Tourism Update

Hey y’all... I’m Lacey

I am the new Tourism, Marketing, and Special Events Coordinator, which is a long way of saying I market and advertise our area across the country. I officially began on Monday, February 22nd, but I also interned for this office last summer so I am familiar with the role and excited to be back in Eatonton.

One of the major things I am working on as part of my position as Special Events Coordinator is the 7th Annual Sweet Tee Off Golf Tournament. I was working in the office last year when it was canceled and we are so thrilled that we get to bring it back this year. My first few weeks on the job consisted of me speaking with local businesses who are either sponsoring or playing this year. This was a great opportunity for me to introduce myself and get to know stakeholders in the community while also getting our tournament planning underway. I am grateful that many of the businesses and players in the community are supportive of our Chamber events, especially this one because it is one of the first major events we are holding after the closures due to COVID-19. I am excited to get to meet more people from the area through this event.

The biggest part of my job is to answer the question “So what is there to do in Eatonton?” Whether it is from a visitor in our Welcome Center, an inquiry from someone over the phone, or even a new member of our community, I get to market our area to people from around the country. Usually, this includes mentioning downtown museums or attractions, our self-guided tours, and the lake area. Sometimes people have very specific interests in the area or want to stay in one location. This is typical of people who are staying at Lake Oconee or Sinclair or visitors coming simply to enjoy the literary history. In all, I hope that soon I can advertise more attractions in our area because the market for it does exist.

So what is there to do in Eatonton?

During my first month on the job, I applied to be on the Main Street Eatonton Advisory Board, and on March 15, Eatonton City Council approved my application for a seat. As a part of this group, I will help the advancement of Downtown Eatonton in a variety of ways including planning events and marketing local businesses to not only our area but also across the southeast.

One of the other notable tasks I’ve worked on recently is installing the Eatonton and Putnam County display at the Georgia Visitor Center on I-20 in Augusta near the South Carolina border. Maggie and I curated a variety of art from local artisans that specifically highlighted attractions in our community. We were able to choose a variety of pieces from the Artisans Village Art Gallery in downtown Eatonton. The Georgia Writers Museum also loaned us a typewriter and a handful of artifacts related to local author, Joel Chandler Harris. The display will be up through April 30th so if you haven’t had a reason to drive through Augusta, now you do! I am already thinking about different items we can feature next time we have the chance to display our wonderful community.

I am very excited to continue to make plans in my position here at the Chamber. I look forward to learning more about the area and connecting with the community. If anyone has ideas they would like to pitch or questions about anything I am working on, please feel free to call me at our office or email me anytime at tourism@eatonton.