According to Laura Rice, a curator at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, roadside attractions like Story Town, “are now recognized as integral to the development of the Adirondack Park as a resort area in the 1950s.” Lakes to Locks Passage, the organization that emphasizes “place-based” tourism, or an appreciation of a community’s unique historical, cultural and natural resources, has made a one minute video about Story Town, considered one of the first, and most important, of those roadside attractions.
Lakes to Locks Passage, Inc was established in 2003, as its mission statement says, to promote “the appreciation, recognition, stewardship and revitalization of the natural, cultural, recreational and historic assets of the communities along the interconnected waterways of the upper Hudson River, the Champlain Canal, Lake George, Lake Champlain, Chambly Canal and Richelieu River.”
It emphasizes “place-based” tourism, or an appreciation of a community’s unique historical, cultural and natural resources, rather than road side attractions.
“That’s the key to economic development,” says Janet Kennedy, the executive director of Lakes to Locks Passage.
By linking the communities of the Hudson Valley, Lake George and the Champlain corridors, Lakes to Locks Passage hopes to create a regional brand that can be marketed to potential visitors throughout the world, says Kennedy.
One medium for transmitting that information is videos, called Lakes to Locks Passage Minutes and produced by Mountain Lakes PBS
”The one-minute videos illustrate, in a lively and engaging manner, the stories of the region that depict the unique heritage of the region. Some stories are based upon historical facts, some are about the landscape and culture, other are legend and lore. All are designed to capture the viewer to stop and think for a moment, engaging them in a personal way,” says Drew Alberti, a project manager at Lakes to Locks Project manager.
According to Alberti, the videos have been used by local tourism agencies, Stewart’s Shops, New York State public television stations, other community related website or media venues, as the basis for lesson plans in schools and by the Lakes to Locks Passage organization itself.
© 2013 Adirondack Resorts Press, Inc.