Let's Talk Clermont

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Episode 12 of Let's Talk Clermont. We sit down with Jeff Blom, President of Discover Clermont, to talk about how tourism drives economic growth, upcoming public art projects for America 250, and why Clermont's small towns have a strong sense of pride and community. We even talk about some hidden gems in the county and the Loveland Frogman.

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We've been living in sin so long.   All  

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Hello, and welcome to episode 12 of Let's Talk Claremont.   I am your host, Patrick, and we really appreciate everybody tuning in and all the support we've been getting.   People seem to like what we're doing, and, that's that's really great. It makes me feel good, makes me feel like I'm not, you know, wasting my time doing this.   So today's episode is going to be recorded well in advance.   Normally,   I I do these little intros about, you know, a day or two before   so I can look at the news and and, you know, give you kind of current   information.  

But I will not be here next week because I hopefully will be relaxed on a beach in Florida with my family.   So if this sounds a little rushed, it's because it is a little rushed. My wife is currently downstairs frantically packing,   probably wondering what I'm still doing up in my my office, not helping her.   I was gonna just get right to the interview because like I said, I, you know, I won't have time to   do all my research and try to figure out some some current events that are going on.   But our interview today is with Jeff Blom, and he runs the Convention of Visitors Bureau.   And, I'd forgotten to take a picture take pictures for social media and for the the cover art for the podcast.  

And when I went back to do that, I told him a little bit about, you know, the podcast and we talk about   sometimes   state bills that are working their way through the state legislature. And he said, oh, that's a shame. We could have talked about house bill one sixty one.   So I thought I just really briefly talk about that.   This bill sponsored by Claremont's very own representative Adam Bird.   And so   what it does is is when you stay at hotels, there's something called lodging tax, that you have to pay.   Now some of this tax is gonna go to the city you stay in, and it's gonna be for things like fire and EMS and police and infrastructure.   But a portion of that also goes to help fund conventions and visitors bureau with the work they do.  

Right now,   short term rent rentals, so think things like Airbnb   or VRBO,   they don't have to pay this tax.   And this bill would change that, and it would make short term rentals.   They would put them on the same tax footing as hotels.   What's nice about this, outside of collecting more tax revenue,   for the county,   but it doesn't put the burden of collecting the tax on individual hosts.   Instead, the platform the platform, so Airbnb or VRBO,   is gonna be responsible for that. They're gonna have to remit state and local taxes   on each state. So it's it's not as if Airbnb and VRBO are gonna pay that tax. It's like sales tax. You're probably still gonna have to pay it if you stay at a hotel.  

But it's not gonna force, you know,   people who have a tiny rental that they just rent out every, you know, every so   often. They're not gonna have to do a bunch of paperwork. Instead,   the booking platforms are gonna have to take care of that. So I think it's a pretty nice bill.   But that's all we have in terms of news.   And as we've talked about before, we are a value for value podcast.   And what that means is is you you find value in what we do here. All we ask is that you return that   value in the form of time, talent, or treasure.   We also have a Facebook page if you wanna stay in touch with us. That's,   Let's Talk Claremont podcast.  

We're on Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont.   And you can follow us on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or whatever you use for podcasts.   You know, follow us there, and you can get updates every time we put out an episode.   And we want to hear from you.   Send us an email. Tell us what you're concerned about, tell us what you're happy about, tell us what we're doing right, tell us what we're doing wrong.   And you can you can email us at info@let'stalkclaremont.com.   And, you know, if it's interesting, I'll read it out on the air, and you can have your note read to all of our listeners.   So like I mentioned before,   our interview today is with, Jeff Blom. He is the president of Discover Clermont, which is the Clermont County Conventions and Visitors Bureau.  

And we just talk about the work he and his team do to bring people into the county. I mean, he's he's really   him and his team are   salespeople for the county, and they're trying to attract tourists, they're trying to attack attract,   you know, major sporting events,   conventions, all kinds of stuff like that, which is great because it not only helps us share everything,   you know, the the great parts of our county with the world,   but that's revenue. You know, when people come in to Clermont and they spend money, that's good for businesses, that's good for   all of our cities and and townships.  

So   the the work he does is is really important, and and I'm happy that he's doing it. And he seems to be doing a good job as far as I can tell.   We also get into some some cool things like hidden gems in the county, like restaurants that you might not have heard of.   So, again, great interview, and, I really hope you enjoy.   So we are recording. And,   to start all of these off, I just who you are and what you do.  

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Well, I'm Jeff Blom, and, it's b l o m. B l o m. Yes.   I'm the president of the Claremont County Convention and Visitor Bureau, and I've been in my role for about seven and a half years now.   But I've worked in the tourism industry   pretty much my entire adult working life.   And then, actually, I started out when I was a student at New Richmond High School. I worked at Coney Island. Parking cars was my job at age 16.   At least the job that I really paid taxes on. Right.  

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And, That's always an important milestone. Right. We always tell our little girl who's five,   she can curse when she has a job and pays taxes. So she's allowed to say the bad words Right. When she has a job and pays taxes.  

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So, you you know, it's the the past couple years well, the past, fourteen months, fifteen months, something like that. You know, it's the past,   fourteen months, fifteen months, something like that.   You know, with Coney Island closing Yeah. Certainly was sad and and disappointing. I think a lot of people wish that,   Coney Island would have found different owners besides Riverbend to   continue operating the park. Yeah. So it's sad to see that piece of my, you know, childhood just like many others,   you know, evaporate Yeah. And that. And I'm sure Riverbend will build a   spectacular  

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amphitheater that we'll all be excited about. Yeah. It's still sad to see some of the old memories go. You know? It's kind of the price of change and development. Yes. Some of the old stuff goes. And,  

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I'm sure Riverbend,   you know, our hotels are some of the closest to the concert amphitheater there. So,   if they're going to have more concerts and bigger concerts and music festivals,   that bodes well for our our   hotels in Carmel County. Yeah. So, you know, at the end, it's sad in one way,   but in   the professional life,   it it's certainly a positive thing for our hotels. Yeah. I imagine a lot of opportunity.  

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Right. Right. So   I I would also like to start with   what it is you do here. Because I think it's it's easy for somebody in Clermont not to even know that there's a convention of visitors bureau. And then when you tell them, it's like, well, tourism, what   it's not like we have giant, you know, attractions or things. Like, you know, we're not Las Vegas.   Right. So what do you guys do? Oh, I think,  

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actually, you could stick all of our hotel rooms from all 15 of our hotels,   which is, a little over   1,600   rooms would make up not even one casino resort in Las Vegas. Right. If that helps put things in perspective.   But yes. No. The from our county convention, the business bureau was formed in 1980.   So it has been around for a number of years. So we'll be coming up on a   anniversary here in a few years. Nice.   It's a private nonprofit   organization.   We are funded through the lodging tax.   So if, you know, you're a visitor to Clermont County, you pay, you know, your hotel rate plus,   your sales tax and a lodging tax, and that lodging tax helps to fund   our organization.  

So   part of that lodging tax goes to our organization.   Actually, part of it goes to the municipality where the hotel is located to help with   fire, EMS,   police Yeah. Infrastructure,   film bottles,   you name it, to really, you know, again, help, to provide those services that the hotels and and guests are are are are utilizing when they're when they're here and when the hotel's operating.   But what we do here is we really have two buckets that we concentrate on. We're a professional marketing and sales organization, and we promote Claremont County as a destination to visit.   If you're a resident here, you might go, well, what is there to visit? Right.  

But what I'll say is, you know, every destination is different. You know, we're not Las Vegas. We're not San Francisco. We're not Orlando and Disney World.   But a lot of people will visit Clermont County.   We're really attached at the hip to Cincinnati. Yep.   So visiting Clermont and Cincinnati go really hand in hand, and people come for a variety of reasons.   and foremost, the biggest one is always no matter where   is visiting friends and family. Yep. And that's the number one peep reason people travel. Just think Thanksgiving, Christmas,   and not everybody has room at their at their house to, you know, house all their families. To house all their families. To house all their families.  

