A special thanks to all the people who helped with the booth at the Governor's Conference on Tourism. Ron and Carla Kaaz, LeeAnn Jensen, Eileen Rossow and Warren Meyer, Ana Jensen, Sherry Nygaard, Amy Kruse, Art and Marilyn Oakes, and Leslie Passon all worked shifts or helped set it up.

The booth was a great success. Cookbooks were sold, many names were gathered for a database, BBISD’s name was prominently displayed, along with the INN-Route map. There was a TV monitor showing all of our inns in continuous rotation throughout the two days (thank you Ron and Carla!) The booth also created a nice place for our members to gather, which really enhanced the camaraderie of our group. We attracted a new member, too!

There are many legislative issues in front of us this year, from reduced funding of the tourism industry to taxation on items related to tourism. Marilyn Oakes is a board member with VIA (Visitor Industry Alliance), which is a group that basically is a legislative watch dog. Marilyn has sent out several emails recently concerning issues that affect our industry. Be aware and take time to read about the issues.