Texas Travel Log, November 2011 Page: Travelog
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13TEXAS TRAVELOG
a a
The festivities of Galveston Island's annual Dickers on the Strand event hcve been noted as one of the Top 100
Events in North America for group trave by the American Bus Associatior.HE GALVESTON Island Tree
Conservancy won first place
in the 2011 Tom's of Maine
50 States for Good Commurity
Sponsorship contest, snagging the
$50,000 prize that goes with it.
The winning organization was de-
termined by online independent vot-
ers who chose the conservancy from
a group of 20 nonprofit groups
around the country. The organiza-
tion was nominated in August as a
semi-finalist by a panel of judges,
and it was the only Texas organiza-
tion to compete.
The Tree Conservancy works
with the City of Galveston and other
groups to restore the island's forest
canopy. An estimated 40,000 trees
were lost as a result of saltwater
flooding from Hurricane Ike. Since
then, the all-volunteer organization
has spearheaded a variety of tree-
planting initiatives and has helped
plant more than 8,000 trees, includ-
ing scores of large oaks on city
streets and parks.
Using private donations, GITC's
work plan calls for the planting of
25,000 trees by the end of 2014.
"The prize money we receive
from Tom's will help fund this plant-
ing season's NeighborWoods program
in the face of the worst drought in
more than half a century," says
GITC Tree Planting Coordinator
Priscilla Files.The NeighborWoods program
provides free 15-gallon trees for
planting in the city right-of-way by
volunteer crews. Local homeowners
select the species they want anc'
agree to care for the trees.
"Planting trees is expensive," F les
notes. "Trees are part of the city's
basic infrastructure and are as impor-
tant as roads and sewers. Trees shade
our home, cut down on water runoff
and are habitat for all the birds that
count Galveston as home. We hope
that everyone will support us moving
forward, especially our local citizens
and businesses."
EVERAL Texas events ap-
peared on The American Bus
Association's list of the Top
100 Events in North America for
2012, an annual collection of the
top picks for group travel in the
United States and Canada. Among
the notable are big events in Den-
ton, Galveston, San Antonio,
Grapevine, Canyon and Dallas.
Now in its 30th year, "The Top 100
Events in North America" is pub-
I shed as a guide for travel professioo-
als and the general public to use when
planning group tours and vacations.
Each spring, group-travel professionals
select the winners from hundreds of
nominees :ased on their broad appeal.accessibility to large groups arriving
by motorcoach, and other criteria.
Noted events were the Denton
Art & Jazz Festival (April), Can-
yon's TEXAS outdoor musical
(June-August), Dallas' State Fair
of Texas (September-October),
Galveston's Dickens on the Strand
(Dec. 1-2, 2012), and Grapevine's
GrapeFest (September) and Christ-
mas Capital of Texas (Nov. 23, 2011-
Jan. 6, 2012).
Although the ABA does not rank
the events, it does give special recog-
nition to "Annual Events," like Fies-
ta San Antonio, which receive sepa-
rate recognition for having been con-
sistently selected as a Top 100 Event
in North America.
"Fiesta San Antonio celebrates
the Alamo City's diverse history and
culture with 100 events over I1
days," the ABA says. "Fiesta is the
party with a purpose because every
official event is produced by a local
nonprofit or military organization.
Those groups give back to their com-
munity all year long."
OLD MEETS NEW
OR MORE than 400 years, ex-
plorers have trekked down the
El Paso Mission Trail making
historic discoveries and influencing
Texas history along the way. With
a newly launched website, visitorscan more easily explore the trail.
In an effort to promote tourism to
the historic area, the El Paso Mission
Trail created its official website-
www.visitelpasomissiontrail.com -
where potential visitors can access
information about more than 50
tourism spots along the trail includ-
ing historic sites, art galleries and
shops, events and local cuisine.
El Paso Mission Trail, in El Paso,
is the oldest highway in the nation
and features some of the oldest com-
munities in the state, including two
of the oldest continuously operated
missions in the United States, Ysleta
Mission and Socorro Mission. The
historic San Elizario Presidio Chapel
also is along the trail.
To help visitors coordinate their
travel plans, the site includes an
events calendar and a plan section
with event dates, lodging informa-
tion, directions and helpful FAQs.
NE OF Texas' oldest land-
marks can now be enjoyed
using some of the newest
technology as Dinosaur Valley
State Park unveils its new
mobile application.
Dinosaur Valley State Park's free
mobile app for iPhone and Android
platform smartphones offers visitors
enhanced interpretive on-site tours of
the attraction noted for its well-preserved
dinosaur footprints in the Paluxy river-
bed inside the 1,500-acre park.
"One of the current problems we
face at our park is that our interpretive
displays are somewhat outdated, and
our staff is just too limited to offer
enough tours to meet all of the public
demand," says Shannon Blalock, su-
perintendent at Dinosaur Valley
State Park. "Now, this app allows us
to provide accurate information that
can be continuously updated. And
visitors will be able to experience
real-time tours whenever they want
at points of interest throughout the
park. They'll be able to access video
and audio clips, photos and written
information right from their phones.
We think it will make people's park
experience that much better."
The phone app, found in the
smartphone's app store under "Di-
nosaur Valley State Park" or "Glen
Rose," includes listings for businesses,
restaurants, lodging and other nearby
attractions, as well as maps with turn-
by-turn directions for area attractions.
All revenue generated from adver-
tising within the app also directly
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Texas. Department of Transportation. Texas Travel Log, November 2011, periodical, November 2011; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth641058/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.