Sorry, mother-in-law.   You have to stay. You know, there's this nice hotel.   But,   you know, so that's number one.   But, you know, we do have jungle gym's international,   market, and that is certainly a draw. We have people that from Cleveland that drive down four hours Yeah. Spend the night or spend the weekend, go shopping, load up their coolers,   and head back to Cleveland. Jungle gyms is wild. I mean, it's crazy. I tell everybody  

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so we were talking earlier. I work remote, and one of the agencies I work with is in, Upstate New York. And his daughter goes to Xavier. Okay. And I told him, you have to go to jungle gyms. Like, I Oh, absolutely. I can't even describe to you what this place is. You just have to go experience it. You know, it's the theme park or grocery store. I I mean, it's wild. I don't know how he had that idea or how that even developed.  

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Well, we're we're lucky to have Jungle Gym, and we're lucky to have that in in the location here in at Eastgate Yep. In Clermont County.   You know, we really focus on two different markets here. One is leisure travel, and that's individuals,   couples,   you know, empty nesters,   families with young kids,   to just, you know, visit Claremont County. We have a lot of history here.   I I would say we have a few towns that   have that small town charm. Mhmm. And I'll just point out a few. Loveland, Milford, New Richmond,   I think they all have some things in common. Yep. Water,   rivers,   Ohio River to the South, Little Miami River, and all its scenery on the on the north end   and   the bike trails. Mhmm. So they they've really become a mecca for   outdoor activity   and combining that with, you know, going to breakfast and getting a smoothie,   getting done with your biking,   in the morning and then grabbing lunch with your your friends or family.  

Well, they do that at Little Miami, don't they, with the brewery Oh, yeah. Where they'll you know, the canoes will go down the river Oh, yeah. Kayaks or whatever. Kayaks are are more prop popular now than the the canoes. I think a lot of deliveries have actually gotten rid of a lot of canoes and all go into the kayaks.   Yeah. You can pull your kayak right up there on the bank of the little Miami,   and and walk up the hillside. They've got a a a trail up there now. Before, it was people stumbling up and down the hill, but they actually put a trail in, because of the popularity.   And some Saturdays, you'll see That's packed. You'll see forty, fifty kayaks Yeah. Out there. And, of course, they're all up at the brewery grabbing a beer and pizza and and having a good time.  

So   we we've got a lot of things to offer here that people will travel for. And, of course, we also sell the Cincinnati regional attractions. So think Cincinnati Reds, huge Midwest draw,   FC Cincinnati,   Kings Island Mhmm. Newport Aquarium, Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Art Museum, BB So we get the benefit of those Absolutely. Attractions as well. And and, you know, depending on where you're traveling from, and we get a lot of people that stay with us that are from, you know, really Columbus,   Cleveland, Pittsburgh, West Virginia,   Southeast Ohio,   Eastern Kentucky.  

You know, that's where we draw a lot from, but we also draw people from Chicago Yeah. Indianapolis,   Lexington, Louisville, you know, all of those cities.   And, it, you know, it depends what they're coming in town for. We have people that fly in and visit Sportys.   Yeah. The pilot shop. You know, that's kind of a hidden gem that we have here that residents may not know about. But if you fly planes, you definitely know Sporty's, and Sporty's is even mentioned in a Jimmy Buffett song. I think somewhere really? Somewhere along the line. I didn't know that. You know, he's mentioned it. You know, of course, god bless Jimmy. And Yeah.   But,   yeah, it it's a hidden gem here. But, you know, we concentrate on the leisure travel,   and then we also focus on group travel. And group travel, what we're primarily known for is our sports, youth and amateur sports. And the biggest events that we do here are typically some of the regattas, the rolling regattas   out at East Fork State Park.  



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How big are those? My my wife was a rower, and she said they're pretty big. I've never been to a regattas. They they can be huge.  

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We do not have one this summer, but in in May, early June last year, we hosted the NCAA   women's rowing national championships. Oh, really? I didn't even know that. So we had 36 teams.   That's division one, two, and three, women's teams because women's varsity   sport, men's club because of title nine.   And that was division one, two, and three. And it was fantastic.   And we had,   basically, about 3,500   there's about 3,500, 3,600   people that came in from all across The United States for that national championship.   And they were here for several days, and the economic impact they left,   basically, being here for around four days   was $1,600,000   is what we estimate. That's awesome. And that  

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and I don't mean to cut you off from what you're talking about, but I do wanna talk about economic impact because   I've I've talked about this before. I used to, do PR media for the balloon festival in Middletown. Oh, yes. Fantastic. So I've worked with Butler County Okay.   Visitors bureau. I mean, this was way back in the day. This wasn't, like, yesterday or anything. Right.   But they the newspapers would always help me for economic impact. And,   I guess, could you talk about because this is essentially an economic development play. Yes. Yeah. And, like, we're trying to bring people And what I would say is, you know, tourism  

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is economic development. Yes. And the more we invest in tourism,   it is those outside visitors coming in to spend money. Mhmm. And when they spend money, they're typically paying a sales tax. Yep. And for us, they're also paying lodging tax if they're spending the night.   But that helps to lower   your taxes if you're a resident.   And our last study in 02/2023,   and this was through tourism economics   with the, you know, Ohio Appalachian,   we're we are one of the Ohio Appalachian counties.   Although, we're probably one of the most modern Appalachian counties,   but they estimated, I think, $603   per household   is what you would save   because of tourism in Claremont County. Really? So if we didn't have tourism, you'd be paying that extra $603   out of out of pocket.  

So what I always say is   if you're a resident here, you should be an advocate, and you should be a cheerleader for what we do because the more people we bring in, the more visitors and the and and the more visitor spending   is going to have a a very positive impact   on on your taxes and keeping those lower. Yeah.   So the more that other people are coming in and spending money, it also has an impact on jobs. Mhmm. So, you know, retail stores hire more employees if more people are shopping.   Restaurants, same thing. We have more visitors and soccer tournaments and baseball and softball and, you know, even more rowing regattas.   They're they're all eating. Yeah.  

They're all visiting our restaurants. We're getting catering orders from our restaurants and But the very least going back to cars and gas. You know? Shopping at jungle gyms, shopping at Kroger. Yep.   I know when we have regattas, they're go I you can always see a truck or trailer in in the Walmart parking lot because they're going there to get   snacks and supplies and sometimes tools to fix boats.   If they didn't have something, they're they're running out and and grabbing those things.   So it it really does have a big positive impact on on Clermont County.   And, you know, we're excited to be a part of of every event,   that we book. But in addition to sports, we also booked small meetings and conferences.  

We do not have a, you know, a facility like Duke Energy Center downtown,   which is getting renovated, and we're excited about that because,   the the more people coming to our downtown floor and filling hotels also pushes   people,   you know, to the outer markets and the suburbs to stay Yep. When those hotels are filled.   So there's that compression, and we always like that.   But we do small meetings and conferences, and I'd say our sweet spot is really, you know, those that are, like, 50 people to 300 people. Okay. And what what kind of conference would that be? Is it just kinda a Oh, it could be a corporate or something. Right. Small association.   You know, maybe they have, you know, 90 members. Mhmm. Could be a state association that's, you know, in Columbus that maybe they have, you know, 240   people that attend their annual conference, and we could host that at Holiday Inn Skate   or Oasis Conference Center.  

Sensei Nature Center also hosts some some different conferences  

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and meetings. Place for conferences. Absolutely.  

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They do a fantastic job. And,   we have some   unique meeting venues here. Some of the rustic barns. Mhmm.   Again, people are using them for weddings, but they're also using the using them for corporate retreats,   board meetings,   you know, trying to book meetings outside the downtown core   and and just get out where there's more green space and and maybe they're tying that to hiking or,   yoga, yoga yoga.   And the team building event. You know? Team building. Absolutely. So I I think it's a way for for, you know, meeting planners to book a a different type of venue   and, you know, tie to that outboard, you know, get some fresh air, and you're not looking at the, you know, concrete all of around you. Yeah. You're seeing some green space and and trees and plants and flowers and wildlife. Yeah. So, you know, you could plan some hikes, Nature Center,   East Fork, Stone Lake, Little Miami Bike Trail. Yeah. You know, you could have a a team excursion and go grab beers at one brewery, get on your bikes, and grab a beer at another brewery, you know, one in Milford, one in Loveland and and have some fun. And then the team building event is just keeping everybody on their bike. That's right. That's right. At the end of the day. That's the that's the team building event. Keeping them on the street and narrow path.  

So  

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so what would you say   I mean, it's   I really feel like the the   nature in the in East Fork and all that stuff is such a great asset for the county. It is.  

