Tourism Partners Appreciated

Thank you to our Tourism Partners who attended the Kenosha Area Tourism Partner Appreciation Night & Holiday Celebration on Thursday, January 22nd. Special thanks to the Civil War Museum for hosting our event. “The Fiery Trial” exhibit was open for attendees to tour. Thank you also to everyone who brought non-perishable food items, which have been delivered to the Shalom Center. Good food, refreshments, and socializing opportunities were available for all to partake. Kenosha Area CVB President Dennis DuChene spoke to the crowd. He thanked everyone for attending, and encouraged continuing existing partnerships and forging new ones within the community to achieve continued success. He also announced the 2008 Hotel and Tourism Partner of the Year winners.

The 2008 Tourism Partner of the Year is Tenuta’s Delicatessen. Ralph and Chris Tenuta were unable to attend the celebration, but Ralph later accepted the plaque at the store. Tenuta’s has been a Kenosha tradition for nearly 60 years. The store remains a neighborhood landmark as well as a destination for out of town visitors seeking imported cheeses, wines, spices, and other authentic groceries. The KACVB truly appreciates the stories and hospitality that Ralph shares with everyone who visits, especially the time he takes with our motorcoach vistors.

The 2008 Hotel Partner of the Year award winner is the Best Western Executive Inn. During 2008, Best Western Executive Inn and its Director of Sales and Marketing, Becky Biller, greatly increased their participation in our programs. They offered many hotel packages, provided hot date/cool rate offers, and requested two coupons be placed on our web site – for Best Western and the on-site Rush Street Lounge. We appreciate their renewed enthusiasm in partnering with the KACVB and encourage its continuation.

Register for Tourism Talks Breakfast

The next Tourism Talks Breakfast will take place on February 10th at RecPlex. The topic is "Savvy Marketing in a Challenging Economy", presented by Tracey Carson, VP Director of Integrated Marketing, Boelter + Lincoln Advertising Agency. Registration, Networking & Breakfast Buffet begins at 8 a.m. The KACVB Update will be given at 8:30 a.m., followed by the Keynote Presentation at 8:45 a.m. All employees of Partner Businesses are welcome and encouraged to attend. Advance registration is required by February 6th. Register today! PLUS: Wisconsin Department of Tourism Representative Kit Sorensen will be hosting office hours in Kenosha following this Tourism Talks Breakfast.  Meet personally with Kit to learn about how you can promote your business through Wisconsin Department of Tourism programs and services.  Call Deanna at the Kenosha Area CVB at 654-7307 ext. 11 by February 6th to schedule your appointment with Kit.

Travel Writers Visit

On January 28th, Meridith Jumisko from the Kenosha Area CVB accompanied two travel writers around Kenosha. The primary focus of the visit by Mary Lu Laffey and April Maher was a March story for the Chicago Sun-Times about taking the METRA train up for a weekend of gallery hopping. There is also the potential for future stories in various other publications. Thank you to Milton Smith at Rhode Center for the Arts and Pollard Gallery, Melanie Hovey at Lemon Street Gallery, and Candace Hoffman at Anderson Arts Center for meeting with the writers. The writers enjoyed every stop, including their ride on the Electric Streetcar and their lunch at Harborside Common Grounds. They also learned about Kenosha HarborMarket and the Second Saturday events from Melanie. Spontaneous visits were made to Franks Diner, and the Kenosha Transit Center to look at the streetcars.

News U Can Use

TREK Women’s Triathlon Series Coming Here: Registration has opened for the inaugural TREK Women’s Triathlon Series, which will take place at the RecPlex on July 12th. By participating or volunteering, you’ll be joining a Wisconsin Original, Trek Bicycle Corporation, right here at the Southeastern Wisconsin stop of one of the largest triathlon series in the world. It’s a fitness experience turned tradition by women across the country who join forces with friends, mothers, sisters and daughters to challenge themselves, strengthen bonds and raise funds for charity. There is no affiliation between the TREK Women's Triathlon Series and any other triathlon series. For more details: visit www.trekwomenstriathlonseries.com or call 877-221-9665.

Days Inn Now Kenosha Inn: What was formerly the Days Inn, at 12121 – 75th Street, is now doing business as Kenosha Inn. There is no longer an 800 phone number, but all other amenities remain as listed in the new 2009 Kenosha Area Visitors Guide.

