Nevada's Crossroads Visitor Center set to open Friday

Nevada Daily Mail

This weekend marks the official opening season on the tourism calendar for a number of events.

Crossroads Visitor Center begins its fourth season of tourist operations at the 2450 East Austin location under the supervision of IMPACT Nevada Tourism in cooperation with the Nevada/Vernon County Chamber of Commerce.

The visitors' center is scheduled to open Friday, April 1, at 10 a.m. and remain open, seven days a week, until the end of October.

Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., to accommodate the arrival and departure times of the majority of Vernon County visitors. A new feature will be added during the 2005 season that will greatly affect the level of services available to area guests--a lighted, exterior information kiosk will provide 24-hour brochure availability along with lodging and attraction locations prominently displayed.

With the increased number of driving visitors and demand for local recreational venues on the rise, 2005 is predicted to be one of the area's most promising in the generation of new sales tax revenues derived from our visitors.

Traditionally, more than $13 million in tourism related sales are brought into the county each year, generating an average of $1.4 million in sales tax revenues. The IMPACT Nevada Tourism committee is expecting a substantial increase this year, based on several key events set to take place during 2005, including large conferences hosted by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in late June and October, a high profile race at Nevada Raceway on Labor Day, the observance of our Sesquicentennial celebration during Bushwhacker Days, and the all class Reunion 2005 planned for October, among others.

This weekend's events will kick off the tourism season in high style with the celebration of Cottey College's Founder's Weekend, bringing nearly 300 alumnae back to the campus. Saturday and Sunday will feature opening world series qualifiers at Champion Baseball Diamonds for age classes 14 and under down to 10 and under, with more than 25 teams arriving from Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and throughout Missouri.

For more information on these or other tourism related activities, contact the Visitor's Center at (417) 448-1644 or the Chamber of Commerce at (417) 667-5300.