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We really do have a big hike, bike, paddle   marketing campaign.   And so we're you know, we may not have all the, you know, family attractions here in Clermont County. You can really do the best of both worlds. Mhmm. You can you can get out whether you're going to Warren County for Kings Island,   Northern Kentucky for the Newport Aquarium, or going downtown Cincinnati to see a Reds game.   You know, you can do all of that as a family. But then you can what we say, get outside,   and you can hike. Mhmm. And we have more miles of hiking in Claremont than I believe every any other county in Ohio. I didn't know. Add up all the mileage in East Fork especially I was gonna say.   But also Stone Lick, the Cincinnati Nature Center, our Clermont Parks Yep. And even some of our township parks in that. You add all those miles up, we have more mileage in Clermont than any other county. Actually, I interviewed,   Chris Klingman in K. Scales. Chris was great. Yeah. I love Craig. He was so modest about having that park named after him. We just drove through it last night. Actually, my wife hadn't been there, and and I said, well, you know, we're driving back from a function. I said, hey. Hey. Let's just stop in there. I'll show you this because they're working on a master plan now. Yeah. She hadn't seen it yet. And, actually, we drove in there last night and saw some deer Yeah. That were grazing and,   you know, a a little nature preserve that they have there. But, you know, they're looking to to certainly do some different things with that park and, and fit that into their master plans. But Well, it's a beautiful park, and I didn't realize this, but  

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and I think Chris was responsible for a lot of it. It was something like 400 acre. I mean, it's a lot of acreage that we have and just preserves that you can   that you can usually you can go to as a whomever and just hike, and it's it's really nice. Right.  

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And,   you know, when people are looking for inexpensive or free things to do,   you know, we have that here with the state parks and the county parks. The little my Miami bike Trail, you can bring your bikes and bike for free. Yeah. You could also rent bikes from, like, Bishop's Bicycles or, you know, couple other places in Loveland.   You know, you can go hiking at any of the parks,   you know, kayaking.   I own two kayaks. Yeah. We've got a kayaking on the Little Miami,   probably three or four times every summer.   But you can also rent,   up in Loveland.  

Also Scenic River Excursions, which is just kind of across the county line,   off around Bottom Road. And both of them do a fantastic job of of, you know, taking,   visitors, whether they're local residents   or or visitors, you know, up to Little Miami and and bringing them down, you know, through Loveland,   Milford.   And people get a real taste of of the outdoors here, and it's beautiful.   There's blue herons. There's bald eagles.  

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There was an Ibis. It's Faith. Abby's Farm. I would in research. Because for the podcast, I'll do a little bit of news before the interview.   And I was researching. They found some  

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rare Florida bird at Abby's Farm. I saw that. Yeah. And, you know, I'm not a a big bird. I'm not either. I'd Maybe as I get I talked to Chris. Maybe as I get older, I'll be more of a bird. Yeah.   But I I saw that. And and, apparently, the bird got blown off Yeah. Sometimes   that. From maybe one of the storms that ended up here.   Poor poor little guy or girl,   you know,   just off by their loans in here.   But, you know, for burgers, I mean, that is,   huge. Yeah.   You know, we don't really focus on that here as much, but it's something that we've talked about doing more of an initiative to marketing to the birding Yeah. Enthusiast.   Northwest Ohio up there, like, Lake Erie Shore And Islands, they really focus on it,   quite a bit. Yeah. And it's millions of dollars Yeah. People to come in and watch a lot of the migrating birds coming up from, you know, South America through The United States and on up into Canada.  

But, blue herons, we have a a a large blue heron population that nests,   just off of 32 towards Williamsburg, really. And,   they typically   and I I don't know what month. So I wanna say it's, like, maybe April and May,   that you'll see a couple 100 blue herons. I didn't know that many. And the nests are huge. And,   they'll they'll fly around. They they have their nest there. And then once their offspring are old enough to fly, then they're they're migrating on, to other other areas. Well, then I know we've got bald eagles too because there's We do. And secretive  

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about their nests, but And right there so.  

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And, you know, the eel cams are the big thing in the webcams, which are fun.   But that's a growing population, and it's great to see. You know, it's it's our, you know, national I don't I guess it's our national official bird. I would think it is. Yeah.   But,   we do have a lot of wildlife here, and, you know, it's a great way to get out, whether you're hiking or biking or or or on your kayak. So get out and experience that. And so it's great. You know, families can come in and do all of the, you know, the   amusement parks and the Reds game and Yep. Aquarium and the zoo and things like that, but then they come out here and get that physical activity. Yep. And families can do it together, couples.  



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It you know, it's just a great way to experience a little bit of the best of both worlds is what I call it. Well, you know, when everybody talks you hear about out west all the time. Right? In, like, Colorado and California. It's like, oh, it's you can go hiking and it's so beautiful. We   you can do that here. Oh, okay. Like, it's   the natural assets that we have, the wildlife that we have. I I mean, it's not gigantic Rocky Mountains or something like that, but it's just as it's just as engaging.  

[00:26:39] Unknown:

It it is. And what we can also tell you is you don't need to pack bear spray. Yeah. That's also nice.   So   and my family, we went we went out to,   you know, the Yellowstone and Grand Tizans last summer, and it was fantastic. Yeah.   But we also enjoy just hiking here locally. Yeah. And   there   there's a lot more to see and do than what you think. Yeah. And I'd say it's very underrated,   but that we do have a lot of beautiful hiking trails,   well kept,   I would say too.   You know, the park management at East Fork and Stone Lake do a great job of keeping those parks clean and the trails,   intact. And I know they work with CORA, which is the Off Road Alliance,   to main mountain bike trails as well as hiking trails.  

And so we've got some great trails that are really well maintained.   Obviously, Cincinnati Nature Center is one of the award winning nature centers in the country. Yeah.   Maybe people don't know that, but it is one of the best in the country. And And they have a lot of great programs too. They have a lot of great naturalist programs,   you know, going creaking as far as with the kids Yep. And finding crawfish. The parks department has great programs too. Right. They do a lot of the similar And Clermont Parks has added some naturalists.   Eastwork and Stone Lake have a naturalist as well.  

So   more and more programming is is is coming and evolving and more programs being added. I know they had some some night hikes with some you know, the the dark sky Yeah. Yeah. Type of of programming,   canoeing and kayaking at night on the on   on the Ohio or out at East Fork as far as just stargazing and doing it in a different way.   We have a lot of fun experiences that people can enjoy here.  

[00:28:31] Unknown:

So what   what are some of your favorites? Or let me I I that would be an unfair question, I think, to have you pick favorites. But what are some of the   outside of nature because I feel like we've talked about that a lot.   Some of the things that people might not realize about the county, like attractions or things to do, some of the underwriting I could do a whole podcast just on hidden gems. Well, then I I would love to hear hidden gems. But, you know, like you said, they're all my babies, and I call them tools.  

[00:28:58] Unknown:

And the more tools we have in our toolkit,   it it just allows us to to sell and market Clermont County and get more and more people.   But a few hidden gems Yep. The Cardboard Boat Museum in New Richmond. I did an interview with Tom Lemon. You know? It's wild there. It's quirky. Yep. It's fun.   You know? It it it's just   an odd little museum, but, you know, the the It's really fun too. Are made out of three things,   cardboard, duct tape, and paint. Yeah. How simple is that? Yeah. And some of these are just extraordinary.   Yeah. I'm sure you know, and I know some of the kids that you see, the the engineering students have built some of them. Yeah. And to see some of these cargo boats, you're just blown away. Oh, yeah. They've got a riverboat, like, very accurate riverboat recreations.  

Like a Batmobile?  

[00:29:50] Unknown:

Yeah. There was a One I mean, there's I wanna say there was a hot dog, maybe? Probably. I don't know. There was all kinds of wild stuff there. And then there's the serious ones that are, like, very Right. Well engineered and Right.   Meant to actually Cut through the water. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.  

[00:30:05] Unknown:

That's one.   The Tri State Warbird Museum. Yeah. That's,   And there's peep that's been around for years. But people that live here, if you haven't   been, you need to go. Yeah. And they do events. They do They do events. They do Like air shows. They do air shows. Absolutely.   That is a hidden gem. And they give some fantastic tours.   The planes, you know, you could see them, touch them, learn the history about them.   They do a lot of school groups. Mhmm. But if if you haven't been there, I mean, it's a perfect opportunity to take a couple hours, two or three hours, and go through the museum. Yeah. It's a it's it's just a wonderful one, and we've actually had some big events there.   We had an awards banquet there when we held a, canoe and kayak national championships back in 2022. We had 550   people out there. They opened up the hangers, and and, it was a fantastic awards banquet, and they loved it.  

