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The Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB for short) is a destination marketing organization dedicated to increasing the number of visitors to our area. We are primarily funded by the hotel/motel tax from lodging properties located in Parkersburg, Vienna, Williamstown and Wood County, and we work on behalf of those funding partners and with our CVB members to encourage travelers and area residents to visit our attractions, experience our great events, eat in our restaurants, and shop in our shops.
Perhaps you've seen one of our TV commercials promoting a local fair or festival, or read an article in the newspaper about our efforts to support local sports tournaments through the County Commission's Innovative Grant Program. Maybe you've even stopped by our office to pick up a copy of our visitors guide or to get information about upcoming events and activities. Marketing is our primary mission, and we pride ourselves on providing the best information possible to potential visitors, visitors who are already here, and also to our local community.
What you may not know, is that we also work with local partners to create and grow attractions and events that have the potential to bring in new visitors. Recently, we assisted the Wood County Alternative Transportation Council in their successful effort to have local sections of the Ohio River and the Little Kanawha River designated as an official water trail. The goal of this work is to create an easily accessible recreation resource for residents and visitors that will contribute to the economic development of Wood County. The CVB has provided a webpage for the trail and will be creating and distributing trail maps.
In conjunction with our efforts to promote the water trail, we are also working with the city of Parkersburg on the design and construction of a kayak and canoe launching area on the Little Kanawha River at Point Park. The city has embraced this project and we hope to see it completed in the not-too-distant future. This new access point will increase use of the river sections surrounding the point and also help tremendously as we work to grow an event that has the potential to attract hundreds of visitors this fall - Parkersburg Paddlefest.
Paddlefest is a weekend festival for people-powered watercraft (kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards) that was started by local business owners Kim Coram and John Wiseman in 2014. When they closed their business in 2016, "Paddlefest" was in danger of disappearing. The CVB decided to take over as event organizer in order to make sure that it continued. Paddlefest is the perfect complementary event to the "Downtown Throwdown," a craft brew and barbecue event that also takes place that weekend. The dates for Parkersburg Paddlefest 2017 are Sept. 15-17, with the Downtown Throwdown on the 16th.
Multiple-event weekends are one of the keys to attracting visitors to our area for a two-night stay, and we look forward to the first great multiple-event weekend of the summer coming up on June 3-4 with "Taste of Parkersburg" and the Home and Garden Tours of the Julia-Anne Square historic district.
For more information about local activities, attractions and events, visit Greaterparkersburg.com, call us at 304-428-1130, or stop by the oddly green building at the corner of 7th and Avery.
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Mark Lewis is president/CEO of the Greater Parkersburg Convention and Visitors Bureau.