Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 10, 1994 TAG: 9407290006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: E-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DAVID L. FOSTER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Each installment has a common theme - to denigrate and vilify the Roanoke Valley, and to compare some aspect of life here unfavorably with someplace else. You have called us the Rust Belt of the South and have cast Charlotte, Greensboro and now Asheville as examples of what Roanoke should aspire to be.
The June 19 installment (Horizon section, ``Some advice from a winner, even if you don't have a Biltmore'' by staff writer Jeff DeBell), with its focus on Asheville, finally made me mad enough to write.
Right on the front page is the executive director of the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau saying something that makes sense, and you completely overlook its significance. ``The truth,'' said Carolyn Ketchum, ``is that each place needs just to be itself. Find out exactly who you are and go after that niche.''
That excellent counsel contrasts sharply with the consistent, nagging negativism of your series. Why not ask what's good about Roanoke? What's unique about the valley? What special advantages do we have here? Explore those in a series of articles! Let's work to develop ways to exploit and build on the Roanoke Valley's unique features and special strengths.
Of course, each citizen would have his or her own list. My experience is that people who have moved here from elsewhere are better at making such lists and recognizing the valley's strengths than natives are.
Your article suggested some reasons tourists might come to the Roanoke Valley, but went on with the tired claim that ``Roanoke-area tourism is fatally handicapped by the lack of a major destination attraction.''
Nowhere in the entire article was there a single mention of Roanoke's biggest tourism potential - its railroad history! Even now, when there's no attempt to promote it, people make a special effort to travel to Roanoke because of its fame as a railroad center. The Norfolk & Western shops are world-famous.
While walking around downtown at lunch time recently, I came across a man and his wife parked near the Second Street (Commerce Street, for you natives) crossing. They were watching trains and taking pictures. They came from Pennsylvania, and the man remarked to me that this was his first time in Roanoke, although he had always wanted to come here.
A few days later, I ran into two guys from Australia train-watching at the Jefferson Street pedestrian crossing. They weren't just lured off Interstate 81 to buy antiques or post cards. They had planned their United States trip months ahead to include Roanoke.
Please remember that the Biltmore House - that wonderful Asheville ``destination attraction'' - was once an empty stone mansion built by a 19th century millionaire eccentric. It didn't draw thousands of tourists until after a lot of hard work by many people, who acquired the property, restored and furnished the house, established a dairy and a winery, attracted motion-picture studios and promoted the estate nationally.
The Australian rail fans asked about a guidebook to Roanoke's rail sites. We don't have one.
They couldn't figure out how to get to Shaffers Crossing with all the streets closed for construction. I'm unaware of a single Shaffers Crossing sign in Roanoke, much less directions on where to park when you get there.
They asked if they would get tossed out if they went down to look around the shops. The answer is probably yes.
Tourists will come. They already do - every day. We can do better if we package and promote Roanoke's rail heritage. Similar efforts can be made to promote our mountains and lakes, the Roanoke River and our quality of life.
Like the lady from Asheville said, define your niche and go after it. But it will take work and will require a willingness to focus on what's right with Roanoke rather than the newspaper's continued preoccupation with perceived shortcomings.
No, we're not Charlotte or Greensboro. Most of us, I suspect, are glad we're not. But we can do a damn fine job being Roanoke!
David L. Foster, of Salem, is a marketing executive in Roanoke.
by CNB