to submit items

Provide us with news to share with industry partners in the SMCT Quarterly Industry Bulletin.  SMCT also accepts items for its monthly Tourism e-Newsletter distributed to the general visitor.  Submissions should be no more than 50 words and should contain a point of contact for more info.  Submit to Rebecca.Deprey@stmarysmd.com.

 

Contact SMCT Staff

Carolyn Laray, Tourism Manager

Carolyn.Laray@stmarysmd.com, 301-475-4200 ext. 1403

 St. Mary's County Seal - Gold

Rebecca Deprey, Tourism Coordinator

Rebecca.Deprey@stmarysmd.com, 301-475-4200 ext. 1404

 

This bulletin is produced by St. Mary's County Tourism, a Division of the Department of Economic and Community Development.  For more information about St Mary's County Government, log on to www.stmarysmd.com.