Canyons and Plains Video Finding Wider Audience

Judy Walden Displays Award Winning Video

Judy Walden and Mary Root of SECORHT, Southeast Colorado Regional Heritage Tourism, visited with board members of the Prowers Lodging Tax Panel this past Tuesday, December 13, thanking them for their past financial support.  They also distributed cd’s of the videos highlighting heritage tourism sites in southeast Colorado, honored this year by winning the 2011 Governor’s Award for Outstanding Community Tourism Initiative. 

Walden said the Canyons and Plains public service announcements highlighted such areas as Sand Creek, Camp Amache, Bent’s Old Fort, Boggsville National Historic District, Comanche National Grasslands and Historic Theaters of Southeast Colorado.  Each vignette runs two minutes, offering a brief historic narrative of each area, plus videos.  Walden said beside the historic information provided, it’s the professional quality of each vignette that has also garnered attention throughout the state, wherever the videos have been shown. 

Root said, “It offers a quality that’s showcased for the big screen at a theater and the audience response has been quite positive.”  She added that the videos are also being viewed on PBS and noted that they’ve been running during episodes of, “This Old House”.  Walden added that at a time when museums across the country are closing due to financing problems, Denver is adding a new history museum which will showcase the southeast Colorado videos.  “The building entryway will have a three story tall atrium and a movie screen which on opening night will feature all six excerpts representing our area.”  She said the more the videos are being shown, the more southeast Colorado will be noticed by the tourist industry. 

Walden said the funding provided by the Lodging Panel over the years has been leveraged into over a quarter of a million dollars.  She wanted to thank each member for their continued support.  She also mentioned the efforts of Rick and Tina Ross, owners of the Lamar Theater for their initiatives in starting the process of viewing the videos at historic theaters in southeast Colorado.  As soon as the first printings of 550 copies of the video have been distributed, there are plans to have them on sale at a nominal price at regional gift stores.

Watch the Videos:
Bent’s Fort
Boggsville
Sandcreek Massacre
Camp Amache
Comanche National Grassland 

By Russ Baldwin