You know, just the all the athletes were mostly high school, college, 20,   and they were blown away.   And it and the It's a big airport. I mean, it's not Right. I mean, it's obviously not right next to the Clermont County Airport.   So I think those are two.   You know, as far as,   you know,   I would say live music is is very under under I don't know I don't know about underrated is the right word,   but we have a great live music scene Really? At, in New Richmond, in Milford, in Loveland. We have some different local musicians,   and, you know, they're playing the different venues. Little Miami Brewery,   you know, they're playing Bishop's Quarter in Loveland.  

They're playing Front Street Cafe in New Richmond in the Green Kayak.   But we have some wonderful   homegrown   musicians here   that,   you know, go out and support. Harmony Hill Vineyard,   does music on,   Saturdays and and Sundays.   And that's a real deal winery. Right? Like That is a that is a a great local winery, and,   they've been around for for decades now   and have a vibrant music scene on the weekends for for visitors. And,   they don't serve food, so you could take a picnic basket there and enjoy wine. Mhmm. Go buy a bottle or two of wine and enjoy yourselves and   get a group out or, you know, your family to go.  

But that's that's one that might be kind of a hidden gem,   you know, if you're from the downtown area or,   you know, Cincinnati or the West Side of town, that type of thing. But,   those are those are three good ones.   And then I I'd say as far as food goes, we've got some great independent restaurants here   that, really do a nice job. And,   you can go out and   and really have a good local farm to table meal at Bite Mhmm. Which is in Miami Township.   Wonderful. It looks it's a red brick ranch house, and then they've got outdoor seating out front.  

[00:33:08] Unknown:

Every time I drive past it, I think, man, we gotta go on a date there when I can. And the food is is phenomenal. Is it good?  

[00:33:14] Unknown:

Absolutely.   Wood fired pizzas with I I think is one thing that you can find here in Clermont. Yep. Milford's might be the capital for it in Clermont County. We go to Joe's. All the time. Yeah. Joe's. You have Padrino's. You have Padrino's.   Little Miami brewery, all sort of wood fired pizzas, and they're they're all great. Yeah. You know They really are. I don't know. Have a bad pizza there. I don't know.   But, you know, that I think that's kind of a underrated,   you know, hidden gem.   But those are those are a few. I mean, I could I'm sure I could go on and and do a whole thing. You know, in my mind, I have my my top five appetizers and my top five beers and What are what are your top five beers?   Oh, gosh. You know, I would say the blueberry   blonde   hibiscus blueberry blonde beer at Mount Carmel Brewery Okay. Is one of my favorites.  

There's also   at,   I I do like the the kind of the summer fruity beers, not not like the super tart ones. So just kind of that fruit infused.   There's a one there's a peach beer at Little Miami Little Miami Brewery that's that's fantastic.   So I'll give you two of my top five. Okay. But those those are great. Have you ever had any Sons of Toil? I don't wanna turn this into a beer pot. Sons of Toil, I have.   And and they actually,   I know their location is out in Mount Orb,   but they're they also serve at Bean and Brew here in Octavia.   And they've done it. They serve sons of the toiled,   beers at at their restaurant.  

And then they also serve deeper roots coffee.   And And I we've we've got some great coffee shops. And I'll tell you one in New Richmond is called Holy Beans. I think I've heard of Holy Beans. I've never been there. And they've done coffee flights. Oh, really? And they don't do it every day,   but you have to kinda look for when they do it. But they'll serve, you   know, four smaller cups of coffee, and they're all you know, they might do salted caramel with one. They might do,   chocolate   white chocolate mocha, but you can do a whole flight and and try different types   of, you know, flavors of coffee.  

And it's it's a little gem in New Richmond   that,   people really enjoy.  

[00:35:26] Unknown:

Is there another   where are some other good? Because I know I've you were talking about the bean and brew, which I'd I live in Batavia just down on Bean and brew is great.   Are there any other coffee shops?  

[00:35:37] Unknown:

Goshen Grind. Okay. I've heard one.   I and I know that they're popular with the cycling crowd on the weekends   or, you know, early mornings and that when they're out there, especially on a early Saturday or Sunday morning. Yeah. I think that's a a a good rest spot Yeah. For the cyclist.  

[00:35:55] Unknown:

There are a fair bit of cyclists that come through here, aren't there?   There are. Yeah. I'd I've always see them on olive branches where I see them a lot.  

[00:36:04] Unknown:

And you you see a lot riding out, like, Round Bottom Road and out Route 50,   Route 52.   There's some that will ride all the way out to, like, Maysville and then and then, you know, take a different route home. Yeah.   But, yeah, we've got kind of an avid cycling community that that will meet in, like, the Hyde Park area,   and then they will go from So they'll come all the way from They'll come from Hyde Park, and they'll they'll come come out to New Richmond. They'll go up to Goshen. That's a that's a lot of bicycling. They're doing, you know, sometimes 50 miles. Sometimes it's over a 100 miles. That's a lot of bicycling.  

[00:36:42] Unknown:

I guess I guess if you're in the if you're a cyclist,  

[00:36:45] Unknown:

those guys get pretty Right. Intense, I would say. Yes. But you you know, you don't have to be a a, you know, bike a 100 miles. You can go down a little Miami bike trail and Yeah. Or you could just get in your car and go to the grocery and ride. True.   Absolutely.   But but there are some some great places for for local coffee, foragers and   Milford,   the what is it? 42 mile house in,   in Loveland   Okay. Is close to the the kayak canoe livery there,   and that's a that's a great spot. I think their special is a frog man   coffee.  



[00:37:23] Unknown:

I really wanna find somebody to talk about the frog man. The frog man they they have a frog man festival, don't they? They do. They do. I'd It's so nice that we've got our own little, kind of model. There's a little hidden gem is is our is our own, you know, frog man Yeah. For my county. Which if people don't know who the frog man is, it was I bought it in the fifties   or Oh. I don't know. It was like a police officer saw some a frog man, essentially. Right. Yeah. And,  

[00:37:49] Unknown:

apparently, you know,   people see him every once in a while. Yeah. You know, maybe   maybe more or less often than the cicadas. I'm not sure.   But but,  

[00:38:00] Unknown:

every seventeen years, the frog man makes an appearance with the cicadas.  

[00:38:04] Unknown:

But there's some there's some good merchandise out there for frog man and and Loveland,  

[00:38:09] Unknown:

so be on the lookout. Yeah. Every everybody, if you're in Loveland, look out for the Loveland frog man. Right. Especially on foggy nights. Yes. When it's very when you can't get a good picture of him, that's when he'll that's when he'll come out.  

[00:38:20] Unknown:

That's right.  

[00:38:22] Unknown:

So you've mentioned it briefly, but   it seems like you've been at least in the hospitality tourism industry for a while. Can you just talk about how you came to be here and,  

[00:38:32] Unknown:

talk about yourself a little bit? Well, you know, I grew up in New Richmond. Okay. So I'm a I'm a river rat. Yeah. And,   you know, I started working at Coney Island when I was 16   and, parked cars. Mhmm.   One of the my days on the job was Grateful Dead concert in 09/1985.   That must have been interesting. And I learned a lot. Yeah. I did. I meant That was it. That was an education in itself.   And, you know,   I didn't know what a burrito was. I I don't think   back then. There weren't a lot of Mexican restaurants around at that time.   But there were people making burritos in the parking lot. Is that true? I'll tell you what. It was good. Was it a good burrito? Oh, yeah. It was great. And,   people were tie dyeing   their t shirts in in the   toilets in the picnic grove at Coney Island.  

So blue was in one toilet,  

[00:39:22] Unknown:

you know, green. Where would people actually go into the restroom?  

[00:39:26] Unknown:

I don't know. Hopefully not.   Maybe that's just added to the coloring. I'm not sure.  

[00:39:32] Unknown:

Don't use the yellow.  

