Our 30th anniversary celebration is in full swing! As part of the festivities, we’ve launched the 30 Stories for 30 Years interview series. We’ve been meeting with former OVC Board members, and some others who have been along for the ride. We’re reflecting on three decades of tourism and considering what the future may hold. Join us, as we look back on local tourism’s evolution, some Ottawa Visitors Center history, and a special guest’s unique perspectives.

Our special guest for this entry is DeWayne Cronkright, former OVC Board member and owner of Jeremiah Joe Coffee. He began by sharing a bit about his time on the board.

“Well, it was a long time ago. It was a good time. There was a lot of transitions going on at the time that I was involved with the board. But there were some really great experiences. I was there when Julie Johnson was director. And we added a lot of new events at that time. A lot of new opportunities in the state of Illinois were there that came up. And our visitor center team figured out a way to take advantage of those opportunities and you could really see an uptick in tourism growth in this area,” DeWayne said.

This interview series might be titled “30 Stories for 30 Years,” but they all make up the grand story of Ottawa. DeWayne speaks of some pivotal moments in time that helped lead the visitors center to where we are now. As someone involved in such an instrumental period of time, we asked what tourism in Ottawa, in relation to Ottawa, means to DeWayne.

“Well, first of all, I like to be a tourist myself. So I guess talking from my own experience, being able to go into communities and experience their history, their food, their coffee, those kind of things. Those are always fun. My wife and I, we love to travel and go to other cities, and other towns, and other states, and other countries,” he said.

“It’s always interesting seeing what’s emphasized in tourism when you travel. Obviously, when you’re by the coast, the ocean is emphasized. But when you’re in the Midwest, there’s just a lot of good experiences with exploring. Like in our area, it’s Starved Rock, the canyons, waterfalls, the river. We’ve got several rivers. So a lot of that stuff is just fun to visit. We’ve just got a lot of rich history, too. That’s the other thing.”

Ottawa as the Middle of Everywhere exists at a unique intersection of history, culture, nature, and so much more. It’s all a core part of the town’s identity that we get to share! The natural areas such as the Dayton Bluffs Preserve, Buffalo Rock State, Nell’s Woodland, and even local parks can provide a serene, lush backdrop to a trip to Ottawa. These sorts of things take time though. We asked DeWayne how he feels tourism has come along in the past 30 years.

“Oh, wow. Well, I mean, look at the information we have process, just for the local area. We have a lot of organizations that put on events. The City of Ottawa puts on a lot of events. We have people all the time wanting to come to Ottawa and host events. And I think the Ottawa Visitor Center has been key about getting what Ottawa is, what its past has been, and just expanding the future opportunities,” DeWayne said.

All of these moving and working pieces allow tourism in our area to flourish. Sharing the history and the present of Ottawa draws people to the many facets of the local community, something we’re so proud to do. The beloved events and iconic attractions in town are key factors in helping get the word out about Ottawa. We asked DeWayne if he had a favorite of either.

“Well, in my younger days, I enjoyed Riverfest. But as I got older, it changed a little bit. That was a huge festival, many days, lots of people coming into the area. But now I like the smaller events that’re coming up. I really enjoy our car show that we have, that’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of things coming up that are really cool. I loved the Two Rivers Wine Festival, had a long history of just being a really fun event, lots of people came to the community for that,” he explained.

There have been many events and attractions throughout the town’s history, many still spoken about. As we look back on 30 years, we asked DeWayne if there were any old events or attractions that he would like to see return or revitalized.

“I don’t know. That’s a good question because as culture changes, as people change, as there’s just changes in how things are processed, how information is processed, I don’t know about revitalizing or bringing back anything. Ottawa has done a great job in being innovators in new opportunities and new events and new ways of attracting people to Ottawa. And so maybe emphasize that more,” he said.

“How can we be more innovative? In maybe some of the events that we have, but are there other opportunities in how we can attract people to Ottawa and visiting those things, and even taking some risks, like let’s get, you know, let’s do something that’s not done in this area and explore those ideas as well.”

DeWayne’s words here echo a similar sentiment to some other interviews throughout the series. Ottawa is a forward-looking town, with a unique identity, and rich history. The next exciting event or festival in town could be just around the corner – or maybe an old one will be given a fresh, new update! Only time will tell, but we can’t wait to keep sharing our community with you. To close out our interview, we asked DeWayne if he had any final thoughts on looking to Ottawa tourism’s future.

“I’m kind of hungry right now, and I like those new events that are like the competition events that are food. I remember when we had the chili cook-off, and that was always a cool event. But having, just like the barbecue festivals, the Two Rivers Wine Fest had the Lobster Fest alongside it, and that was always cool. But now that I’m hungry right now, maybe more food type of festivals.”

Many thanks to DeWayne! This entry of the series is a bit special, as today is our 30th birthday exactly! Thank you for 30 years in the Middle of Everywhere. We’re doing 30 stories for 30 years, so our series will continue as we celebrate. You can stay tuned on the rest of our blog, or on our Facebook page.