|
|
Mike Moser There are things you should
Did you know that the average age of farmers
today is 55? Or that those of us who live in Cumberland County
are within a day's drive of two-thirds of the population of the
United States? In November the Greater Cumberland County
Chamber of Commerce and Cumberland County Farm Bureau hosted
the annual Farm/City Breakfast, and speakers at the event tossed
out a few jokes and a lot of statistics for attendees to digest
with their delicious state park breakfast. Reporting such events is hard because jokes
tend to lose their luster when the element of being there is
removed and the spoken word is placed in black and white without
benefit of the speaker's persona. I have learned that in most cases, it is better
to leave jokes to the speakers. Here are some of the statistics you would
have learned if you missed the breakfast. From Farm Bureau: ·Average age of farmers is 55; ·Average farm size is 138 acres with
100,352 acres in farmland; ·Average market value of agricultural
products sold per farm is $51,280; and, ·Market value of agricultural products
(crops and livestock) is $37.2 million. The Chamber reported the following: ·Labor force increased 38 percent during
the 1990-'99 period; ·Population increased 30.5 percent
during the same period; ·Employment category breakdown for
1999 was trade, 29.8 percent; service, 24.3 percent; and manufacturing,
21.3 percent; and, ·Average hourly manufacturing wage
is $10.51. George M. Killgore, University of Tennessee
agriculture extension agent and better known as the TV spokesman
for Pick Tennessee Products, was the speaker for the farm side
of the program, and he discussed the promotional efforts by the
state and his experiences traveling as the Tennessee farmers'
spokesman. Speaking for the city side of the program
was Pepe Perron, chairman of the Chamber's Convention & Visitors
Bureau. Pepe also provides a lot of energy in the programs he
participates in and was a treasure trove of information during
the breakfast. "I am here today to tell you that tourism
is alive, well, prosperous and growing in our community,"
Perron told the gathering. Here are some of the facts he shared. ·Tourism is one of Cumberland County's
largest industries with expenditures of $55.25 million; ·Cumberland County is ranked second
in the Upper Cumberland region and 16th in the state in tourism
dollars, "and growing"; ·Tourism-related workers earn $14 million
annually at golf courses, motels, restaurants and other attractions
in the county; ·Average temperature during the summer
is 72.1° which is an asset for attracting tourists; ·The dam at the state park is the largest
masonry structure ever built by the Civilian Conservation Corps; ·Annually there are 1.2 million visitors
to Cumberland Mountain State Park of which 51 percent are from
outside the county; ·The day the park reopened the restaurant
after renovations were completed 714 people were served; ·Those visitors spend $1.7 million
annually at the park pool or using cabins and campsites and the
restaurant; ·There are 80,000 acres in the Catoosa
Wildlife Management Area which is used by 8,000 big game hunters
and 4,000 small game hunters annually; ·Those hunters provide an annual economic
impact on the county of $2.2 million; ·The Cumberland County Playhouse entertains
150,000 visitors annually, having a $3 million economic impact,
and their traveling productions as well as local plays and concerts
give the Crossville area a regional exposure; ·People come from throughout the U.S.
to play thousands of rounds of golf annually and golf is the
largest tourism attraction with estimated expenditures of $30
million; ·For every round of golf played, $4
was spent in the local pro shop; ·Last year 16,000 people swam in Fairfield
Glade swimming pools; ·Crossville hosted 17 softball tournaments
in 1998-99 and 22 in 1999-2000 with an annual impact of $1 million; ·There are 1,110 rooms available at
area motels and 250 time share units at Fairfield Glade and Lake
Tansi; ·More tourism is expected with Crossville
being the heart of the new Cumberland Trail, a 283-mile linear
state park. Here 15 miles of the 40-mile trails in the county
is completed; and, ·All this does not include the tourism
dollars generated by white water canoeing and kayaking, Depot
Days, TennFest, Pioneer Days, shopping at local outlets and specialty
stores. All this translates into visitors helping
pay our taxes for our local services. Sales tax collections continue
to grow along with the hotel/motel tax We in Cumberland County enjoy a lower tax
rate than most of the counties in the area, with local government
providing more services than enjoyed in adjacent counties. Like a prophet in his own land, sometimes we can't see the things that are truly attractive about ourselves and our community because we are too close to them. But others have discovered them and that is why we are growing and continuing to prosper while other areas are not. |