TFA NEWS IN BRIEF
  Light City Illuminates Baltimore Harbor Starting this Weekend

Ken Skrzesz of MSAC Talks Art with MPT’s Rhea Feikin

OTD Attends Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association Annual Conference

OTD Attends PBA and MMA Marketplaces

National Harbor Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Tree Planting

Land Preservation & Recreation Plan Survey and Public Input Sessions

Register Now for TFA Regional Partnership Meetings

Register Now for Rural Small Business Lending Workshop

Share Your Fish Story with Fish & Hunt Maryland

IN THE NEWS
 
 
Light City Illuminates Baltimore Harbor Starting this Weekend
 

Light City, now in its third year, sets the Baltimore Harbor aglow with fantastic light installations, great food, and free concerts headlined by Grandmaster Flash and G. Love and Special Sauce, April 14-21. The nighttime lights are accompanied by the Labs@LightCity social innovation conference April 18-21. Commerce joins Visit Baltimore, BGE, T. Rowe Price, and other private and public sponsors in supporting Light City, the only large-scale light festival in North America. For more information, visit our Light City page.

Pictured: “Peacock” by Tim Scofield and Kyle Miller with Steve Dalenkoff and Will Cocks; photo courtesy of Crystal Whitman

 
 
  TFA NEWS IN BRIEF
 
 
 
Ken Skrzesz of MSAC Talks Art with MPT’s Rhea Feikin
 
 
   
The Maryland State Arts Council has been fostering creativity in communities throughout Maryland for 50 years, and Executive Director Ken Skrzesz had the opportunity to speak with Rhea Feikin of MPT about MSAC's Celebration of the Arts to be held on April 20 at the Walters Art Museum. Tune in to MPT’s Artworks on April 13 to see the interview.
 
 
 
OTD Attends Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association Annual Conference
 
 
   
The Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association held their annual conference in Frederick last week. Melissa Joseph Muntz, marketing and communications manager, Visit Frederick, hosted the group on a full-day tour of the county, with stops including Cunningham Falls State Park's Catoctin Aviary to learn about the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Scales and Tails program; the Catoctin Furnace to hear how the ironworks changed the landscape of the area; and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine for a guided tour of the exhibits.

Pictured: (At left) Connie Spindler, Communications Specialist, OTD, with members of the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers Association

 
 
 
OTD Attends PBA and MMA Marketplaces
 
  Pictured: (Left to right) Margie Long, I-95 Visitor Center Supervisor, OTD; Rich Gilbert, Travel Trade Manager, OTD; and Florence Brant, I-70 Visitor Centers Supervisor, OTD.
   
The Pennsylvania Bus Association (PBA) and the Maryland Motorcoach Association (MMA) hosted their 2018 Marketplaces back-to-back, at the York Fairgrounds in York, PA. The PBA Marketplace offered the opportunity to meet with 800 group leaders from 22 motorcoach carriers from throughout Pennsylvania. MMA’s one-day event afforded 350 group leaders – from senior centers, social clubs and recreational associations – an opportunity to meet agents from destinations, hotels and attractions. This year’s event featured 128 vendor tables representing nearly 200 companies, from Maine to Georgia.

Eleven motorcoach operators brought their best group leader clients to York. Also attending were a number of individual tour operators from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia; along with representatives from National Tour Association, Student Youth & Travel Association, and American Bus Association’s Destinations magazine.

Pictured: (Left to right) Margie Long, I-95 Visitor Center Supervisor, OTD; Rich Gilbert, Travel Trade Manager, OTD; and Florence Brant, I-70 Visitor Centers Supervisor, OTD.

 
 
 
National Harbor Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Tree Planting
 
 
   
In celebration of National Harbor’s 10th anniversary, 100 cherry trees were recently planted along the National Harbor waterfront. These Okame cherry trees join more than 100 established cherry trees located throughout the property. In celebration of the anniversary and the cherry trees, locations throughout National Harbor will hold a cherry blossom festival on Sakura Sunday, April 15 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition, there are special offerings and displays throughout the property through the month of April. “Not only is National Harbor the perfect place for visitors to stay when coming to D.C. to see the Tidal Basin cherry trees,” said Deborah Topcik, Director of Marketing, National Harbor. “This year, we have more than 200 cherry trees at National Harbor that will be in bloom.”

