One thing I usually try to find out from our event host is what locals call their area. This is very useful in the South, it seems like there is a unique moniker for each new place. This gives me some street cred when doing interviews for local TV stations. We just left what was referred to as the Black Belt in Alabama, specifically the town of Selma. I was a little taken aback that this civil rights history making area uses this identifier. Roots run deep here and we met many visitors who were from all over the country coming back here to trace family lineage. The local library has a huge genealogy department and a staffer there to aid with research.
On the same block with that library is also a stunning City Hall but once you leave those buildings you are again on another dying Main Street. Empty storefronts, buildings in all sorts of repair and disrepair are what great you after crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This town serves as a stop of pilgrimage for so many and there are many in the community who want to keep the history alive. Recently an Arts Council has been started, the area museums and community leaders have joined together to develop a tourism base. They are trying to create a way for someone visiting the area for any reason access to the wonderful attractions.
I hope that together they can create something wonderful to visit.
The Roving Van Gelders 
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