We’ve been celebrating our 30th anniversary all month long! Our birthday was just last Friday. As part of the festivities, we’ve been meeting with former Ottawa Visitors Center 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 for a 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 Rich Crum, Director of Hospitality at Heritage Harbor.

This entry is a special one because it was conducted at the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. They are celebrating 110 years! We’re both celebrating milestones. We’re so happy for our friends at the Chamber and wish them well for their next year. To start off the interview, Rich gave us some background information on his time at Heritage Harbor and working in conjunction with the OVC.

“My position at Heritage Harbor is Director of Hospitality. I’ve been there for a little over seven years. It’ll be eight years in November. And my primary position is overseeing our vacation rentals, which is Harbor Inn, which is a vacation management property company, as well as our events and our soon-to-be-opened event venue called The Vue. Weddings, corporate events, and private events, seats up to 250 people. And so my connection with the visitor center is tourism for sure, because we’re both looking to draw in people from outside of this area to come stay,” Rich said.

“Just like the visitor’s center, we want people to come in and to enjoy the area known as Star Rock Country. So with Heritage Harbor, we share that same mission to have people come to Heritage Harbor, but not just Heritage Harbor. We want them to explore Ottawa, downtown Ottawa, all of our state parks. And just have fun and enjoy the lifestyle and enjoy Starved Rock Country,” he said.

And Starved Rock Country truly is a great place to visit! Especially in Ottawa, you’ll find a wide variety of quality events, great places to stay, like Heritage Harbor, rich history, and so much more. Considering how aligned our goals are, we next asked Rich what tourism means to him, in relation to a town like Ottawa.

“I feel passionate about tourism because tourism, a strong tourism… has the potential for a lot of opportunities, which includes economic development. It includes real estate. And so essentially what we hope is that people love this area so much that they wanna be here more often,” he said.

“And that might be buying a home, it could be having their second home here, like a vacation home, it could be bringing their business here because they see such an opportunity in this area. Due to our proximity to Starved State Park and Matthiessen State Park, and Buffalo State Park has been known for tourism for years. And we have so many opportunities for those that come to this area to experience what we, as citizens, see every day.”

Ottawa has some great state parks and outdoor areas to visit – Buffalo Rock, the Dayton Bluffs Preserve, Nell’s Woodland – and certainly, access to others like Starved Rock, Matthiessen and Illini State Parks is a major plus, and really gives you that “Middle of Everywhere” feeling. To build on this, we asked Rich how he feels Ottawa tourism has evolved over the years.

“So when I was a child, my family would have our family reunions at Starved Rock State Park. And at that time, that area was not very traveled by. There wasn’t a lot of tourists. And to see that huge change come through this area, is simply amazing. I mean, the 3.1 million visitors that Starved Rock sees a year is incredible. That wasn’t happening back in the day, so we were kind of taking advantage of what now is like the most traveled state park in the state of Illinois. But where downtown Ottawa evolved is from that, because we took advantage of those travelers that were going to Starved Rock State Park. And we enhanced with our city government, with the help of our city government, our downtown area. So the restaurants, the boutique shops, and that nightlife really helped encourage those tourists not to just come through and stop, and maybe grab a bite to eat, but to spend the night. And they get to experience truly what Ottawa has to offer,” he said.

And Ottawa truly has so much to offer! From history, to the arts, to relaxation, to adventure, ad more. Of course, it also offers iconic events and beloved attractions. We asked Rich if he has a favorite of either.

“I truly love the Festival of Lights Parade. And I’m not trying to be biased, because I’m the one that puts it on. But I will tell you that at one point in time, that event was going to be canceled during that COVID time frame. And it was permanently going to be canceled, never coming back. And I will be honest, I fought for that event, and the only reason I fought for that event was because it was an outdoor event. And it was in, in my opinion, was a time where where kids could see magic once again. Not seeing it from their home, but being able to just see Santa coming down and the belief that he’s still there, and that things are going to get better. But then on top of that, the parents, that there’s hope that things are going to get better. We look back at COVID now, a completely different viewpoint,” Rich said.

“But at that time, when people were thinking about that, it just gave them the opportunity to be outside, and then you could experience that Hallmark moment. And I truly believe in that, and we keep building that event, year after year, with the help of Ottawa Visitor Center, and the Chamber, and the City of Ottawa. It’s just a wonderful event and it’s a Hallmark moment where downtown Ottawa comes alive.”

The Festival of Lights has been a long loved event, by both tourists and locals alike. It has been held for about 40 years now. Ottawa has had many events throughout that time span, some that are no longer held. We asked Rich if there are any former events or attractions he’d like to see make a comeback, or if he’d prefer something new to come to town.

“A lot of individuals have expressed a comeback for Riverfest. And I get that because it’s nostalgia. It brings back what once was. And I think that with the new development of the riverfront and the amphitheater that’s going in, I think that that could actually bring back what once was. But I think that that will bring something back to what we had as… of that River Fest. It’s like a glimpse of that, but at today’s version of that.”

There are so many exciting things to look forward to in Ottawa’s future. Riverfest, or a very similar event, could very well make a comeback at some point. In a forward looking town like Ottawa, the possibilities are limitless. We can’t wait to keep sharing the great things the community comes up with for you. To round out our interview, we asked Rich if he had any closing words on the future of Ottawa tourism.

“I think the Ottawa Visitor Center has done an amazing job promoting Ottawa. And I think that as we move forward into the future, there’s going to be so much more opportunity for growth in tourism for the City of Ottawa and the surrounding area for Starved Rock Country for not just tourism, but for economic development, for new home sales, for real estate, which will just increase the value of this area.”

Many thanks to Rich! We’re so. thankful for 30 years in the Middle of Everywhere, and so proud to share this great community with others. This is our 29th interview, with a special 30th one on the way! Stay tuned on the rest of our blog and our Facebook page.