 
 
 
Land Preservation & Recreation Plan Survey and Public Input Sessions
 
 
   
As part of the update of the Maryland Land Preservation and Recreation Plan, the Department of Natural Resources and GreenPlay LLC invite you to share your thoughts for improving outdoor recreation opportunities and experiences for residents and visitors across the state. Do you have ideas making public parks and natural areas better, or enhancing outdoor amenities, programs, or services like boating, hunting, camping, or trail sports? Share your thoughts by taking this easy online survey by May 1, and/or attending an in-person stakeholder workshop with other outdoor enthusiasts. There will be eight sessions, with two sessions held per day on the following dates: March 26 at Fort Frederick State Park; March 27 at the Talbot County Recreation Center; April 18 at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum; and April 19 at Soldiers Delight NEA Auditorium. All are welcome, and RSVPs appreciated. To RSVP, email Adam Bossi, Project Manager, GreenPlay LLC at adamb@greenplayllc.com.

 
 
 
Register Now for TFA Regional Partnership Meetings
 
  Three people walking along Baltimore's Inner Harbor
   
On May 3 and May 15, TFA will be hosting regional partnership sessions in Columbia and Flintstone, respectively. The goal of these meetings is to build and develop programs between state agencies and other partners involved in arts and tourism with the goal of appealing to in-state and out-of-state customers to drive economic and quality of life benefits for Maryland. The state agencies include DHCD, Transportation, DNR, Commerce, and Planning.

The day-long meetings will provide an overview of how state agencies can benefit tourism and arts partners, and include round-table discussions centered on marketing, research, access to resources, and idea generation to build collaboration and programs that will enhance the state’s tourism and arts offerings. The Regional meetings are being produced by the Maryland Office of Tourism and its sister agencies sponsored in part by AAA. There is a $20 registration fee for each workshop, and lunch will be provided. For more information, to register, and to take our brief survey, follow this link to Visitmaryland.org.

 
 
 
Register Now for Rural Small Business Lending Workshop
 
  Rural Small Business Lending Workshop May 10
   
You’re invited to the Rural Small Business Lending Worskhop being held May 10 in Salisbury. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, USDA Rural Development, and the Rural Maryland Council will welcome you, as well as community bankers, community development experts, community development financial institutions (DCFIs), municipal government representatives, and community and economic development partners, to learn about credit enhancement and direct subordinate loan opportunities to assist businesses and community development projects. This half-day session will focus on the state of rural small business development, highlight the various lending products offered by each participating organization, and discuss how their respective lending products are leveraged to meet evolving small business development needs. There is no fee to attend the event, however advanced registration is required as seating is limited. Follow this link to register.
 
 
 
Share Your Fish Story with Fish & Hunt Maryland
 
  Fish & Hunt Maryland Website homepage picture
   
Maryland is one of the few states with a dedicated fishing and hunting program, and this unique initiative provides a powerful tool to promote Maryland’s outdoor tourism partners and assets. However, to maintain this competitive advantage in promoting Maryland as a premier fishing and hunting destination, Fish & Hunt Maryland is going to need a lot of fish stories to inform, inspire and to ultimately influence our audience. The site publishes seasonally relevant articles written by outdoor experts, enthusiasts, DNR and OTD staff, and private sector partners such as you. This content is, in turn, utilized in social media to promote the articles, and the model has been successful. Since November, 2017, Fish & Hunt Maryland’s Facebook followers have doubled from 13,000 to 26,000.

We would love to share stories and photographs from your destinations to keep the content lively. For more information about the entire initiative and how you can get involved, please see the Fish & Hunt Maryland overview or contact Heather Ersts, Partnership and Outreach Manager at hersts@visitmaryland.org.

 
 
 
 
 
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