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Writers Converge on Wisconsin 

Wisconsin's travel and hospitality industry was uniquely positioned to host not just one but two writer associations this summer, Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA). The Department partnered with the convention and visitor bureaus in Madison and Milwaukee to help bring both meetings to the state.

The Department worked closely with Visit Milwaukee to help coordinate pre and post fam trips for SATW members. Through this opportunity, more than a dozen writers were able to see first hand Wisconsin destinations such as Mineral Point, Cedarburg, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Green Bay, Door County, Wisconsin Dells, Madison, Spring Green and many others. The Department's Communication team continues to work one on one with SATW members to facilitate future press trips to other Wisconsin destinations.

The OWAA Conference presented many chances to network with writers and introduce them to Wisconsin's abundance of natural resources and outdoor recreation. The Department developed a CD-Rom of statewide press trip options for the writers, hosted a hospitality suite during the conference, provided daily story ideas that appeared on room door hangers, distributed the popular Fish Wisconsin poster and staffed an information booth at both the conference and during the Lake Kegonsa breakout day.

Overall both meetings were a huge success for the cities who hosted them and for the entire state of Wisconsin. Look forward to seeing the state featured in many future articles and broadcasts in the year or two ahead.

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Golf Wisconsin Scores 

Golf Wisconsin is full swing into its second season. Once again the Golf Course Owners of Wisconsin (GCOW) was instrumental in lining up more than 150 golf courses that let kids play for free or at a discount on May 22nd. While the final totals for this year aren't in yet…it looks like close to 15,000 young people either golfed for free or attended a clinic in Golf Wisconsin's first two years.

Close to 200 ladies and young women took part in three Golf Wisconsin clinics in June. Held in Milwaukee and Madison the clinics highlighted the UW women's golf team as guest instructors.

The Krueger-Haskell municipal golf course in Beloit has taken the concept of "free golf for young people" to a new level. With help from the Department's Golf Wisconsin team, the Beloit course promoted free golf for kids with a paying adult during the month of June. The response was better than expected and they've raised the bar again. Now kids will be able to golf for free all summer long in Beloit.

Planning for a third season of "Golf Wisconsin" promotional efforts will start later this fall. Please send your initial ideas to Communications Director Jerry Huffman.

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Where's Jessica Getting Ready for New School Year 

The "Where In Wisconsin Is Jessica Doyle?" game has wrapped up for the 2004-2005 school year with a record of nearly 25,000 entries, making this year's expansion to include fourth and fifth graders along with the original middle-school target audience a huge success. The weekly winners, along with a parent or teacher as their guest, enjoyed a tour of the Governor's residence and a "Tournament of Champions" with Mrs. Doyle.

During the summer months the game is inactive, but the site will feature last year's winners to entice more youngsters to play. Many of these weekly winners get a personal visit from Jessica Doyle, a retired middle-school teacher. The Department of Tourism in conjunction with the First Lady's staff alerts the local media when a winner is from their area, or if Mrs. Doyle is coming to town.

Using clues about the history, trivia and location of communities all across the state, the game is designed to teach students about the state and encourage families to travel and explore Wisconsin. We reward the weekly winners with passes to local historic, cultural and recreational sites-including those within a one county region of the week's mystery city whenever possible.

If you have an attraction that a family could visit in celebration of their child's interest and success in learning about Wisconsin, we're looking for family passes and certificates to back this effort. It's an opportunity to promote your community and what it has to offer to future tourists. We award two equal and identical prizes weekly, one to elementary-age players and another to middle-school age players. Parents and kids love the opportunity to go to a great museum, historic site or fun attraction. Teachers love to take their classes on field trips, which we offer as grand prizes. But we also like to salute teachers for their efforts with a cool perk now and then - we're open to suggestions.

Contact Valeria Davis at 608/266-2147 for more information about how your attraction or destination can participate.

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Redesigned Heritage Traveler Guide Recreates Wisconsin's Past 

The Wisconsin Heritage Traveler Guide underwent an entire format and content makeover and the new edition is now available to consumers, both electronically and in print. The 64-page, full-color publication features 72 art and history museums highlighting their historic focus, cultural significance, major collections and artifacts. The easy-to-read guide includes interesting sidebars underscoring uniquely Wisconsin subjects. A special set of four commemorative bookmarks honoring Wisconsin recipients of the Medal of Honor is also included in the publication. The guide's new format groups museums in categories such as Native American and European Heritage; Wisconsin History; Early Industry; Transportation and Military Heritage; Famous People and Historic Homes and Art Museums.

Also, check out our new travelwisconsin.com "Fresh Look at History" feature. The Department commissioned writer and Wisconsin travel expert and syndicated columnist, Mary Bergin, to give us her knowledgeable take on some of the state's historic attractions.

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