BUCKHANNON – The Upshur County Convention and Visitors Bureau has successfully attained re-accreditation for the next three years through a statewide agency formed to ensure West Virginia CVBs use their funds efficiently to draw tourists to the Mountain State.

At Buckhannon City Council’s July 11 meeting, Upshur CVB Executive Director Lacy Ramsey reviewed the CVB’s 2023-2024 annual fiscal year report. A key accomplishment Ramsey noted was gaining re-accreditation through the West Virginia Association of Conventions and Visitors Bureau – a statewide regulatory peer group of CVBs founded almost 20 years ago to “facilitate professional tourism development throughout the state,” according to its website.

The new three-year re-accreditation is key because West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureaus must be accredited through the WVACVB to receive their portions of the hotel-motel tax — the primary funding source that allows CVBs to operate efficiently, especially when paying for advertisements outside the area.

In early 2023, the Upshur CVB’s re-accreditation was in question due to financial concerns stemming from recent changes enacted by the state Legislature about how CVBs must spend their funds. From 2014 through March 30, 2023, the Upshur CVB had been managing the Event Center at Brushy Fork in addition to marketing the area to would-be visitors — its primary mission.

However, operating the Event Center consumed so much of the CVB’s budget that managing the event center was no longer feasible. (You can read more details here or here.)

But during her report to council July 11, Ramsey said that after the city took over managing the Event Center, the Upshur CVB had successfully secured re-accreditation. She also said the Upshur CVB has continued to brand the City of Buckhannon and Upshur County as a place where visitors can experience “a small-town getaway with big-time charm” — the catchphrase and logo developed by Ramsey’s predecessor, Laura Meadows.

“Buckhannon’s Main Street area is already well-known and recognized, and our community’s outdoor recreation continues to grow,” Ramsey told council. “In the coming year, our vision is to boost Upshur County into the spotlight as a premier weekend getaway destination, and collaboration is so important.”

Ramsey said she hopes to continue to forge collaborative partnerships with interested CVBs in the Mountain Lake Region.

“We’ve done co-ops with them, and we’ll continue to do those,” Ramsey said. “We’ve been working with Lewis County to see if we can get some traction back on the 33 Things To Do on Route 33 initiative and maybe expand that beyond just Lewis, Upshur and Randolph counties, so we have a busy year ahead.”

City Recorder Randy Sanders, who serves on the CVB Board, said the CVB has listened to feedback from community members and governmental officials who suggested the CVB should be staffed on weekends, some evenings and during large events like the West Virginia Strawberry Festival and the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash.

Ramsey said Jennifer Ammons, the CVB’s part-time employee, has been “phenomenal” on that front.

“When we have events going on in town, we do try to keep the office staffed, either a little later in the evenings during the week, and then, of course, on the weekends when there are things going on,” Ramsey said. “Jennifer Ammons is our part-time worker, and she’s great at covering the office.”

“She has a wonderful personality,” she added. “She’s very warm and inviting when people come in, and she’s not hesitated to come in anytime we’ve asked, so Strawberry Festival, she was there and helped with extended hours, and with the barbecue bash, I was out of town, so she gladly stepped in and covered that so that the doors were open while people were milling in town. So we are making an effort to try to have more availability if people are in town.”

Ramsey also welcomed input from council members, commissioners and groups that are hosting local events.

“We are always looking for creative ideas and ways to partner with other organizations,” she said. “I try to keep an eye on social media for any events that are taking place, but I don’t always see everything, so if you know about something that hasn’t been in our newsletter, please bring that to my attention, or if you would like us to promote something, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Council member David Thomas asked what Ramsey thought the CVB’s biggest challenge was, and Ramsey said developing the resources to point kayaking, hiking and outdoor recreation enthusiasts in the right direction.

“With the trails and water recreational [opportunities] we have, we do have a lot of individuals who will come in specifically asking if there are trails and places they can go just to spend the day,” Ramsey replied.

“Kayak rentals is another one; we have people who will want to go on the water, but they don’t have their own equipment and I know Trubie Run Outfitters is out near Audra, but that’s not always convenient if they’re in town looking to do something that day, so I’d love to collaborate more with parks and recreation [boards/departments] and the Upshur Trails group to get those outdoor attractions more utilized and more visible for guests.”

Other CVB highlights of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, as well as ongoing projects, include:

• Developing rack cards about the Buckhannon River that highlight it as a major recreational opportunity
• Promoting the Upshur County Trails area
• Working to set up directory boards around town to point people to restaurants, things to do, attractions like the West Virginia Wildlife Center and more
• Designing/printing West Virginia Strawberry Festival rack cards, plus WVSF Schedule of Event pamphlets for people to snag easily
• The reinstatement of the CVB’s Advertising Grant Program for FY 2024-2025
• Publishing editorials/advertorials with nationally distributed magazines, including Travel Taste + Tour, Food & Travel Magazine and Canada Travel Magazine

Ramsey’s report also laid out events CVB personnel attended and/or supported. Those included the 2023 World Association of Marching Show Bands Championship, the 2024 W.Va. Strawberry Festival, West Virginia’s Largest Yard Sale in 2023, the jointly hosted Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce and Buckhannon Community Theatre’s Murder Mystery Dinner in October 2023, the 2024 Almost Heaven BBQ Bash, and several elimination dinners, among others.

As of the start of the 2024-2025 fiscal year July 1, the CVB was receiving the largest amount of online traffic and/or interest via Facebook, followed by its website at visitbuckhannon.org and finally, signups for its monthly e-newsletter. (You can stay posted on local happenings and promotions by clicking the ‘sign up’ tab on the right side of the CVB’s website.)

Looking for more info about local attractions? The CVB is located in the Upshur Visitors Center, 14 East Main Street in Buckhannon, and can be reached via email at info@VisitBuckhannon.org or by calling 304-473-1400.