Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/27198
STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Janice Burton Joy Crowe editor@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITER Stephanie Crider stephanie@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Marybeth Leiby Marybeth@upandcomingweekly.com OFFICE MANAGER Deborah Baughn deborah@upandcomingweekly.com –––––––––––––– GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alicia Miller art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Soni Martin, D.G. Mar tin, Pitt Dick ey, Margaret Dickson, Bob Cogswell, John Hood, Jhana Lewis, Erinn Crider, Karen Poppele, Heather Griffi ths, Beth Solzsmon-Carpenter –––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: (910) 484-6200 FAX: (910) 484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a “Quality of Life” publication with local features, news and infor- mation on what’s happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per per- son. Subscriptions can be purchased for $30 for six months or $60 for 12 months, delivered weekly by first class mail. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. INSIDE PUBLISHER’S PEN by BILL BOWMAN Ok, Downtown Fayetteville, it’s about time we got our ducks in a row and initiated a consistent advertising, marketing and branding campaign that compliments our community and showcases our amenities. From the Cape Fear River to the Market House to Historic Haymount, our city has so much to offer the tourist, casual visitor and resident. The problem has always been getting that message out to this audience in a manner that showcases the community. Well, this could end on March 28, when Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitor Bureau (FACVB) President John Meroski invites the Downtown Fayetteville stakeholders to a meeting to discuss the prospect of a comprehensive marketing and advertising plan specifi cally designed to promote, brand and showcase downtown Fayetteville. the resources. After all, it is his specifi c job to bring visitors to our community. And, what better way to do that than by promoting and showcasing Downtown Fayetteville’s amenities. This includes all the attractions, events and unique businesses. It’s about marketing Downtown Fayetteville inclusively as a destination point. Everyone participates and everyone benefi ts. With Meroski providing the plan, the city coordinating the logistics and the Tourist Development Authority (TDA) and FACVB providing the seed money, everyone else should come to the table with fresh ideas, enthusiasm and ready to invest time, talent and money. We’ll see. Fayetteville has little to lose and everything to gain. This has been needed for a long time. The marketing and advertising efforts of the city, Downtown Alliance, Airborne and Special Operations Museum, Cape Fear Botanical Gardens, Chamber of Commerce, local businesses and arts organizations will collectively be coordinated to speak and promote the same welcoming message. And why not? We have wonderful attractions, venues and talent to orchestrate and manage such an aggressive campaign. What we need is vision, cooperation and buy in from all parties involved. Everyone. We applaud the bold entrepreneurial leadership of John Meroski for leading this charge. He has the vision and Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast March 11 Fayetteville’s Weather Forecast Friday Thursday March 10 Saturday March 12 What we do know for sure is that the advertising and marketing efforts of the past have failed. Tens of thousands of dollars spread thinly between dozens of attractions and venues failed to produce a return on investment for anyone. So, for the greater good a master plan is being formulated. Will downtown merchants, businesses and attractions buy in? We’ll see on March 28 when Meroski, TDA, FACVB and the city share their plan. A plan that will require everyone’s backing. Fayetteville has little to lose and everything to gain. Everyone should appreciate their desire and willingness to get our input. We’ll see. BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, Up & Coming Weekly. COMMENTS? editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com CalCall 910.354.1679l 910.354.1679 Sunday March 13 Monday March 14 Tuesday March 15 Calendar ........................................... 12 Concert Connection ........................ 20 Movie Review .................................. 22 Free Wheelin’ Feelin’ ....................... 23 Classifieds ........................................ 24 News of the Weird ........................... 26 Horoscopes/Advice Goddess ......... 26 Games .............................................. 27 The Plan Is in Place, But What About the Buy In? High 68° Low 40° Thunderstorms 4 UCW MARCH 16-22, 2011 High 59° Low 37° Sunny High 67° Low 45° Sunny Forecast available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. High 67° Low 40° Sunny High 63º Low 44º Sunny High 70º Low 43º Showers WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 24 / 7