Photo Contest Winners Announced

The KACVB has selected the winners of its 2008 Kenosha Area Picture Perfect Photo Contest. The top photos were: “Sunrise over Lake Michigan and the Pierhead Lighthouse” taken by Sue Hammye (shown at left), “Boarding the Streetcar in HarborPark” by Ronald King, and “Fountain and Flowers at the Kenosha Public Museum” by Kathleen J. Wheeler. An honorable mention photo, also taken by Sue Hammye, was “An Autumn View of the Lincoln Park bridge”. Click here to see all the winning photos. Dining gift certificates to Villa D’Carlo, Mangia, and House of Gerhard were awarded to the winners, courtesy of the KACVB. The Kenosha Area Picture Perfect Photo Contest continues in 2009. The contest is an opportunity for residents, and visitors, to promote the Kenosha Area as a fun and exciting place for tourists. Each photo submitted has the chance to be used in various KACVB publications and on our web site.

Wisconsin Part of Olympic Proposal

We pass along this message, e-mailed on January 16, 2009, from Kelli A. Trumble, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism:

Hello my friends,

I’m writing with news that is sure to warm your soul on this wintry Wisconsin day. Just a few moments ago, Governor Doyle made it official, announcing to the world that Wisconsin has been selected to host several cycling events should Chicago win its bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. As the proposal stands, UW-Madison will serve as the site for the Wisconsin athletic village and the starting line for the road cycling and time trial events. With Tyrol Basin as the proposed mountain biking venue and Blue Mounds State Park as the finishing line for road cycling, more of our beautiful landscapes will be on display.

This is a chance of a lifetime to spread the word on all the things our loyal visitors know and love about Wisconsin -- the incredible natural resources that inspire people to think differently here, the bigger-than-life friendliness factor, and of course our incredible work ethic. You should be proud.

I’m certain it comes as no surprise to you that destinations that host Olympic events see a boost in tourism not just in the Olympic year but for many years after. What a nice halo effect for our entire tourism industry. We’d certainly have to start thinking about printing a lot more of our popular biking guide!

When one touts our state’s bike-friendly attitude, tribute must be paid to the visionaries who decided Wisconsin was a great place to set up their cycling businesses. Names like Trek and Pacific Cycle come to mind immediately, among many others. We were the first in the country to convert abandoned railbeds to bike trails; that was some 40 years ago and we still lead the nation in this endeavor. I always find it remarkable that the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation have rated 10,000 miles of Wisconsin roadways for bicycle touring, and that mountain biking opportunities exist in nearly 60 state and county parks and forests.

While there’s still much deliberation to take place among Olympic organizers, I’m going to end my week with positive thoughts of world-renowned athletes, their families and fans converging in Wisconsin. After all, Wisconsin Tourism has a reputation for believing that no idea is too big or too out there. The 2016 site will be announced by the International Olympic Committee in October. So, until then, let’s think big!

Take good care,

2009 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism

Are you ready for innovations, tips and tools that you can put to work right away? Join the Wisconsin Department of Tourism at the 2009 Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism in La Crosse on March 15-17. The Keynote Speaker will be Daniel Levine: “Making Partners Out of Visitors: Social trends driving Wisconsin Tourism into the next decade.” Packed with examples of where culture and consumer-oriented business are headed, this essential presentation takes an extraordinary look at the profound social shifts that will transcend our current economic challenges and dramatically re-shape our industry. Register on or before Friday, February 6th and take advantage of the low early-bird rate of $185.00.  Be sure to look for multiple registration-discounted rates. For more information and to register: http://www.wigcot.org

Tourism Partner Profile: Sandy's Popper

"Pop’n Downtown Kenosha" is an accurate phrase used by Sandy’s Popper, a new KACVB Tourism Partner. Kenosha HarborMarket visitors met David and Sandy Hawes a few years before the shop opened at 5503-6th Ave. in May 2008. The couple has been a vendor at the market since 2006, as Sandy’s Popper Express. They are also participating in this winter’s WinterMarket. Their business started out as a hobby, and to this day they still consider it a hobby, as well as a business. “We never thought we’d be doing this,” Sandy says.

Neither opened a business before. They had thought they may open a store one day. They’ve been inspired by the shops they’ve visited in Cedarburg and Galena, Il. They nearly bought a shop in Lake Geneva before. One thing led to another though once they were at a large car show in Burlington. David was showing his restored car, while Sandy discovered two popcorn poppers for sale. They placed a bid, and came away with both. One is an early fifties, vintage-style “Whistling Dan” type, while the other is a Harley-style one.

