[StBernard] St. Bernard Tourism officials at EPCOT

[Westley Annis]

Hi Deb,  Don't know who you are but I guess some could get a laugh from your joke.  Just to let you know the Tourist Commission involvement at Epcot had been in newspapers and on TV before and after the Festival ended last year.  Don't know who posted the late news.  

The Office of the Lt. Governor delayed his press conference before we went (hurricane damage issues in the southwest part of the state) and had it at the Cabildo after the entire state took part over six weeks.  Disney asked the state of Louisiana to be their featured state.  The NOMCVB was the lead agency coordinating the entire festival and they asked all parishes to try to get local ambassadors to attend to work the Louisiana exhibit.  We worked the same week as Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany.  I was very surprised at how many people I spoke to who knew about St. Bernard because of Katrina and The Battle of New Orleans.   We entered and left Epcot with all other Disney workers and had to follow their uniform and conduct code.  A Disney pass was offered for another park if we could stay an extra day away from our families and jobs.

Not a penny of tax payers' money was spent from St. Bernard Parish.  We all paid for our own travel and some meals.  Disney paid for our housing and the state gave us some meal vouchers as we worked shifts from 10 am to 9 pm.  I personally turned mine back in and paid for all my food from the different countries when I could eat.  We collected tens of thousands of names and email addresses from all over the world from people who were interested in a visit.  (It is hard to get a count on how many people have or may come to StB as we still don't have our Visitor's Center open. Another parish issue that is on the list.  We do have a sign-in at all events we volunteer to work.  Just last week we had hundreds of people sign in at the courthouse from all over the US. )  I know this is not as cute as a joke but I wanted to get the real information out there.  Come meet the people you suggest are misusing public money at our monthly meeting on Feb 18th at 4:30pm at the Government Complex.  Or if you want to know anything else please call us at 278-4242 and we would love to have some help in promoting St B.  We don't get paid anything for our time serving on the commission and are just trying our best to help our parish.

Gayle Cazaubon Buckley


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	One member of the St. Bernard Parish Tourist Commission says to
	another..."hey, I have a great idea on how we can go to Disney World on the
	taxpayer's tab.  How's that? the other responds.  Easy, we'll say
	we're going as part of the Louisiana exhibit at the Epcot Wine and Food
	Festival and we're trying to route visitors to travel to St. Bernard parish
	as they leave Disney World."
	
	Sure, I think taxpayers will buy that as money well spent.  Oh, and the Epcot
	Wine and Food Festival ended October 31, 2008.  Strange we're only hearing
	about this now some 10 weeks after.
	
	DEB