[00:39:34] Unknown:

That's right. Don't dip your shirt in the yellow toilet.   Be warned.   But, yeah. So I went home that night, and I'm like, mom, dad, I have the best job in the world.   Yeah.   And they're like   they looked all confused.   And then I kinda told them, you know, what was going on there. And then they weren't sure if I should still be working there.   But, it ended up great. A lot of my friends you know, know, I'm in my fifties, and a lot of my friends that I worked with during the summers in high school and college,   I am still really good friends with. So,   friends became family there, and I worked for, Vic Nolting and Mary Schumacher there. And,   they taught me a lot.  

Mhmm. Taught me a lot about management, how to treat people, how to,   you know, work with your vendors and form relationships   with, you know, those people that you count on to to run your business.   And   really   taught me a lot,   just about responsibility   and,   always putting your best foot forward and and putting in that extra effort to do do things the right way. Yeah. And,   that has always stuck with me.   You know, they're they were two great people,   and, they're both retired now. And I hope they're,   you know, enjoying their retirement. I do see them occasionally,   and it's always fun to see them.  

From there, I I left it I worked there from 1985 until February.   And in February, I I I I was ready for a new challenge, and I went to Beebe Riverboats and became the director of sales and marketing there.   They have been in operation since 1980, so they've been in operation about twenty years. And I went in and helped upgrade all of their art their branding and their creative,   from 1980   to more 2000 Yeah. And created some new cruises.   You know, really had a lot of fun working with the Bernstein family,   and Hal's fantastic, and he's still running things. Although, I think his his   his daughter,   Terry, is is really running a lot of that now.  

But, you know, they're a great family business and   and one that has a lot of history in the restaurant business in Cincinnati.   And, learned a lot there Mhmm. And, then went on to become the director of tourism for Cincinnati when and I worked for the,   Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, which is is it since now?   And worked there for a couple of years. And then, unfortunately, they had some some downsizing and Yeah. And,   the tourism department was a casualty, and they focused just on conventions.   And,   so then I would look for a new challenge, and I worked for one of the downtown hotels, the Crown Plaza, which doesn't exist anymore.  

Got some hotel experience there. Yeah. And then I went on to   become the director of marketing for the Northern Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau, which really focused on,   the Blue Ash and Sharonville hotels and Sharonville Convention Center. So I was there for about three years, I believe, and then,   I was recruited to open up the indoor water park in Sharonville called Cocoa Key. Mhmm.   And   wasn't the best time to open up an indoor water park because that was   about a year after we opened was when they had the real estate market crash. Yeah.   And so,   I started looking for another opportunity.  

As did many people when that happened. That's right. That's right. But then I worked for AAA, and I handle a lot of the member discount programs there.   So I was kind of the the liaison to Hertz rental cars and the Marriott's and the Hilton's   and Sprint phones and Dell computers and,   AAA has a prescription   savings program. And so I I really worked with a lot of partners in promoting,   their discounts   to the AAA membership.   And so I've really worked in a lot of the industries in tourism. I also worked for Enterprise Rental Car Mhmm. For   six or seven months right out of college.  

And so I I've I've   done a lot of   work for   different   companies   in that tourism industry space. So   convention and visitors bureaus, hotels, attractions,   you know, the rental car business, tripway.   Yeah. All of them, you know, really have a role in tourism.   And so it it's really helped to provide a a great foundation for me.   And then this job became available in the spring of, 2017.   And it was an opportunity for me to   really come here   and help build up the CDB,   build up the programs here,   really focus on on on marketing and sales,   and really putting putting my fingerprints on things and,   taking it   from   I'm not gonna say old school, but it was somewhat of an old school convention of visitors bureau and really taking it   to   the modern era. You know, when I walked in the door, I kinda felt like the convention of visitors bureau was about twenty five years behind Warren County and Butler County. Yeah. And to just put things in perspective.  

And, you know, and we are right there with them now. Yeah. You know, the I'd say the the big thing that we're lacking is our own is our own sports facility that we can really promote where,   Warren County has their,   sports complex there, and it's a beautiful facility.   And they put about you know, they have about a 135,000   room nights that that it generates. So it's huge.   And then Butler County has Voice Of America Park. So they do   lots of soccer tournaments there. They have, I believe, 25 fields.   They also have a a baseball park up there,   that they work with. But they also host triathlons at Boys Of America Park,   cross country meets Yep.  

You know, regional   state competitions,   you know, national championship events there.   So, you know, we we do a lot of different sports events here, but, you know, that is one thing that we're we're working on now, and we just did a sports study,   and we're still analyzing the results of that and starting those conversations with the county   and the townships and the cities and villages that make up Clermont County. And we assessed a lot of different facilities in the county, but that's an area where we're behind. Mhmm. And we really have to look at that   and go, okay. What is it we need?  

What is it that complements what is already out there?   What can we really focus on,   as far as   for our residents, but also bringing in those travel tournaments that increases that visitor spending and economic impact   on the weekends where the local teams are using them to practice during the week,   have league games, those types of things, and on the weekends, bring in more of the the travel tournaments that the local teams could also participate in too. Yeah.   But a lot of times, they're they're traveling to other places away games on the other side of Cincinnati or up in Columbus or Dayton, just depending on, you know, how their league is constructed. Yeah.   But that is really, you know, one of the big projects we're focused on now. And and, it's going to serve our residents, but it's also going to serve our our our visitors and and provide an opportunity to bring more in.  



[00:47:03] Unknown:

So what are some other initiatives that you're like, what what would you say are some other areas that   could be built up in terms of   tourism and   conventions and things like that.  

[00:47:17] Unknown:

But we're becoming more active in in the meetings and conference world.   You know, we joined Ohio,   MPI, which is meeting   meeting professionals international.   We are really doing more to   try to build that business,   work with Holiday and Eastgate and Oasis and our different meeting venues to to bring more in.   So we're going to more trade shows in that area as far as meetings,   and conferences go.   We actually go to two sports trade shows every year,   and and we do sell Clermont County. And we do book business at at those, and it's and it's a great opportunity to to meet people, talk about,   what we have to offer and what their needs are. I kinda call it the the speed dating. Yeah. You get ten to fifteen minute appointments with, you know, whether it's meeting planners or whether it's sports events rights holders.  

And, you know, you talk about their needs, you know, what we have that matches those needs, and then you say, okay. Hey. How about I call you next week when we're both back at in our home offices and that? And,   so, you know, we focus on on doing a lot of that type of work as far as the trade show world.   But it's an opportunity to really bring people in, and and we've booked different business. Actually, we're,   we're looking at hosting a, flag football tournament   in in towards the August this year, and that will bring in   a 150   or more teams from across the country. Nice. Mostly from the Midwest.  

And,   you know, you're looking at upwards of 2,500   athletes   on on all those teams, and they'll be staying in Claremont County. We'll probably have spillover in the Hamilton County or Northern Kentucky because we don't have enough hotel rooms to book everybody.   But, you know, they'll they'll book, you know, between   seven   to a 100 to a thousand room nights each night,   and,   that will be a great event. Yep. And so we're excited about that. We've we've booked, you know, a lot of basketball and volleyball tournaments. We actually have a jiu jitsu tournament that is a repeat business.   And,   you know, they   are having two more tournaments this year. And Are those bigger tournaments? Booked them for three tournaments for next year.  

About 500 athletes. That's not bad. And some some are local. Yeah. Yeah. I'd say about, you know,   70%   are from out of outside of Claremont County, coming in from Dayton, Columbus, Indy, you know, other other cities in the area.   But it's a it's a great opportunity to to host events like that. We have a gymnastic   group that we we booked for this year, and they're coming back next year. And they had 900   gymnasts,   mostly elementary   through high school age,   and they bring in an Olympic athlete.   And I don't know the the girl's name for next year, but   she is a a University of Florida gymnast and also an Olympic hopeful,   and she will be the guest That's right. In in March next year. That's right. And so they get an opportunity to listen to her speak, and they get to meet her, get pictures with her, and, you know, that's that inspiration for the next generation. Yeah.  



[00:50:29] Unknown:

You know, it's funny.   I think when people hear at least when I did when I was younger here, economic development and tourism,   things like that, it's really a sales activity.   It I mean, that's   and that's good. Like, we have people out there selling Clermont County. It is. And  

[00:50:49] Unknown:

you'll hear the phrase, you know, it starts with a visit. Mhmm.   So a lot of times if, you know, let's say we have TQL   and   fantastic company, and they're growing and growing.   But if if they have somebody that they're recruiting that is from outside of of Claremont County or the Cincinnati area,   you know, let's say they're graduating from a college. You know, let's just say   University of Tennessee. Yep. Alright. They live in Tennessee.   Well,   it starts with a visit. Right. You know, not only do they have to like the company,   but they also have to like where they're going to move to and live. Yep. And so that's very important. So   we have a wonderful area here in Clermont County to live.  

