because of the geographical proximity of the cities .” Hunt agreed . “ While the initial surge of tourism has trickled off , there are still people who come through town because of the show . Overall , I feel that our sales have been higher than initially expected because of the show ,” he said .
Weldon is grateful for short lulls but outlined the city ’ s commitment to keeping the stream of visitors flowing . “ It comes in waves , and that gives us time to catch our breath ,” she said . “ When the show airs in a different zone or runs again on another channel , it starts all over again . We hope it never ends .”
Images by Grace O ’ Connor .
SUSTAINING SUCCESS
As such , the city has made it a priority to engage the public and share Wetumpka ’ s stories to extend the original benefits the show brought . “ We have worked with Main Street Wetumpka and the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce to build on our already amazing events , such as Christmas on the Coosa , Downtown Dickens Christmas , River and Blues Music and Arts Festival , Downtown Candy Crawl and Galentine ’ s ,” Weldon said . “ We ’ ve also started or supported new events like Oktoberfest Wetumpka and Wild About Art .” And she teased that this year will yield new exciting additions in the city . The Chamber is doing its part , too , coordinating trips to Wetumpka for groups and using local volunteers as a welcome wagon to meet arriving buses and even guided tours .
Hunt praised the city ’ s efforts , calling the emphasis on events the single greatest thing leaders can do to sustain the momentum . But he did note an area of possible improvement . “ One of the few recurring complaints I have heard concerns the lack of parking in the downtown area ,” he said . “ I feel that a paved public parking area and maybe a rideshare program could help .”
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