We’ve launched a new interview series as part of our 30th anniversary festivities! Titled “30 Stories for 30 Years,” we’ve been meeting with past Ottawa Visitors Center Board members, and some others, as we reflect on 30 years in the Middle of Everywhere, and ponder where we’ll go next. Join us, as we look back on local tourism’s evolution, some OVC history, and a special guest’s unique perspectives.

Our special guest for this entry is Commissioner Wayne Eichelkraut from the City of Ottawa. Wayne served on the very first iteration of the OVC Board. He started us off with a throwback to this era of local tourism.

“I’ll tell you right now, that I was a member of the first board. That was back, ‘95, ‘96, whatever it was. I was on there with Bill Stevenson and Forrest Buck. And I worked with Kelly and Angie Stevenson. This is when we used to do all the festivals. We did advertisement, but we actually did all the festivals, too,” Wayne said.

“Basically, I started out in 1987, as a Riverfront Activities Director for Cisco Centennial. And that put me on the team that did Riverfest for all them years. So in 1996, when the visitor’s board was established… They asked me to be on the board for the visitors bureau, and that was when we started doing River Fest, and other activities for the city. We did do some advertising, as I said, but mainly we actually did festivals, and I don’t think that changed ‘till later.”

Wayne also explained this later change he spoke of:

“Oh, yeah, I formed the Special Events Committee. That was in ‘99,” he added.

Thirty years in the Middle of Everywhere, and here we are, right at the beginning! It’s truly remarkable to revisit the recent local history that got us to where we are now. It’s also led to so much cooperation within the community, and even beyond. The hard work and dedication of many individuals and organizations created the Ottawa we know today – and we’re so happy to share it. With his years of this experience in mind, we asked Wayne his thoughts on tourism, in relation to Ottawa.

“Tourism to me right now is, the way I look at it, is an economic engine. The way we’ve overcame and the way we’ve created, the way the city’s created downtown, and the way things are going. I go into places like restaurants and stuff like that and most of the people that are eating here are from out of town, from suburbs and stuff like that. I mean, it brings money into the city. It’s unbelievable,” he said.

“I think what they’re doing now with the advertisements on WGN radio and things like that, and the certain festivals that we have, you know, everything’s been perfect. My goal when I actually ran for commissioner was to actually make this like a Lake Geneva, but a warmer Lake Geneva, I mean. And eventually, I mean, that’s taken a long time, but eventually with the riverfront development, it’s going to happen.”

“In ‘95, I asked the city council for $7,500 to do drag boat races on the Illinois River, which we did for 10 years, which was a help from Shoreline Boat Club and the visitor’s board slash turned into the visitor’s center then, after that. And that went for 10 years, so Ottawa’s been going the right direction as far as tourism is concerned. And that seems like to be the way to actually be able to make money and bring tax dollars into the city,” Wayne said.

As we’ve seen already, this work has been incremental. Building on this discussion, we also asked Wayne how he feels the evolution of Ottawa tourism has come along over the last 30 years, and where he thinks it will go next.

“On a scale of 1 to 10, I think we’ve actually went from a zero, to a 9.2 right now. Once we get the riverfront done, I think we’ll hit that ‘10’ spot, and it’ll be the biggest economic development or it’ll just be perfect for the city,” he said.

“When you start bringing bands and put a hotel down there on the riverfront, that’s going to put stores overlooking the river. That’s going to bring tourism here. People are going to walk our river walk. People are going to see what we have. It’s going to have an asset for people wanting to move down here. We’ve got plenty of land that can be developed,” Wayne explained.

“It’s just a total plus for the whole city. Tourism would just generate. And just for an example, I did boat races, and I was basically the only person from Ottawa. A lot of the people from the suburbs and stuff like that, that helped me do this, I met them on a boat. We were out boating one time, and they asked, you know, if it could be done. And lots of people actually have moved here from the suburbs, to retire and enjoy this area. So, we got a lot to offer.”

There’s certainly plenty to share! Tourism’s development in Ottawa has certainly helped create the very idea of us as the Middle of Everywhere, where there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Some key aspects of this include the town’s beloved events and attractions from throughout the years. We asked Wayne if he had a favorite.

“I did Riverfest for all them years, and I thought that was probably one of the best. We were ready to bring it back, but COVID hit, and we just really haven’t got it back yet. It’s hard to say. You’ve got Fallfest. That’s great. You’ve got Chris Kringle Market. I mean, there’s so many. You’ve got Kites and Flights. There’s so many different things going on around here. There’s always something to do. So, it’s been super. We compare easily to any other city around. So, it’s been great.”

With any discussion of past events, we also asked if he had any thoughts on seeing an old event return.

“I was saying that Riverfest should be brought back, but the best part about it, is once we get the amphitheater done, that would be an easy way to bring Riverfest back. Because, you already have the band shell, and that takes away a lot of the cost, because a lot of the cost of Riverfest was renting the stage, renting the lights, and your sound system, which we would all have. So, it would be an easy way to do that. And if you’ve got a company coming in here, or we decide to do whatever ourselves, we’re going to be bringing big bands in here. People are going to be coming to town. People are going to be eating in town. They’re going to see what Ottawa is really like. It’d be pretty good.”

There’s certainly plenty of buzz about what events might one day be held at the riverfront! Riverfest was an iconic one. We’re so excited to keep sharing the exciting and interesting facets of our community for years to come. As our interview came to a close, we asked Wayne if he had any final thoughts on the future of Ottawa tourism.

“Like I said, my whole goal is actually to make this a warmer Lake Geneva, okay? I think that we can do this. We’ve got the river. We’ve got the boat down there, we’ve got the Ste. Genevieve. We’ve got the restaurants,” he said.

“But I foresee the growth of Ottawa being tourism. Factories aren’t what they used to be. You don’t have the great factories that used to employ 3,500 people, 6,000 people. Right now, you base your money off of people coming into town, spending money. That’s how things grow, and that’s how things get done. So, I just think it’s great. We’ve got a great future ahead of us.”

Many thanks to Wayne!

We are so thrilled to be looking back on 30 years of tourism. Stay tuned for more interviews and updates as we celebrate our 30th anniversary!