You know, I know our our our, you   know, county and and chamber folks usually   promoted live, work, and play. Yeah. Yeah. But there is truth to that.   And   we want them to to visit and have a great experience here from the time they check into the hotel and deal with the front desk,   person. Yep. Right? And they're the they're the front front face. They're the one one of the people that give the impression to to you as a visitor. The people checking in at your hotel, the people serving you your food. I mean, that's those are the really the ambassadors.  

[00:52:04] Unknown:

Absolutely. Because that's who if somebody's coming in from Indianapolis,  

[00:52:08] Unknown:

that's probably who they're gonna talk to the most. You know? Where do we go eat? Exactly. What is there to do? Even though we can look on our phones Yeah. People still ask the questions. Yeah. They still ask the front desk agents and   and servers and Uber drivers for the airport. Hey. You know, where should I go eat? You know, what what is there to do? What's going on this weekend? Right.   All those things. So, you know, we really wanna do a good job of of educating, you know, the our frontline staffs and making sure that they're aware of what's going on and proud proud of where we're gonna be. Do you do a lot of frontline staff education? We we have   well, not   specifically, but we work with our hotels quite a bit, and we provide them with a lot of information.  

We we do have a monthly email that goes out with a list of calendar of events coming up and and important events that they need to be aware of.   Of course, you know, the hotels, if it's a sports event, they usually have teams that are booked at their hotels. Yep.   But, yeah, we we do make them aware, and there's different times we go out there in the course of the year and thank our frontline staff. And, you know, sometimes that might be, you know, let's just say Valentine's Day. We might take,   you know, cookies or donuts out and thank the staffs and and things like that.  

[00:53:21] Unknown:

But they're, you know, they're important people in our industry. Yeah. And, they're they're the the impression. Yeah. I mean, you know, if if you're coming in here from out of town and you have a bad experience at your hotel   and then they recommend a restaurant that's terrible Right. And you have a bad experience at your restaurant Right. It doesn't matter how beautiful the county is. I mean, you're   you know, dollars to donuts, you're not coming back.  

[00:53:43] Unknown:

And, you know, we don't want them to to say   you know, if somebody asked, well, where's what what should we do?   And they asked the front desk person, well, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't do I don't do anything.   I mean,   so we want them to know what's going on. And, you know, we do have our visitor guys that are at all the hotels, and and that's always a resource.   And and they can also, you know, download that to their phone as as well as far as looking at things online.   And more and more people are doing that, looking at things digitally.   But, you know, we do want them to to know what's going on, and and our website is a great resource for that. We have a wonderful calendar of events section on our website, and that is the number one besides the homepage, that's the number one visited spot on our website. Nice. Everybody wants to to look to see what things are are going on. Yep. So we, you know, we have the concert schedule at Riverbend. We have the Reds games listed at FC games. We have special events at Tri State Warburg. We've got naturalist programs,   you know, that we list with,   Nature Center and our state parks and county parks. And so we list a lot of things that visitors would be interested in in in seeing and doing. Do you give out because I know they did this in Butler County. Do you give out grants to people putting on events or anything like that? We do. We have a what we call grant and aid program. And, typically, we we will   review applications and award up to $5,000.  

I'd say, you know, it ranges from $250   all the way up to $5,000   for,   you know, different   events. And it could be a sporting event.   It could be,   the Claremont County Fair. You know, we sponsor the rodeo for the Claremont County Fair, and that's a that's a grant that that they apply for and and we honor. And then I'm I'm assuming anybody with an event or something like can apply. A a new one is,   love this past year, we did the Loveland,   film shorts Okay. Festival. And that was They have a film festival in Atlanta. The time they they did that, and they're doing it again. It was the first weekend in August.   And and so our grant actually helped helped them to buy the film equipment   that's in order to show all the the films. Nice. And I know they're they're building that festival. This will be year two.  

And it's it's small, but it's one of those where it will grow,   each year. Yeah. And, that's that's fun and exciting and, again, a different type of event. You know?   But, yeah, there's there are different ones, and,   we we look those, and we have a budget that we can do that,   and help support some of these,   festivals and events and, fairs.   New Richmond River Days was one we just supported, Appalachian Festival,   which was new to New Richmond since, you know, they had to find a new home.   And, they had a over 25,000   people is what they estimated that that visited the the Appalachian Festival that weekend, which is Mother's Day weekend. Yep. So, you know, we're excited. We want more festivals. We want more events here.  

It just, again, increases the the quality of life and,   you know,   really helps to,   you know, give people here more things to do, but   also make them feel proud of where they live and excited about what else is is coming up.   I know I know another   event. I'll mention this for Miami Township. They may not want me to mention it, but they have a,   a Taylor Swift   singer. You know? She she does Taylor Swift Oh, okay. Like a tribute act. Yeah.   Yeah. And that's going to be an You gotta get a bunch of Swifties out there. And,   and I already said to them, I'm like, you know, I think it's great,   but be prepared. You I I can almost guarantee you are going to have a lot more people than than you imagine.  



[00:57:40] Unknown:

Which is a good problem to have sometimes. Yes. Sometimes.  

[00:57:43] Unknown:

I think that'll be a lot of fun. And and, again, it it's free.   You know, not everybody could afford thousand dollars,   you know, each ticket to go see Taylor Swift. So here's an opportunity for mothers and daughters, let's just say, especially. Yeah. But not you know, you could do it as a family, but, you know, maybe it's this mom daughter and lots of moms and daughters get together and do it as a group. Yeah. I think it's fantastic, and it's a way that they can go out and have that not the same experience, but   a pretty close   experience to   to that. And what are they gonna do? They're they're all gonna sing along to the songs and have fun, and and, really, that's what that experience is is truly about. Right? And it's having fun together and spending time together. And I think that is a perfect example of of, you know, Miami Township really,   doing something special for their residents, but, also, they'll have other people there from outside. But Yeah. But it's also a selling point for Miami Township.  

They want more people to live there and Yeah. And, work in Miami Township, and that's a great way to sell Miami Township. Events are I'm a  

[00:58:51] Unknown:

sounds odd to say I'm a big believer in events, but I the impact that they have on   small communities   are it can be immeasurable. Like I said, that that Balloon Festival in Middletown, we bring in 50,000 people to Middletown, Ohio. And it's like, I don't care what the economic impact is. We just brought in   50,000 people from across the Tristate area. That's   I mean, you can't there's no other way to really do that for a small town. No. You know, some of the events,  

[00:59:19] Unknown:

really can be unique,   fun,   memorable,   engaging,   and I I think there's an opportunity to do more of that in Claremont County. I would love to have, you know, some type of music festival in in Claremont County.   I think   you have to be authentic and and be true to who you are.   East Fork, I'd really love to to do more out at East Fork and,   have have more of a outdoor festival Mhmm. At East Fork.   You know, there are some opportunities out there, and it just takes a little bit more work and rolling up your sleeves and and trying to get more sponsors because everything takes money,   and not you know, we have a budget, but we can't afford to do everything that we would love to do.  



[01:00:05] Unknown:

So we have to be cognizant of of staying within our budget. Well, in starting an event, I mean, it might seem like an insurmountable   task. But if I imagine if somebody has an idea for an event, they could call you up and you you would plug them into where they need to go. And  

[01:00:19] Unknown:

Absolutely. I Yeah. You know, if there's one thing   that I am definitely good at is connecting people Yeah. And getting the right people in the right room to talk about the right project. Yeah. And and that's really where, you know, some of these ideas can really take off. Yeah. And you can also   find other people that will help support you. Yeah.   Whatever that event might be. And, you know, like this Loveland filled shorts, for example,   was a perfect opportunity to really help support them and get that off the ground. Yeah. And what what they need, they needed the equipment. Yeah. And so it was an opportunity to help support them with the sponsorship.   And and, again, they can use that equipment for years to come. Yeah. And so,   as they build, they're probably gonna want a set of equipment to to, you know,   show movies in another location in Loveland,   and then that grows the number of people because they can have more showings. Mhmm. So it it that's gonna   really help snowball and and make that event bigger and better and attract more visitors. And, again, that leads to more people eating in the restaurants and staying in our hotels.  

