EMPORIUM — Community leaders, groups, business owners, county commissioners, and state legislators joined the PA Route 6 Alliance virtually on Sept.16, 2021, to celebrate the organization’s 2021 Annual Meeting & “Do 6” Awards, where the Lumber Heritage Region (LHR) was awarded the 2021 Heritage Tourism award.
Award recipients received special recognition from one or more state legislators in the form of a citation, certificate or letter of congratulations from the U.S. House of Representatives, Pa. House of Representatives, Senate and/or County Commissioners Office.
The 2021 Heritage Tourism Award was presented to the Lumber Heritage Trail, represented by Holly Komonczi, Executive Director of the Lumber Heritage Region, which developed the unique wayfinding trail to guide visitors to the top lumber heritage attractions throughout its 15-county Heritage Area, including sites within the counties it shares with the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor in Warren, McKean, Potter and Tioga Counties.
Sites hosting the wayfinding trail signage throughout the Corridor are the Penn Brad Oil Museum, Knox and Kane Rail Trail, Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, Warren County Visitors Bureau and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.
Not only has the Lumber Heritage Trail inspired tourism throughout the region, according to Komonczi, but the creation of its wayfinding signage utilizes regional makers, manufacturers and products.
“The Lumber Heritage Trail is set up to get people to travel from one spot to another,” said Komonczi. “However, we are hoping to, in the future, add an audio feature that will allow people to learn more about the region as they are visiting these sites. There is a lot more to come with this program as we continue to find ways to fund them.”
Additionally, LHR invites visitors at sign locations to snap a selfie by the signage and share their adventures on social media — either on the Lumber Heritage Region’s Facebook or Instagram page, @LumberHeritageRegion, or via hashtag (#)explorelhr.
The Heritage Tourism Award is presented to the organizers of a project or event that furthers economic and tourism development while still respecting the heritage and cultural resources of the corridor.
Komonczi said, “A lot of hard work was put into this trail, from many people. It is such an honor to receive an award to share with all the players in this project. We took the challenges head on and made this trail a reality and it is working.”
The Lumber Heritage Region (LHR) is a 15-county region in North West/North Central Pennsylvania that accentuates the importance of the lumber industry for the past, present and future. The goal of the heritage region is to market its assets to potential visitors, to serve as a resource to the Pa. hardwood industry and to keep the economic impact of the region in the forefront.
