Next week, hundreds of people from around the United States will come to Warren County to compete on our two most prominent waterways: the Allegheny River and Chapman Lake.
Perhaps more than any other single event, the National Canoe and Kayak Championships promote this area's outdoor recreational opportunities to the widest range of visitors. Yes, they are canoers and kayakers dedicated to those two water sports, but virtually all of them enjoy many different aspects of the outdoors. While they are here they will be taking in much more than exists between the banks of those two waterways.
You can't get better outreach than that.
For the better part of a week they will be staying in our motels, camping in our campgrounds, eating in our restaurants, walking our downtown streets and soaking in views and vistas that are arguably some of the best in Pennsylvania, if not the East.
They will go back to their homes in Alabama, New Jersey, Tennessee and dozens of other places and will talk to their friends about what they found in Warren County, Pa.
We hope they will tell them they found beautiful river and inviting lake, good food, good accomodations and friendly people. We also believe that those from more urban areas will praise our home as a place where one can get away from the burdens of urban living.
They won't just be coming here and spending money; they will be our guests, giving us the opportunity to show off our hospitality.
We shouldn't waste the opportunity.