And so it's exciting to see the birth of new events. Yeah.  

[01:01:32] Unknown:

And, I guess, for people listening too, it's not to say that events aren't a lot of work. But if you think that's a massive amount of work. If you've never worked an event, it's an amazing amount of work. And I can tell you It's very rewarding work, but it's a tremendous amount of work. You know, when we host the NCAA  

[01:01:47] Unknown:

women's rowing and when we post US rowing,   my weeks are   ninety   hours to a hundred hours Yeah. In one week. Yeah. And it's just managed chaos for it's And it and I I thought I thought I might actually die after last year.   I mean, I'm not getting any younger,   and I certainly,   you know,   but, it it was a great event to run and be a part of and see the excitement on,   you know, the the female athletes,   and and some fantastic talent. Some of them will, I'm sure, be, you know, Olympians someday as well,   rowing for The United States.   But, you know, it makes it worth it when you see   the the parents clapping and hugging their kids and, you know, kids jumping in the water and celebrating with their teammates.  

But, you know, my staff,   does an exceptional job. We have an army of volunteers   Yep. That help make these events go.   We're happy to you know, if if other events need volunteers, we're happy to put out the the word to our event list or our volunteer list and and help recruit some volunteers.   And and I have to say one thing. You know, Claremont County residents are great about rallying around causes Yep. And volunteering   their time if they think it's a worthy cause or event.   And, we we   that's one thing we're blessed with here that I can tell you that,   like US Rowing and other struggle and other destinations,   they don't have that same amount of volunteerism.  

Yeah. And that's one thing that definitely sets Clermont County apart from   other other places. Yeah. And, you know, that's something that we're very proud of. I've heard that from and and not just,  

[01:03:37] Unknown:

you know,   I guess, community organizations, you'd call them. Just even business owners I've talked to. Like, their community   would rally around them because they just believe in what they did. Yes. Yes. I think that is probably something very unique   to to the area. Right.  

[01:03:54] Unknown:

And, you know, I think you see that a lot, you know, with with,   military families in Claremont County.   You know, if there's somebody that, unfortunately, gets killed in action,   that that community really rallies,   you know, around   around that family and and,   helps lift them up.   You know, we had a police officer, Bill Brewer, that was killed a few years ago in action,   and, people were lining the streets. Yeah. You know, as as a procession   for his funeral and really honoring him and his life and his service   and, dedication as a hero.  

You know, so that Clairemont County   is, I I think, a great place,   where you see have and you see and you feel and you can experience that sense of community. Mhmm.   And there's a lot of pride. Yeah. And I I think that really shows. And with our visitors, I what I   would like to,   share is that, you know, people are welcoming here. Yeah. And if somebody's filling up their gas tank and they're lost or looking for a place and, you know, maybe the GPS didn't take them to exactly where they needed to go,   you know, there's sometimes people just say, hey. Follow me. Yep. You know, just follow me. I'll pull in. You know? Here's where you're going. Yeah.   It won't be just, oh, you just go down the street, turn right. It's sometimes they'll just say, hey. You know, just follow me there. I'll Right. I'll get you there. Right. And, you know, it it's that kind of mentality   that that sets us apart,  

[01:05:22] Unknown:

from from other places. Yeah. I I think that's   and   for people who don't go outside of Clermont County very much, that it is unique because I've been especially in these small towns, the the more I've talked to people in New Richmond or   Bethel or wherever,   people have a real pride for their town too, which is not the case in  

[01:05:42] Unknown:

lots of places. Right. You know? They're really proud of what the town is and what they do. And we like to call that kind of the fabric of Claremont County. Yeah. You know, all the different,   villages and and towns that make up Clermont.   Each are a little different. Yeah. Each has, their own unique chapter of American history. And speaking of, you know, we're working on America two '50 for next year. That was a great segue. I've had that I nailed that transition. Nailed it perfectly. I had it in the back of my head. I was like, don't forget to ask that. But we are doing a,   a special project for next year, and we are doing actually a few different things. But   we have,   a historical art mural project going on. And so we have eight murals that are going up across the county.  

Our one is complete. That's in Miami Township, and we'll be dedicating that   here towards the June.  

[01:06:36] Unknown:

There is one being painted on the Ben Franklin store in Bethel Okay. As we speak. At Ben Franklin store. Every it's we used to live in Felicity, so I would pass up to Franklin store five in time all the time. Yeah. I'd always wonder, like, man, how have  

[01:06:49] Unknown:

they stayed in business this long? It's one of the last remaining Ben Franklin stores, but but they do a nice job, with that, retail store. Yeah. It's popular, and it's thriving. And and here's an opportunity to paint a piece of Bethel history on the side of their building. And,   again, it's that quality of life and taking pride in what is your unique chapter of of history.   And so each mural   is going to be different, different artists, different themes,   but it it's   it all has history,   of that community and telling different stories.   So Miami Township's history is going to be different than Milford. Milford's going to be different from Loveland. Loveland's different from New Richmond. And, like, New Richmond has, like, Ulysses s Grant and, you know, the Freedom Trail and paddle boats. And, you know, in in Milford, you might have grist mills and Mhmm. And,   you know, the the cornerstone   there in in Milford. And, Williamsburg has colonel William Lytle who founded Clermont County. So we we each have different chapters, and and those murals are going to capture a lot of that. Do you have artists for all the murals, or can somebody apply for that? We do. But there are   there are a couple other communities   that are interested   that, you know, may need an artist in the future. Okay. And they can certainly contact me. And when those opportunities arise, then I can connect them. Okay. And, and happy to do that. But right now, we have eight murals. Okay.  

I think all of them will be finished by late fall. Okay. We may have one that gets painted in early spring next year.   But we also have two or three others that are interested, so we may have, you know, 10 or 11,   by the middle of next summer. That's really cool. Which which is exciting.   In addition to that, we have   a a history passport,   and that is being developed right now. I believe we have 15 different museums and historical societies that,   are part of this passport, and it'll look like a a little, you know, blue passport, and it has has a description of each museum. Did you get a stamp? Each museum will have a unique stamp. That's cool. So it's a great opportunity to visit,   all the all the different history museums in Claremont County.  

And that's something that families could do together and get stamps and and, you know, kinda complete that.   You know, the museums have a little different hours. Some are only open two or three days a month.   So you have to look at the schedule and see when they're open, but, it's a perfect opportunity to to get out, explore,   learn a little bit more about whether it's your own community or other communities in Clermont County. I learned   a lot more about the history of our county, and and and we have some some wonderful   history museums. And and, we have a lot of volunteers because they're not typically paid to preserve that history in their own communities and hand that down from generation to generation. But that's another exciting piece.  

Ohio goes to the movies.   RJ cinemas is participating in that, and so there'll be some movies that were filmed in Ohio and Oh, nice. Carmont County and that they'll be showing during 2026.   And so there'll be more information on that to come.   You know, we've got more educational programming with the schools and the libraries,   some speaker series.   We are we are sponsoring,   a series of articles to be written by, one of our local historians, Gary Knapp, who's a retired attorney and kind of the unofficial   Claremont County historian.   Actually, we're supposed to call Gary today after three to try to get him on. Oh, okay. Okay. Well, good. And, so he's going to write a series of articles for us about   County history over the last two hundred and fifty years,   significant things that happened in Ohio, and then, obviously, significant events that helped to shape The United States during those,   you know, months and years leading up to 1776.  

Yeah.   But, you know, also looking at, you know, our history from the last two hundred and fifty years.   So it's exciting. It's gonna be fun, and,   you know, we're just doing a variety of different things.   You know, our office was asked about maybe doing a marquee event for next year, but lots of communities have fireworks. Yep. And,   I love fireworks,   but I'll also say that what we can afford to do would probably not be as great as what the reds do on every Friday night when they have Would it just be you with a couple Roman candies? Right.   Right. Here you go.  

