1/30/2002 5:00:00 PM Historic tour on civil rights said big draw
• An inability to serve alcohol at public events and in restaurants.
A civil rights tour is "a gold mine waiting to happen," said Terry Watkins, sales manager for the Silver Star Hotel and Casino. "Every time I have a tour group to come to the casino, they want to know about what we have on the civil rights movement. Where is the church? "If we could find the car...someone would know about the car..."
"Visitors would pay 'top dollar' to go on a tour of the major sites because with many of them, money is not an object. These people are professional people with a high dollar income. They want to spend their vacation money here...they want something to see...It is a cultural experience for them," Watkins said.
"If the public would only realize how important this issue is to tourism. A tour like this would not only bring high revenue dollars into this area but would promote the Philadelphia, Neshoba County and the Choctaw Resort. The tourist would eat it up," said Watkins.
Wilson agreed. "It's your history whether you like it or not...accept it and embrace it...turn something negative into something positive and move forward."
Stacy Pair, executive director of the Philadelphia Main Street Association, told the group about the Farish Street Historic District Driving Tour in Jackson. Pair said a driving tour similar to the Farish Street Historic Tour and the Philadelphia Historical District would benefit the area.
"The tour is very quiet. The individual decides on what they want to see. They have a brochure that shows and explains the history of Farish Street in Jackson. Farish Street was the hub of Afro-American life and business in the 60's," Pair said.
"This is where many of the marches started and where the freedom riders stayed in the churches. Medgar Evers' office is located there," Pair said.
"It is a well done driving tour. Farish Street has its own main street type organization that works through the Mississippi Main Street organization. They put this driving tour together with a brochure that is similar to our historic driving tour brochure. It is the same kind of thing.
"The brochure has numbers and there are plaques at each location on the tour. The tour does not have to employ a tour guide and the tourists just follow the map at their discretion and it is entirely up to them what they want to see."
The other issue of concern is the local beer ordinance that plagues area tourism. The group felt this issue was a hindrance because of the loss of money in turning away tour groups.
