It’s All About Presentation...England, Scotland, Danville
Evince
by Joyce Wilburn
Would you travel 3,939 miles to see the outside of a house, watch workers at shift change, ride a boat down a river or eat the heads, fins and guts of a plate full of fish? No? Let me rephrase.
Would you travel 3,939 miles to see Buckingham Palace, watch the Changing of the Guard, cruise the Thames River and eat an appetizer that is loved by many Englishmen? Yes!
These questions were asked of me by a fellow tourist while we waited with several hundred others to see the Changing of the Guard near Buckingham Palace on the very pleasant first day of summer in London, England. We laughed about how ridiculous it sounds when events and places are stripped of promotional dress and viewed as what they are. As our conversation continued, my thoughts flew back to Danville and the message that this stranger had for our local decision-makers. Its all about presentation she said and how any given city can create what potential money-bearing tourists want to see and buy.
I and thousands of others are living proof that considerable time, money, and energy is spent order to see and learn how others currently live and work and how they survived in times past. This idea popped into mind as I traveled by train to visit a tartan weaving mill in Edinburgh, Scotland. On seeing the medium-sized, multilevel building, my first impression was how much it looked like a miniature Dan River Mills!
Despite the cold, rainy, windy weather, tourists queued up at the Geoffrey Tailor Tartan Weaving Mill to choose different colors of yarn to be woven into a custom-made Kilt starting at $800 each. But that s not all. Yarn products and souvenirs available for sale lined the perimeter of the building on three floors and the center of each floor was open for visitors to view the material-making process from above or on ground level. It was an educational opportunity in addition to being a shopping Mecca.
Fortunately, my husband decided against ordering a kilt and we saved our money for the hundreds of little shops and restaurants that line the Royal Mile between the mill next to Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Strolling along, I couldn’t help but think how Danville has everything I had traveled thousands of miles to see. It just needs the help of influential decision-makers to develop and promote it.
We have small castles along Main Street, in Forest Gills, and in Dan’s Hill. We have the equivalent of a royal mile (or a few blocks, at least) on Millionaires’ Row, a rich tobacco and textile history worthy of a museum and working exhibition, a scenic river, and distinctly Danville dishes. (How about Danville’s Midtown Chicken Salad as a signature dish?)
The last place I rushed to see and capture on my camera before hopping onto the final bus back to the hotel was the former home of Lady Nancy Langhorne Astor in London’s St. James Square. The house, included in Fodor’s London’s 25 Best book because she was the first woman to serve in the British House of Commons, is a frequent destination for tourists. Danville has that too! The white two-story house at 117 Broad Street is Lady Astor’s birthplace and is marked with an historical sign, which reminds visitors that the Gibson Girl, the personification of the 1900s American feminine ideal, lived here also.
We have it all in Danville. Now it’s time to look beyond what has always been and to see the potential for what we might become. The winds of change are blowing and producing a powerful energy that will create a very different city. The direction that change will take is still being decided. Therefore, it’s essential that during this period of transition we all take a fresh look at the natural and historical resources we have. Don’t look with your eyes. Look with your imagination. Talk to your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your family, and anyone who will listen. And then call, write, or email the people who are making the decisions about our city’s future. Tell them your vision for the city.
England has its fictional Mary Poppins who brought drastic changes into a stuffy turn-of-the-century household. Now Danville needs someone like her to bring a breath of fresh air into our 21st century hometown. Let’s all collectively accept the challenge.
Terrific article, Joyce Wilburn. So many of my neighbors moved to Danville because of its beautiful architecture and its amazing -- and obvious -- potential to be a "world class" place. Danville does have it all.
It's wonderful to see the changes occurring in historic downtown and the Tobacco Warehouse District. I applaud the developers, real estate agents and the city for the work they've done to make these changes happen.
I agree it's time for city leaders to step forward even more. Why stop at historic downtown and the Tobacco Warehouse District. The Mill District and Schoolfield have the potential to be huge assets to the community as well as major draws for tourists. Presentation, packaging, marketing (supported by protective ordinances, historic districting, expanded facade programs). These are the things the city leaders can do to benefit all of Danville and the region.
Thank you, Joyce, for putting our heritage in such wonderful perspective.
Posted by: Sarah Latham | August 17, 2007 at 10:07 AM
Terrific article, Joyce Wilburn. So many of my neighbors moved to Danville because of its beautiful architecture and its amazing -- and obvious -- potential to be a "world class" place. Danville does have it all.
It's wonderful to see the changes occurring in historic downtown and the Tobacco Warehouse District. I applaud the developers, real estate agents and the city for the work they've done to make these changes happen.
I agree it's time for city leaders to step forward even more. Why stop at historic downtown and the Tobacco Warehouse District. The Mill District and Schoolfield have the potential to be huge assets to the community as well as major draws for tourists. Presentation, packaging, marketing (supported by protective ordinances, historic districting, expanded facade programs). These are the things the city leaders can do to benefit all of Danville and the region.
Thank you, Joyce, for putting our heritage in such wonderful perspective.
Posted by: Sarah Latham | August 17, 2007 at 10:08 AM