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Grant money spurs local tourism

After receiving a financial boost from the Community Tourism Opportunities program, both Trail and Rossland are concentrating on attracting tourists while enticing residents to enjoy local entertainment and recreation.
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Theatre students Christopher Coutts and Kat Palmer are among the actors that kicked off the Gold Fever Follies show Canada Day weekend. The cast is inviting residents to take advantage of the “Golden Ticket

After receiving a financial boost from the Community Tourism Opportunities program, both Trail and Rossland are concentrating on attracting tourists while enticing residents to enjoy local entertainment and recreation.

Tourism Rossland is using some of its $9,200 grant (with its partners matching this cost) to showcase its arts and heritage with the introduction of the “Golden Ticket.”

The $30 ticket buys a consumer entry to the Rossland Museum to experience the city’s rich mining history and diverse culture through educational exhibits, along with lunch or dinner at the Flying Steamshovel and entry to the Gold Fever Follies, Rossland’s famous musical theatre company that is celebrating its 25th anniversary with another summer series.

“We thought it made sense to package it all together, to make it a day in Rossland so we’re hoping people will extend their stay here or come locally and enjoy our historical products,” said Deanne Steven of Tourism Rossland.

“Those three are all arts and heritage projects so we think they work for a certain target audience.”

The Golden Ticket is a way to remind people that the museum is still a great place to visit in Rossland, though the mine tours were closed down in 2009. The operation of the mine, which is leased by the city from Teck, became an issue when three students were locked in the tunnel for several hours after a special event.

“I think it’s probably a harder sell but there still is a lot going on up there,” she said. “They have all the outdoor displays and all the indoor displays, which have been revamped this year, and they also have a virtual mine tour.”

The tickets are available from the Rossland Museum and Gold Fever Follies as well as at participating retailers including Rossland Pro Hardware.

Down the hill, Trail is using most of its $4,600 boost toward creating an events calendar, which will be linked to the Trail and District Chamber of Commerce website.

“So that when a person comes into town and they want to know what’s going on, they can hit a button and boom the calendar is right there and it tells them what’s going on,” explained Trail councillor Al Graham, who is the chair of the Lower Columbia Community Development Team’s tourism committee.

Money will also be invested into creating a local business inventory and hosting an information meeting to highlight the importance of tourism in Trail.

“We are a company town, we’ve got a big major employer, and when you look at that you think how important is tourism?” said Graham. “But you’ve got to diversify, every penny counts.”

More than 180 communities benefited from the Community Tourism Opportunities program, which granted $1 million to 300 grassroot projects through the program that is in its third year running.