Don't you just love a makeover????

We have had a makeover here at the Chamber Office! I am not sure how old the carpeting in this place was but it was definitely past its prime and headed right into disgusting. :(  So we packed up everything in the office with the help of Pratt Mayflower. (They were fabulous and if I was moving they would be my first call!) Why do we never throw anything out until have to start moving it around? Anyway once we had the office cleared out the carpet installers showed up and got right to work. Joanne Anderson at Design Effects did a great job helping us pick out carpet and paint. The carpet was installed over a Friday afternoon and Saturday so we came in Monday morning to new carpet and that lovely new carpet smell. We spend Monday morning painting walls and Monday afternoon Pratt Mayflower returned with all of our goodies. Why does it take so much longer to put things back together? We had it torn down in about a half day but putting it back together has taken soooooo much longer! We are finally about finished with the renovation (most of them anyway) and it is so wonderful. It looks great and it smells new and we are very happy. I would be doing makeovers all the time if they weren't so much work. :)  Come see our new look.
Debbie ~ Office Manager

New Wine Tasting Tour Video Out!

Click here to view this video

Be sure and check out the new Quad Cities Wine Tasting Tour Video. Many thanks to all the participants who helped make it happen! And stay tuned for one about our local breweries and new hard cider company.

Garden Tourism is Flourishing!

Garden tourism is a type of niche tourism involving visits or travel to botanical gardens and places which are significant in the history of gardening.  Europe has known this for years and has built an extensive million dollar industry around tours to various historical gardens. Surveys show 70% of these visitors are more interested in the gardens than in the homes.

I LOVE to visit gardens when I travel. There is a natural affinity for people who garden. Some think it is a pastime for retirees, but glance around any garden center and you will find young families and single adults gardening. And gardening is a voyeuristic sport - we like to look at other people's gardens!

On my recent vacation to California I jumped at the chance to visit a peony garden, and yes - I bought one to bring home, even though the climate here is different. Some things you just have to take a chance on. The flowers there were unusual and beautiful, the setting was well worth the drive. And new ideas for garden art were around every corner.

Here on the Palouse, garden tourism is alive and well. We are fortunate to have the beautiful Lawson Gardens right here in Pullman. The roses are a special treat in late June. A visit to U of I Arboretum in Moscow is great any time of the year. Bring your old bread crumbs to feed the ducks. If you were lucky enough this spring to stop by Living in The Garden, on Hwy 27 on the way to Palouse, you were sure to get some inspiration. Gorgeous flowers surrounded by relaxing music and a great gift shop. Again, a beautiful setting well worth the drive. Too bad their season is so short. They are only open April to July 1st.  Right now is when Sunshine Flowers & Crafts is just coming into its own. You can "stop and smell the flowers" and fill a bucket with fresh blooms for just $7. They are located off the Old Moscow Highway.

Community gardens offer a different kind of visit. Here you can get ideas for everything from flowers and herbs to vegetables and fruit trees. I was recently at a wedding in Seattle held in a community garden and was stunned by the fabulous bee hive they keep there -- it was really a bee palace! Koppel Farms here in Pullman offers the same chance to see what grows well in our climate. A great help when you are new to the area. Sunnyside Park also offers garden plots.

I am pleased to see plans in the future for WSU's Arboretum and Wildlife Conservation Center. This 100 acre landscape already contains a naturalized forest grove. And when completed it will be a wonderful addition to Pullman.

There is good reason to take garden tourism seriously. A recent study conducted by the National Garden Festival in Buffalo and Western New York shows:

• 19% visited other area attractions while there
• 83% ate at least one meal in a local restaurant
• 30% did some shopping during their visit
• Average expenditure during their visit was $67.82 per day (I spend that easily at every garden center I visit!)

So, even when you are traveling - you can still garden!

Vicki Leeper
Tourism Director

Pullman ArtWalk

This year's Pullman ArtWalk is going REGIONAL! 

An exciting lineup of local artists, family events and customer appreciation sales await you during the 2012 Pullman ArtWalk. Bringing communities together from Rosalia to Colfax, Palouse to Uniontown, art work from local artisans is on display at participating businesses during regular business hours. Use the maps enclosed in this program to explore the variety of locations, mediums and textures on display.

We are very pleased to bring to you this year's collaborative "regional" ArtWalk. Whitman County is ripe with unique artists and the Pullman ArtWalk is a chance for many of our smaller towns to participate in a collaborative event to showcase the towns and people, and to highlight and bring our communities together. 

Hundreds of visitors spent time browsing the shops, viewing the art and speaking with the artists last year all during one night of receptions. This year, by popular demand, we've extended the party to not only reach around Whitman County, but to indulge our whims with receptions and gatherings all week long. 

In keeping with the essence of the long-running history of Pullman's Crazy Days, businesses are eager to show their customer appreciation throughout the week with barbecues, store specials and great discounts. Dissmore's IGA will have its yearly customer appreciation Thursday evening and Pullman Building Supply will have hot dogs and goodies Saturday, July 21. The Pullman Farmers Market will be hosting Palouse Women Artists along with a wine tasting by Wawawai Canyon Winery on Wednesday and many other businesses will have specials and discounts throughout the week. 

