Thursday, November 20, 2008

Meetings Can Be Fun!

The Lariat Loop Heritage Alliance's meeting Friday November 14th was well attended and a lot of fun! Thanks to Bill Carle at Pahaska Tepee for hosting—you can't go wrong with a meeting fueled by buffalo burgers and fries. (Click on photos for a better view!)

The cafe section was crowded with Loopers and spillover from the gift shop, but we rounded up some tables, ordered our lunches, and settled in for a long but informative meeting, which Joe Tempel (center, of Dinosaur Ridge) will call to order as soon as he's done tackling those onion rings as Jerry Smith (left, of Morrison) passes by. Cyd Pougiales (right), Loop founder and chief instigator, drove in from Steamboat Springs for the occasion. This meeting marked the group's 10th anniversary, but we'll be organizing events around our 11th next year. Steve Friesen (back center, of Buffalo Bill Museum) will be planning a major party to celebrate!

Project discussion for 2009 included the Buffalo Overlook (at Genesee, Exit 254), an application for designation as a National Scenic Byway, the upcoming National Scenic Byway conference in Denver next August, and new interpretive kiosks at I-70's Wooly Mammoth parking area and at the Red Rocks Welcome Center. Carole Lomond (right, of City & Mountain Views magazine) will be updating her Lariat Loop guidebook and seeks comments and corrections from LLHA partners. John Steinle (Hiwan Homestead Museum) is at the left in this photo.

Marketing to area residents (the "Staycation" concept) and merchandising were other topics at the meeting. We had an extended discussion of Waymarking as a method to encourage visitors to tour the Loop and enjoy its diverse attractions.

After the meeting wrapped up, several of us visited the Buffalo Bill Museum next door to see the new exhibit on fact and (mostly) fiction in how Colorado has been portrayed by Hollywood in western movies. Here Steve and Cyd try on the "photo op" as characters from an old movie.

Meeting notes will be emailed to partners and interested parties soon!

1 comment:

HTempel said...

Thanks Sally for directing me to this blog! Very informative and fun to read...and easy to access from the email anyway!
Have you checked out linked in yet?
H