But, you know, I mean, we wanna celebrate, but we really felt like the murals Yep. Would be the biggest impact, and those murals have a a lifespan of twenty plus years. Yeah. So it's not gonna be a fifteen minute fireworks show that is maybe what we could afford to do and Yeah. Would be less than what the reds do on a Friday night.   But, you know,   it's a chance to to see that history, and that history will live on for the next twenty plus years   and,   really enjoy that. And everyone will have a a ribbon cutting and a dedication and an opportunity for each community to to celebrate. And we also hope that that leads to more art and public art in Thurmont County.   And we know just from studies that are out there in different destinations across the country that, you you know, the more public art there is is the more tourism. Yeah.  

But, you know, the residents enjoy it. Again, it just increases that quality of life. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we're excited about that. We're really excited about really jump starting the public art in Claremont County. Not that there wasn't any, but there are a few murals already.   But this is really going to be a great way to just greatly enhance that in the next, you know, the next twelve to fourteen months.  

[01:12:35] Unknown:

That's awesome.   I did wanna talk   briefly about because   you are predominantly like a sales and marketing organization. So Right. If I've got an event that I'm doing,   what,   and do you need to go? Yeah.   Well, let's do this.   Let's call it a successful podcast, and then I'll just have to come back and do this again. Absolutely. Love to hear back. Well, and actually talk more.   Real fast.   Just tell everybody again who you are, how to get involved, or,  

[01:13:09] Unknown:

Alright. So we have branded ourselves as Discover Clermont, and we're the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau. If you want to to find out more information, visit our website.   You know, that's the the the place to go Yeah. Is discoverclaremont.com.   And,   there's,   you know, all the information as far as attractions,   events, hotels,   different things to do.   You know, we've got a great restaurant listing. So if you're just looking for an idea for where to go to to dinner one night and, you know, the wife and husband are looking at each other, where where do we go? Where do we go? That's that's what we That's always a point of contention. Right? That's what we do. If you spend an hour talking about where to go, well Yeah. Here. I'll tell you what. Just open up our visitor guide, go to the website. You know, I always like playing restaurant roulette. Yeah. Each of you write down three names of restaurants,   throw them in a hat, pull one out. That's a good idea. Going to dinner.  

But that's one of my favorite games. And, you know, sometimes I I I have been known to put Chuck E. Cheese in there,   and we have gone to Chuck E. Cheese,   but we've also gone That's a long with Chuck E. Cheese. Also gone to great restaurants like Tano's up in Loveland   or Nation Burgers   in Milford or, you know, any other number of restaurants.   One more hidden gem before we go. Perfect.   Felicity, you grew up in Felicity. No. I grew up in Middletown. I lived in You lived in Felicity. I lived in Felicity. Alright. So there's a restaurant called the Feed Mill in Felicity. Felicity. And it's been around for decades. It's been to the Feed Mill. But It's like the only restaurant in Felicity. Right? Yeah. They, you know, they serve   different food. They also serve pizza,   but the desserts   they have a little carousel of desserts.  

I know the I know the pies. It's it I think it's the Felicity moms that all, like, you know, contribute to, you know, the pies and cakes and that. Yeah. If you want a great homemade dessert, go to the feed mill on Felicity. I can confirm. You'll thank me later. Yeah. I can absolutely confirm that that is a hidden gem in Felicity. There you go. Yeah.  

[01:15:11] Unknown:

Alright. Well, like I said, I'm gonna call that a successful podcast, and I just really appreciate you taking the time to do this. Thank you. It it was a pleasure. It's great meeting you, and,  

[01:15:21] Unknown:

certainly, I could go on and talk about, you know, Clermont County for hours and all the things to do, and would love to continue the conversation. Yeah. Absolutely. Alright. Thank you. Thank you.  

[01:15:32] Unknown:

Thank you, Mason.   I hope you enjoyed that. I enjoyed talking to Jeff, and I wanna thank Jeff again for sitting down,   sitting down with me and   and and talking with us.   I'd much like all the interviews I've had, I really enjoyed it, and I can almost guarantee we'll we'll have Jeff back on to talk about,   some of the events he's bringing into the into the, county.   And I'd love to do just a a whole hidden gems podcast where he talks about   some of the places that,   even lifelong residents of Claremont might not have heard of.   So speaking of events, let's let's get to some that are that will be going on.  

June in Old Williamsburg,   it's gonna be June 19 through June 21 at the Old High School Grounds.   It's gonna kick off Thursday at 3PM,   and it'll continue through that Saturday night. It's gonna have a five ks color dash run, a lively parade,   dozens of craft and food vendors. There's gonna be a carnival, kids activities, live music,   beer garden, which is always important.   Free. So if you if you've got nothing to do on June 29 through the twenty first, go check that out in Williamsburg.   We have the sweetheart stroll on June 20 at 08:30PM   at the, Keeley Nature Preserve.  

It is a rom romantic lantern lit evening stroll for anyone.   You just pick up a lantern,   and you   explore all the trails in that nature preserve,   and it is free. And like I've said before, there really isn't anything better than a free date.   The summer solstice celebration of color on June   21   from 4PM to 8PM.   There's gonna be   a lot of different places where this is happening, a lot of different parks.   So, you'll wanna go to the Clermont County Park District event page to to see,   specifically where this will be.   And it's gonna be a bunch of outdoor art installations. There'll be, interactive activities. There'll be vendors and food trucks.  

So, if you need something to do on the solstice and celebrate the longest day of the year,   head, head over to one of those celebrations, and it's free.   Yoga in the Park, June 21   from 9AM to 10AM. That's gonna be at Sycamore Park.   It's a free morning yoga session,   for teens and adults,   and all experience levels welcome.   So even if you're a beginner or know nothing about yoga, just head over there and, and have   fun.   Movie in the park, The Jungle Book. It's gonna start approximately 9PM pretty much whenever it gets dark.   It's gonna be at Phillips Park in Loveland.  

There's gonna be an outdoor screening of The Jungle Book.   They tell you to bring a blanket or a chair, and you get to just enjoy this family film under the stars.   Clermont County Library's   night out in the park, Nocturnal Creatures.   It's gonna be June 24 at 06:30PM   at Shiloh Park.   It's gonna feature Dreamweaver's storytelling troupe, which by the way sounds like somebody I would be a fun interview. So if anybody knows somebody I tried finding them, but they're I don't know if they have a website. It was difficult,   at least with Google trying to find who to contact.  

In any event, the Dreamweaver storytelling troupe will be there telling, obviously, stories,   but there's also gonna be evening nature activities, and it's all gonna be focused on   nocturnal wildlife.   You do need to register, and you can do that,   through the library.   Creek days at the park, that's gonna be June 27 at, 1PM to 3PM at Sycamore Park.   It's a family friendly creek exploration. There'll be a naturalist there, and they'll,   you know, show you all kinds of wild wildlife. I imagine fossils, things like that.   They do tell you to wear close toed shoes because, you know, you're gonna be draped around in a creek. So   gotta catch them all at Pattison Lodge.  

It's gonna be June 28 at 1PM to 4PM,   obviously, at Pattison Lodge.   It's a Pokemon Go route, and there's also gonna be indoor games and a live animal presentation. So if you're a a Pokemon fan,   I would go check that out.   The twenty twenty five river sweep at Shiloh.   This is gonna be June 28   at 9AM to 12PM   at Shiloh Park.   It's a volunteer river cleanup. There's gonna be canoe and kayak support. It's for adults and teens.   And it's, you know, that's a really great thing to do.   The Ohio River is a   a wonderful resource for us, and,   keeping it clean   is, is always a good idea.  

And lastly, we have Shaw Farms opening day, and that's gonna be on June 28 from 9AM to 5PM   at Shaw Farms in Milford.   And they're kicking off strawberry season. You get to pick your own strawberries. There'll be a farm stand, family activities.   Sounds like a   a a good day.   Alright. Well, that's all we have for events. And, again, we're a value for value podcast. So if you are getting value from what we're doing here, all we ask is a little bit of value back in the form of time, talent, or treasure.   You can also follow us on Facebook at Let's Talk Claremont podcast. We're on Instagram at Let's Talk Claremont,   And, send us a note. We'd love to hear from you.  

Tell us, you know, what's going on in your neck of the woods.   And, you know, if if you've got something really interesting to say, we'll read it out. I'm happy to read   your note and let everybody know, what you think.   I don't have any ollivisms for today because like I said, I'm I'm recording this well in advance of the podcast.   But I'm sure when I get back from vacation, there will be   a whole boatload of them.   It'll be interesting.   But thank you so much for listening, and thank you everybody for the support you're showing us. And we will see you next time.