Coy Harris hopes travelers taking in the sights along
the newly planned 600-mile Power of the Wind Trail will end up in
Lubbock.
Harris is executive director of the American Wind Power Center,
1701 Canyon Lakes Drive, one destination on the trail that stretches
from Lubbock into Oklahoma.
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| A-J Photo / JIM WATKINS
-- |
| Windmill at the American Wind Power Museum.
| |
"This is the ultimate ending spot of that whole trail
because we have the largest collection in the world," Harris said of
the center's 120 windmills, which date back to 1868.
John Armour of the Lubbock Convention and Visitors Bureau took
the suggestion of a colleague and ran with it. He has spearheaded
the development of the trail along with representatives of at least
seven cities across the region.
"This is sort of a nontypical trail in that there is not one
state that said, 'Here's $50,000. Go develop a trail,"' Armour said.
"Ours is a little bit different. What we've done is pull a bunch of
communities together."
Armour contacted the economic development heads in Plainview and
Canyon and in Shattuck, Woodward, Elk City and Norman, Okla.
"We've been able to figure out who's got assets out there and
sort of connect the dots," Armour said.
Each of the cities has contributed or committed money to the
project, which will include a map, a compact disc, a Web site and
advertising.
City officials in Canyon are still considering participation,
Armour said.
The goal of the trail is to attract tourists to the area, Armour
said. The idea of featuring windmills came about because they played
an important part in the region's history.
"It really affected the settlement here," said Harris, explaining
that there was a large body of water, but it was underground.
"Everyone had a well and a windmill to pump it."
While the trail will span more than 600 miles, the typical
sightseer likely will not follow it to a T, Armour said.
"We're not expecting thousands of people to flood Lubbock and
follow the trail," he said.
Rather, people traveling near the trail's destination cities may
stop in one or more city, leaving behind their tourism dollars.
"Then maybe they'll stop in Lubbock, stay the night, eat in the
restaurants," Armour said.
Brian Thomas, the director of the Plainview Convention and
Visitors Bureau, agrees.
"A lot of travelers between Austin and Denver and San Antonio and
Denver ... a lot of times they make this their halfway point,"
Thomas said. "(The trail) will help Plainview, and it will also help
the area."
More than wanting to participate in the trail development for
economic development reasons alone, Thomas said, the project is the
first of its kind and could lead to more cooperation.
"What really excited me about it was the cooperation of all the
cities," Thomas said. "I'm a strong believer in marketing the whole
region."
The project will be completed in three steps, Armour said. The
first is site tours, which the group plans to complete by month's
end. Using this information, the map will be developed.
Secondly, 30,000 and 50,000 maps are scheduled to be printed by
the end of April with distribution shortly thereafter, Armour said.
The CD and the Web site should be ready by May 31, he said.
Each member city will distribute the Power of the Wind Trail
materials through convention and visitors bureaus. State tourism
agencies in Texas and Oklahoma will carry the materials at welcome
centers.
Additionally, the maps and CDs will be distributed on racks in
hotels and motels in Lubbock, Amarillo and Oklahoma City, Armour
said.
The CD is set to include information about each destination city
and places to find windmills. Each track on the CD will be about 10
minutes long and describe some of the history of the destination
area.
It is designed, Armour said, for travelers to listen to on their
car stereos while on their way to the destination.
The Web site will feature download-ready maps and links to each
destination.
p.christine.smith@lubbockonline.com 766-8754
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