Once they had the poppers, they wondered what they would do with them. They had friends involved with HarborMarket, and so they started Sandy’s Popper Express. David came up with the name, naturally because they had popcorn makers and Sandy. The “Express” was used because they can take a popper to any location, almost at a moment’s notice. They would take a popper to festivals, parties, and HarborMarket. The business grew; customers continued to ask where the store was. David would say “you’re standing in it.” Given the interest, and that they wanted to expand the product line, and needed a kitchen to make their flavored popcorns, they opened a storefront.

Sandy and David love to walk along the lakefront on Saturday nights in the summer. They would walk by the location where their store now is, and said if that spot ever opened up, they wanted it. One day David was driving by and saw the office furniture in the space was for sale. He asked the landlady if the spot was available, and that is how Sandy’s Popper came to be.

“It’s a very good location for popcorn and ice cream for us,” Sandy says. Sandy grew up in Kenosha, while David was born and raised here. He remembers popcorn wagons and soda fountains at various locations in town. They have traveled near and far with their popcorn poppers, including to farm shows in Iowa and Nebraska. Sandy’s Popper Express continues to this day. Besides HarborMarket, they take it to various fundraising events in town, including Food Folks & Spokes, last year’s Harbor Thunder, Bloomin’ Days, and many more.

They’ve had customers out walking on the summer weekends come into the store and comment that Kenosha is a “vacation getaway spot.” They try to accentuate Wisconsin products to appeal to visitors and welcome them to Wisconsin, David says. Their Wisconsin products include Cedar Crest ice cream, Alterra coffee (an organic free trade coffee brand), Sprechers soda, Ambrosia chocolate, and apples from Kenosha County’s own Brightonwoods Orchard. They sell Jelly Belly products, pies made at a local bakery, and hand-crafted wooden bowls made by seniors from the Kenosha Senior Citizens Center.

Gourmet white and yellow popcorn, cheese and caramel corns, as well as fruit-flavored glaze corn and popcorn balls are offered. The popcorn is popped on site. Cinnamon, Buffalo wing, and lemon are among the flavors. Many combinations of flavors are also available. Sandy also makes turtles, chocolate covered pretzels, and other treats. They offer novelty candies, including licorice imported from Australia and salt water taffy, as well as malts and shakes.  16 ice cream flavors are on display at any given time, with another 10 to 12 available in the summer. If you don’t see a flavor you want, you should ask. They rotate the flavors and take requests. Queens’ apple sundaes are available with a fresh apple sliced and covered with caramel, nuts, and ice cream. 50s, retro style seating is available inside the store. During the summer, chairs and tables are added outdoors.

While Sandy and David have a storefront location, and offer many products there, their business is so much more than what is seen on the shelves. They have fun customizing orders. As David says, they have the freedom to experiment. They do many different concoctions at the request of their customers. Some requests work, some don’t, David says. Flavors, colors and packaging can be customized. They’ve made kettle corn packages for a wedding. They’ve made popcorn with school colors for school events. They make ice cream cakes on order, with 24 hours notice.  They create made-to-order gift baskets, in addition to those available on the shelf. 

They can create organic popcorn when asked. They also offer green ice tea in the summer, but don’t promote themselves as a health food store. They offer rich ice cream, “enjoyable, fun food,” David says. It’s a fun place with reasonable prices, to appeal to families, he adds. “It’s an inexpensive treat for the family,” says Sandy, who has fun meeting the people.

Sandy and David placed an ad in the 2009 Kenosha Area Visitors Guide because they “wanted to be an attraction to people visiting Kenosha.” They are used to cruising in their car to various destinations along the lake, and they want to be a place for others out cruising, David says. They see it as an opportunity for visitors to spend the day in downtown Kenosha visiting many different places.

They do their part in referring their customers to other nearby businesses, just as the other businesses do. Trolley Dogs, next door to them, sends customers over and places their products on the counter. The downtown businesses support each other and work together. “Downtown needs to support each other. That’s what it’s all about,” Sandy says of the word-of-mouth marketing.

Dates 2 Know

2/6: Tourism Partner Breakfast Registration Deadline | Register Today!

2/10: Tourism Partner Breakfast at RecPlex | Register Today!

2/13: January Tracking Forms Due (Grace)

3/13: February Tracking Forms Due (Grace)

Impact Archives
Welcome Page of Tourism Partner section
Tourism Talks Breakfast Series