Point Pleasant, WV

Point Pleasant Daily Register

Tourism backers hail new Mason County video

By Kevin Kelly

Point Pleasant and Mason County tourism proponents have another weapon in their arsenal of promotional items. ³I think itıs the greatest tape Iıve ever seen,² Tourism Committee member Carolin Harris commented after previewing ³Point Pleasant: Where History and Rivers Meet,² a videotape produced by ETLT Productions of Cincinnati describing the attractions and sites available for visitors to Mason County. Former area radio personalities Eric Turner and his wife, Lynn Wagner Turner showed the tape, running just over 11 minutes, to the committee Wednesday. The Turners operate ETLT.

I think you guys did an outstanding job, committee member John Sang said to the Turners following the viewing. The committee approached ETLT more than a year ago about producing a tape. Sang said ETLT could come up with a presentation for less than the price quoted to them by other production companies, and over the course of the year, the Turners were in and out of the county taping segments, interviews and events.

³The people here are so passionate about Mason County that it made it very easy for us,² Eric Turner said. ³Point Pleasant: Where History and Rivers Meet² opens with the countyıs historical background with the Battle of Point Pleasant, and segues into segments on Tu-Endie-Wei Park, the Point Pleasant River Museum, Fort Randolph, the Mothman legend, the West Virginia State Farm Museum, outdoor activities including Krodel Park, McClintic Wildlife Station, Chief Cornstalk Wildlife Management Area and the Riverfront Park. Also covered are accommodations and such recreation sites as Masonıs Riverside Golf Course. Major events through the year examined in the tape are Battle Days, the Point Pleasant Sternwheel Regatta, Mason County Fair and the Christmas Fantasy Light Show at Krodel Park.

Interviewed are Lowell Cook of the Fort Randolph Committee, George Lamp of the Sons of the American Revolution, River Museum Director Jack Fowler, Walden Roush, the farm museum founder, Main Street Point Pleasant Executive Director Charles Humphreys and Keri Derenberger, the countyıs tourism coordinator.

³I canıt thank the Turners enough for their work,² Sang said. ³Itıs been a labor of love. We paid them some money, but it has been spent on hiring talent. They didnıt make any money on it, they just had fun with it.²

The tape took about three solid weeks of editing before completion, Eric Turner said. ETLT is mostly known for radio production, but has branched into video at the request of its clients, he added. ³The length of the video is just right,² Turner said. ³The tough thing is that we wanted to ensure that everyone got the same length of time.² The committee and various individuals assisted with the production, with Ed Lowe providing photographs and other assistance. Turner said he and his wife ³jumped on it² when asked by the committee to produce the video.

National exposure the area has received through the film version of ³The Mothman Prophecies,² as well as Bill Geistıs Sept. 28 segment on Mothman for ³CBS Sunday Morning² have helped the countyıs tourism push, he added. ³Point Pleasant: Where History and Rivers Meet² is available exclusively through the Mason County Tourism Center. It is being sold in DVD form at $9.95 and $8.95 on VHS.

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