CULLMAN —
Efforts to further build Cullman's market reached an interesting and exciting point last week when several city officials visited country music superstar Sara Evans to discuss establising an annual music festival in the area.
An ambitious proposal on the surface, this type of signature event is exactly what Cullman needs to extend its appeal beyond a few surrounding counties. The competitive arena of economic development demands bold initiatives that invite new investments, a steady stream of visitors and anticipation within the existing community.
Will Sara Evans and Cullman join together for an annual signature event? Some of the necessary foundations for hosting a successful event are already in place. Evans is immensely popular and successful in the music business. She has topped the charts and produced other hit records that were not far from the top spot. She's interested in using her talent and influence to help Alabama. She's also aware that Cullman hosted the highly successful "Rock the South" event in the spring.
But there's more about the Cullman area that has appeal for a large-scale event. Cullman is down-home, yet sophisticated in how it approaches business. For those who are familiar with the area, its reputation as a family environment is strong. The defining factors of community fully exist here through charitable giving and came fully to the surface in the aftermath of the April 2011 tornadoes.
The City of Cullman has also expanded its economic development team to work on retail development alongside its successful record of recruiting industry. The expertise at work in that team ensure that the area has an opportunity for meaningful, measured growth.
Heritage Park worked well for "Rock the South," but the Burrow property offers an alternative for staging additional events or establishing a permanent entertainment and convention complex.
Perhaps the last, unfulfilled part of the area's need is close to being established. With so much afoot, the need for a stronger tourism and strategic marketing team remains crucial for moving forward. A well-funded and properly staffed tourism and marketing staff with ties to the city, county and chamber of commerce would tie together a lot of good ideas and initiative.
The Sara Evans proposal will require a lot of work to ensure that Cullman could be a permanent host. The setting is unmatched for such an event in Alabama.
Editorials
Sara Evans proposal another example of Cullman’s potential
- Editorials
-
-
Taking the lead in education
The once-heralded ‘No Child Left Behind” education initiative from the federal level has just about run out of gas.
-
Moving into the future
Hundreds of local high school seniors are accepting their diplomas and preparing to turn the page in the next chapter of their lives.
-
Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
-
EDITORIAL: The IRS' Turn to Answer Questions
Washington is now sinking its teeth into a real scandal: the Internal Revenue Service using ideological criteria to choose the targets of its attention.
-
Editorial: The house of death
The grisly details emerging from the murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion doctor place a glaring spotlight on a national disgrace.
-
Editorial: Murder, insanity and guns
James Holmes, the accused movie theater shooter in Colorado, would like for the public to believe he killed a dozen people because he was insane.
-
Lasting partnerships
Economic development officials have long noted the importance of expansions by existing industries and businesses in a community to lead growth.
-
COMMENTARY: Why does young adult fiction keep giving its heroines makeovers?
Over at This Ain't Living, s.e. smith (who, full disclosure, has guest-blogged for me at ThinkProgress) has an excellent post about one of the most pernicious trends in young adult fiction.
-
A spirit for moving forward
This weekend marked the two-year anniversary of a deadly day of tornadoes that streaked across Alabama, claiming lives and property and changing the landscape of many communities.
-
Faith and bombs
The investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing is pointing to the all-too-familiar theme of religious faith playing a major role in violence.
- More Editorials Headlines
-
Taking the lead in education
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
New Forecasting Tool Eyed for Hurricane Season
Meet MJ, the Bike Riding Tabby Cat
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: Kevin Durant Tours Moore After $1M Pledge
Man Shot While Questioned in Boston Probe
Weiner Launches Bid to Become NYC Mayor
Okla. Teens Get Video of Deadly Tornado Overhead
School Storm Protection Spotty in Tornado Zones
9-year-old Tornado Victim Loved Family, Singing
Moore Native Toby Keith Tours Tornado Damage
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Paperless Scanner, Vision of the Future
