BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – If you think you’re living somewhere that doesn’t have a lot to do, the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau (PAGO) has news for you.
(PICTURED ABOVE: PAGO’s Jamie Popson and Executive Director John Straitiff.)
It’s the designated tourism promotion agency for Cameron, Elk, Forest, Clarion, and Jefferson counties. While their marketing efforts center on bringing in people from out of the region, the online listings of area activities are open to local residents as well.
Soon, you’ll be able to hear all about it on Pittsburgh radio station WDVE.
As it happens, PAGO’s Executive Director, John Straitiff, came up with the idea while hunting in southern Clarion County. He was listening to the radio on the way to the woods, WDVE, of course, and Val Porter was working on the morning show. The two were classmates at Clarion University where they were communications majors.
Val Porter
PAGO had previously done a “Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Minute” with Friends in Wild Places on television. The show focused on outdoor activities.
“I thought, I wonder if we could do something like that on the radio,” Straitiff remembered. “When daylight came, I’m sitting in my tree stand and I sent Val a Facebook message.”
The two went back and forth that morning fleshing out the idea which Porter then took to management at the station.
Straitiff provided a list of possible topics and suggestions for the format of the show which will debut January 7, 2020. “The Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Minute” will be heard on Thursdays for 49 weeks out of the year. You can tune in twice during the morning drive the first about 6:25 a.m. and the second about 8:25 a.m. to hear about the adventures available in this area. The show’s format is a conversation between Porter and Straitiff.
“We’ll be talking about everything and anything,” said Straitiff. “That will include the French and Indian War encampment in Cook Forest to Foxburg to our wine, beer, moonshine trail. There will be 49 different topics during the year.”
Straitiff said he’s not at all worried about filling that time. The broadcast will compliment PAGO’s other marketing efforts in the Pittsburgh area which includes Facebook ads, participation in home shows, direct mail, and the AAA Travel Show, newspaper and magazine ads and morning news television ads.
PAGO’s target audience is those age 35 to 64, who live within a three-hour drive of the areas it promotes making WDVE’s classic rock audience right in the demographics it seeks.
“There are two things people traditionally want to know from us when they get ahold of us.
“What is there to do when I am going to be there, whether I’m coming to Clarion, Cook Forest, Leeper, Tionesta, Benezette, wherever in the Great Outdoors region. They also want to know where they can stay.”
Most people don’t book a hotel in a certain area and then find out what there is to do. It’s the other way around with lodging being booked after checking out the area’s activities, according to Straitiff.
Straitiff (on right) with Kevin Allen, Executive Producer and Erik Hastings (AKA Erik the Travel Guy) Host of the PBS Travel TV series Beyond Your Backyard.
One of the hot button attractions currently is the wine, beer, and moonshine trail, as people plan vacations where they can visit several wineries or breweries.
“We’ve had tremendous growth in the wine industry and the moonshine industry as well,” explained Straitiff. “The Clarion River Brewing Company, that microbrewery has a lot of appeal. Especially, say, if you’re staying at Cook Forest in a cabin and it rains, you start looking for what you can indoors and the wine, beer, moonshine option is something that definitely comes up. Food options are important as well.”
But, you don’t have to wait until January 7 to find out what is going on in the PAGO area, you can visit its website https://visitpago.com/ and start planning. You can even find things to help entertain out-of-town family visiting this Thanksgiving holiday.
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