(Feb. 25, 2016) Two years ago, Berlin used the national attention it received from a magazine article in order to rebrand itself using the now-ubiquitous word “cool.”
This month, neighboring Snow Hill received a similar, albeit slightly more low-key, write up in Canoe & Kayak magazine, which called it one of the “(Next) Best Paddling Towns” in the U.S.
Coincidence? Snow Hill Economic Development Director Michael Day – who once held that title in Berlin – would have you think not.
“The article helps put us on the map as a paddling town, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” he said. “I think it’s going to take a while – Berlin took a few years to get to the point where it was the ‘coolest small town’ – but we want to become the outdoor recreation capital of the Eastern Shore.”
Day said the town had been working with Jim Rapp and Conservation Community Consulting LLC. In the article, Rapp gives writer Natalie Warren a tour of Snow Hill’s several sites and activities, including paddling on Nassawango Creek and the Pocomoke River, eating at Harvest Moon Tavern and the Blue Dog restaurants, and shopping at the Pocomoke River Canoe Co.
“I was the lucky guy that got to go kayaking for three days,” Rapp said. “It was just a great weekend – not just because Natalie was wonderful, but the town really rolled out the red carpet for her. I think it really impressed her – not just the natural resources, but the hospitality.”
Rapp said he hopes the release of the story helps increase Snow Hill’s profile as a destination for paddle sports.
“People in Worcester County know it’s a great place. It really is world class, and so it’s really nice to see Natalie, who has paddled thousands of miles in her young lifetime, come here and have a genuine impression of the awe and wonder that we have,” Rapp said. “We want more people to come and stay in Snow Hill and Worcester County and explore with us. Nobody ever complains when they come off that river.”
The Pocomoke River is an obvious selling point, and should continue to be a draw as Day and others work to revitalize the town.
On June 17-19, the Snow Hill will hold the “Return to Goat Island Standup Paddleboard Races” in Sturgis Park, a new event that Day hopes will become a highlight of the town.
“That’s moving along,” he said. “We’ve rented 40 campsites at the state park and they’re starting to fill up, and we’re really moving forward on that little event. We hope, within one or two years, it becomes the largest standup paddleboard race on the East Coast. That’s our goal.”
He said Snow Hill is also promoting its proximity to Pocomoke River State Park, just five miles away. Worcester County Tourism Director Lisa Challenger is also playing a role in that and is working with Snow Hill and Pocomoke City to develop hiking trails from the state park to the downtown areas.
Holistically, It’s a decidedly less urban approach than Day used, to great success, in Berlin. That, he said, is also no coincidence.
“We want to promote Snow Hill as a compliment to Berlin,” Day said. “We’re not competing with Berlin – we want to compliment it. We’re just 15 miles down the road, we’ve plenty of outdoor hiking, biking, kayaking, paddling experience that you can’t get in Berlin, but you can get it here.”
This month, neighboring Snow Hill received a similar, albeit slightly more low-key, write up in Canoe & Kayak magazine, which called it one of the “(Next) Best Paddling Towns” in the U.S.
Coincidence? Snow Hill Economic Development Director Michael Day – who once held that title in Berlin – would have you think not.
“The article helps put us on the map as a paddling town, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do,” he said. “I think it’s going to take a while – Berlin took a few years to get to the point where it was the ‘coolest small town’ – but we want to become the outdoor recreation capital of the Eastern Shore.”
Day said the town had been working with Jim Rapp and Conservation Community Consulting LLC. In the article, Rapp gives writer Natalie Warren a tour of Snow Hill’s several sites and activities, including paddling on Nassawango Creek and the Pocomoke River, eating at Harvest Moon Tavern and the Blue Dog restaurants, and shopping at the Pocomoke River Canoe Co.
“I was the lucky guy that got to go kayaking for three days,” Rapp said. “It was just a great weekend – not just because Natalie was wonderful, but the town really rolled out the red carpet for her. I think it really impressed her – not just the natural resources, but the hospitality.”
Rapp said he hopes the release of the story helps increase Snow Hill’s profile as a destination for paddle sports.
“People in Worcester County know it’s a great place. It really is world class, and so it’s really nice to see Natalie, who has paddled thousands of miles in her young lifetime, come here and have a genuine impression of the awe and wonder that we have,” Rapp said. “We want more people to come and stay in Snow Hill and Worcester County and explore with us. Nobody ever complains when they come off that river.”
The Pocomoke River is an obvious selling point, and should continue to be a draw as Day and others work to revitalize the town.
On June 17-19, the Snow Hill will hold the “Return to Goat Island Standup Paddleboard Races” in Sturgis Park, a new event that Day hopes will become a highlight of the town.
“That’s moving along,” he said. “We’ve rented 40 campsites at the state park and they’re starting to fill up, and we’re really moving forward on that little event. We hope, within one or two years, it becomes the largest standup paddleboard race on the East Coast. That’s our goal.”
He said Snow Hill is also promoting its proximity to Pocomoke River State Park, just five miles away. Worcester County Tourism Director Lisa Challenger is also playing a role in that and is working with Snow Hill and Pocomoke City to develop hiking trails from the state park to the downtown areas.
Holistically, It’s a decidedly less urban approach than Day used, to great success, in Berlin. That, he said, is also no coincidence.
“We want to promote Snow Hill as a compliment to Berlin,” Day said. “We’re not competing with Berlin – we want to compliment it. We’re just 15 miles down the road, we’ve plenty of outdoor hiking, biking, kayaking, paddling experience that you can’t get in Berlin, but you can get it here.”