Everything Nac

Gone with the Wynns Jason and Nikki Wynn will be traveling to Nacogdoches in the next two weeks to determine if Nacogdoches is the Friendliest Town in the USA.

     The best of the road competition is now officially underway, and Nacogdoches is one of six finalists as “Friendliest Town” in the contest sponsored by USA TODAY and Rand McNally. Five teams were chosen to search out the “best of the best” in each category, and “Gone with the Wynns” was the selected team to travel the nation in search of the “Friendliest Town in the USA.” The Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau, along with the City of Nacogdoches Main Street and the Nacogdoches Chamber of Commerce, are currently planning a welcome bash and other fun activities for the “Gone with the Wynns.” Citizens of Nacogdoches are encouraged to show the rally team what Texas Friendly hospitality is all about.

     “This is a huge deal for Nacogdoches and for the state of Texas as a whole,” said Samantha Mora, media and community relations coordinator for the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The exact date and time the rally team will be arriving in Nacogdoches is unknown at the moment so we will need all of the support and help from the Nacogdoches community to pull this ‘impromptu welcome party’ off. We will be updating our facebook (See Nacogdoches) frequently and as soon as we get more information about the arrival time, we will let the community know.”

     “Gone with the Wynns” started their journey from New York City on Thursday, June 23 and will be traveling for the next two weeks to Los Angeles, California, stopping along the way to scope out the Friendliest Town finalists and creating web videos and photos for each town that will be judged by the Best of the Road judges. The winning towns will be announced at the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI) Annual Convention on July 22. The top towns will be highlighted on www.bestoftheroad.com and in the 2013 Rand McNally Road Atlas, as well as on USA TODAY’s Travel site.

     The “Gone with the Wynns” team is comprised of Jason and Nikki Wynn, who quit their downtown Dallas lifestyle and took off on a road trip of America “searching out the best of what America has to offer.” The Wynns believe that “it’s the people and the charm of small towns that make America great.” Both are Texas Natives, he from Dallas and she from Hart, Texas, and they enjoy outdoor activities like disc golf, mountain biking, hiking, golf, as well as art museums, movies, and festivals.

     “If you are a social media user, you can friend “Gone with the Wynns” on facebook at “Gone with the Wynns” and follow them on twitter @ the_wynns. You can also follow their journey and read more about the Wynns at www.bestoftheroad.com,” said Mora.
For more information about the Best of the Road competition and “Gone with the Wynns,” visit www.bestoftheroad.com. For more information about Nacogdoches and our events, please call 1-888-OLDEST-TOWN or visit www.visitnacogdoches.org. Be our friend on facebook @ See Nacogdoches.

Nacogdoches has been a member of the Main Street Program since 1998, and was designated one of the first Preserve America communities in 2003.

     A team of experts in the Main Street revitalization process will visit Nacogdoches July 12-13 to help the city and its Main Street Program with continuing efforts to enhance the community’s real and unique history and its special historic places. Through the visit, guidance will be provided for enhancing local downtown revitalization efforts and historic preservation activities.

     The visit, which will include several opportunities for public input, is a result of a Preserve America assessment grant provided to the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) Texas Main Street Program (TMSP) by the National Park Service. Preserve America is a federal initiative that supports community efforts to preserve cultural and natural heritage. Nacogdoches is receiving one of these assessments because it holds designations as both an official Texas Main Street program and a Preserve America community. Nacogdoches has been an official Texas Main Street community since 1998 and was one of the first cities in the country to receive Preserve America designation in 2003, the year of the debut of the national initiative.

     The team visiting Nacogdoches includes consultants Nick Kalogeresis of the Lakota Group, Chicago, IL.; Donna Ann Harris of Heritage Consulting in Philadelphia, PA; and Todd Tracy of IN(ALLIANCE) of McLeansboro, IL. Other team members, representing the THC and TMSP include Brad Patterson, Debra Farst, Jill Robinson, Kelly Little, Howard Langner, Teresa Caldwell and Matt Synatschk. The team will begin the visit at 2 p.m. on July 12 with a public meeting of Main Street stakeholders. This includes Main Street board and committee members, downtown property and business owners and city officials. Team members will provide a snapshot presentation of their findings at a community meeting on July 13 at 1 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public and will take place in City Council Chambers at City Hall, 202 E. Pilar Street. A comprehensive workbook of findings based upon the assessment visit will be provided to the community at a later date.

     Goals for the Preserve America program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. Since the program’s inception in 2003, the First Lady of the United States has served as the Honorary Chair of Preserve America. Today, there are 867 Preserve America communities nationwide. More information can be found at www.preserveamerica.gov.

     The TMSP is a part of the Community Heritage Development Division of the Texas Historical Commission (THC), the state agency for historic preservation that facilitates efforts to tell the real stories of Texas. The TMSP is affiliated with the National Trust Main Street Center and was one of the first six state Main Street coordinating programs in the nation in 1981. For more information on the TMSP or the Nacogdoches site visit, contact Debra Farst, state coordinator, at debra.farst@thc.state.tx.us or 512/463-5758. More information about the program and the THC can be found at www.thc.state.tx.us.

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