Oil Region National Heritage Area Projects Showcased During Trolley Tour 

   On Wednesday, June 9, the Alliance hosted a trolley tour of local sites that have benefited from federal funding through the Oil Region National Heritage Area which is administered by the Oil Region Alliance.   

   Area legislators, active volunteers, and professional staff members rode the trolley which started at the Coal Oil Johnny House at Rynd Farm in Oil Creek State Park, then went to the Venango Museum in Oil City where a new visitor center is being designed.  The trolley then headed to Franklin, stopping at DeBence Antique Music World and the Saltbox House at the trailhead along Route 322.    

   Titusville was the next destination, with a tour of the Tarbell House followed by a stop for lunch at Perry Street Station where the northern Oil Region Visitor Center has been installed.  The trolley then returned its passengers to the Coal Oil Johnny House. 

   The trolley tour was planned to showcase specific projects in the Oil City-Franklin-Titusville area that have been paid for at least in part by federal tax dollars.  Continued funding from the federal government is in peril because the current proposed federal budget for FY 2011 would reduce the National Park Service line item for National Heritage Areas by half, to just $9 million compared to the $18 million in FY 2010.   

   Projects that have already been completed with the help of this funding include the update to the Oil Region's Management Action Plan and preparation of an Environmental Assessment; the Oil Region Visitor Center which is located inside Perry Street Station in Titusville; and the production of the documentary The Valley that Changed the World which has been broadcast on more than 200 public television stations across the country.   

   Federally-funded projects currently underway in the Oil Region National Heritage Area include interpretive panels along trails, trailheads, and overlooks; the visitor center in Oil City, to be located inside Venango Museum; regional signage including the derricks, welcome signs, and directional guidance signs; construction of the Allegheny Scenic Overlook in Oil City; engineering for the construction of the McClintock Bike Trail, Rynd Farm to Oil City; and rehabilitation of the Tarbell House in Titusville.

Requests for Area Guides

   Each year the Alliance publishes an Area Guide which is sent to thousands of people requesting information about the Oil Region who are interested in visiting the area.  Inquiries are received from various publications in which advertisements are placed such as Pursuits, Guest Quest, and Recreation News.  Daily requests via phone are also received.  The Guide is available for local residents' use, too. Typically, approximately 75,000 are mailed each year.  This year, over 20,000 have been sent so far.  The Official Guide is also distributed to the 15 PA welcome centers and to all of the visitor centers in the Oil Heritge Region.

     VTDC's wide range of services includes assembly, packaging, mailings, document imaging, document shredding, CD/DVD duplication, and janitorial and lawn care services.  Information on VTDC's services may be obtained by calling them at 676-5755.

Marilyn Black, Alliance VP-Heritage, Inducted into  

Keystone Society for Tourism 

    On June 4, the Keystone Society for Tourism inducted its 2009 awardees into this society which honors Pennsylvania visionaries in destination leadership and community development.  This society was formed in 2008 by the PA Office of Tourism within the PA Department of Community and Economic Development.

   Marilyn Black, the Alliance's Vice-President for Heritage Development, received a personalized medallion cast by Wendell August Forge as a memento of this day's ceremony which was held at the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg.  Presenting the medallions to the Keystone laureates were Mickey Rowley (the Commonwealth's deputy secretary for

Mickey Rowley, Marilyn Black, and Representative Thaddeus Kirtland

 (photo courtesy of DCED).

tourism) and Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland (Chair of the PA House Committee on Tourism and Recreational Development).  Also attending  were Randy Seitz and John Phillips.

   The administrators of the twelve Heritage Areas in the state collectively were recognized with this year's Enterprise Award, as champions of a cooperative alliance that has spurred economic development through significant financial investment.