The Second Annual Mayor's Award recipient is Richard "Dick" Domey. Domey has made many outstanding contributions to our community through and for the arts. In 2003, Dick was recognized as one of four "community treasures" for their work enhancing the Gladish Community and Cultural Center. He is also a strong advocate for the arts in education. The Mayor's Award is given as a recognition of arts in our community and sponsored by Mayor Glenn Johnson. Last year's recipient was ArtWalk creator and artist, Carrie Vielle. 

It has been a pleasure organizing the 2012 Pullman Regional ArtWalk for you. We thank you for your part in keeping the arts alive in our community and joining us in discovering the unity in our communities.

Ex Dir~Marie Dymkoski

Life as an Event Coordinator...

First, I apologize for the delay in getting new information on our blog! It has been "my turn" to post for quite some time now and between getting ready for Pullman's 4th of July Celebration, continuously working and thinking about the National Lentil Festival, making plans for our First Down Friday events and getting ready to have a baby who is due July 31st, my time to write has been limited to say the least! However, as my email program is slow to work this morning, I decided now was as good a time as any to do a little writing. :)

Speaking of the different events we have coming up here at the Pullman Chamber, it's such an interesting life taking the lead on so many different events that happen throughout the year. Something we all joke about in our office is that we never know what time of year it is because we are all constantly thinking AT LEAST 2 months in advance!

For example, I remember back in February feeling like the year was already flying by so fast because it was almost April! Now, why would I think that, you ask? Well, at the time I was getting the Lentil Festival vendor applications updated and ready to be posted to our website by our published date of April 1st. Because that is what I worked on most of the time I was at work, it was like my mind thought it WAS April!

And let me tell you, this sort of thing can really start playing tricks on you. For one thing, it seems like the weather has taken FOREVER to get warm and sunny! While I know that is true for everyone to an extent this year, when you are thinking in February that the weather should be starting to turn to spring, it makes it quite a bit worse (especially for sun-worshipers like me!!)

Not to mention, I am also always thinking of things I want to make sure and do for the 2013 National Lentil Festival because, if you can believe it, it's already too late to incorporate many new ideas I think of at this point in the year! When you are thinking about things that far in advance, the year 2020 doesn't seem that far away! I just have to constantly remind myself  not to get lost in the future and take time to enjoy the present. This is especially true when it comes to getting ready for that new baby I mentioned before. :)

~Amberly, Event Coordinator

Green, Greener, Greenest

The Palouse in Spring is a study in green. Looking out over the landscape I am amazed at how many different shades of green are visible. Even in the cloudy rainy weather we are having today the greens just pop out at you. As I was driving north the other day the sun was shining with a few clouds in the sky and the scenery was so gorgeous it nearly took my breath away. The sun on the hills with some areas shaded made the colors look almost unreal. I have received many calls at the Chamber Office in the last 2 months asking what month is best for photographers to visit the Palouse. My standard answer has been to ask the caller what they are looking for because we have something wonderful in every season. The brilliant colors of spring or the harvest colors of late summer and fall or the winter colors of brown and white are all beautiful and interesting and unique. People may have a favorite season or may love all of the seasons. I love this time of year but I am also looking forward to summer, fall, and winter! That is why I live here in one of the most beautiful places on earth. When fielding these calls I ask the caller for an address and then send them our photography guide to help them decide when to visit. I don't want to be responsible for deciding the best time to visit...I also can't predict the weather!    Debbie ~ Office Manager

NETWORKING SUPER POWERS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

You may be surprised to know that I am shy. People usually are. They see me speaking at a luncheon or Chamber function. It's much easier to speak to a room of people who are interested  in what I have to say (at lease I think they are) than it is at a cocktail reception or business after hours where I have to make small talk. If I had to network that way for my own small business, I would be terrible.

Yet, networking is vital for your business. And there is tremendous value in this collaboration for our local tourism industry. Our rural community is increasingly seen as a place for entertainment, leisure activities, and an alternative to a busy urban area. Visitor requests for information are more than three times what it was at this time last year. We can thank the beautiful cultural heritage of the Palouse region for this increased interest and can use this identity marker as a means to promote our farm products, cottage industries and other local producers through rural tourism.

Using our heritage for promotion is not only a fashionable trend right now, but also shows a community's social, economic and political determination. We are discovering a new-found interest for our own rural identity, and as tourists come into the area, they buy local products, eat in local restaurants and represent a sizeable source of income.




Visitors are intrigued when a restaurant features locally grown products or a boutique hotel has locally made lotions and soaps in each room. Let's work on promoting the region as a whole! This requires building these business relationships between grower/manufacturer and retail. The Pullman Chamber offers many networking options each month to get out and hobnob with other business owners - meetings, luncheons, and after-hours. What a great way to find that new product for your business, or a new way to incorporate the Palouse into your business identity.

And if your shy? Do what I do and check out the daily posts on the Chamber's facebook page and be armed with a current topic to talk about!

Vicki,
Tourism Director