25th Anniversary: April – Great North Woods
We continued our 25th anniversary celebrations in April with our Great North Woods month. It was wonderful to learn more about the Great North Woods region through various interviews and virtual programs.
We hosted two virtual programs in April, and our first was a panel entitled Exploring the Great North Woods and Beyond. This included several chambers in the greater Great North Woods region. We were pleased to feature Jodi Gilbert, Executive Director of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, Pam Sullivan, Marketing Representative of NH Grand, and Meg Basnar, Administrative Assistant for Littleton Area Chamber of Commerce. The presenters shared with us an overview of their region, including outdoor recreation, attractions, hidden gems, and more. Check out the recording to learn more about all that the region has to offer!
NHGSA continued our Learn from a GSA series with a session from GSA Roz L, Foraging for Spring Mushrooms. Roz shared with us her expertise as a mycologist, and she gave an informative and educational overview of mushrooms in general, how to identify deadly mushrooms, and what could be found locally in the spring and early season.
Our Conversations with Emily series focused on our Great North Woods theme for the month of April. We recorded interviews with StoryLand & Living Shores Aquarium, The Balsams, Santa’s Village, and Team O’Neil Rally School. We have also been conducting interviews with our Center Managers, which can be found on our Visitor Center Information page.
Organizations Featured in our weekly Newsletter
Each week, we highlight a new topic in our newsletter: NH Rail Trails Coalition, NH Agriculture, NH State Parks, and NH Arts/History/Culture. The NH Rail Trails Coalition featured the Upper Coos Recreational Trail, and NH Agriculture featured Price Farm and Yeaton Farm. For NH History, we focused on Kimball Jenkins and Penacook Historical Society. NH State Parks highlighted 2 state parks in the Great North Woods: Jericho Mountain State Park and Coleman State Park. We included 2 separate Great North Woods features as well: Stark POW Camps and Indian Stream.
Trainings
We are finishing up our GSA training in May as a virtual training. Any current or past GSAs are encouraged to participate to recertify. We enjoyed interacting with our new class in April. For more information, visit our Certification page.
Granite State Ambassadors is pleased to continue a new partnership with the world-renowned customer service expert, Dennis Snow. As the industry leader in customer experience and information services, it is important that NHGSA lead the charge during our state’s recovery of the pandemic. We are so very proud to have been offered this opportunity, and we strongly encourage Granite State Ambassadors and industry members to participate. The courses in the Dennis Snow Virtual Training are designed for people experienced in assisting customers, as well as those new to the role. Learn more about the training here.
Upcoming Programs
May is our Seacoast month, and we have so many programs, tours and interviews already planned! On May 5th, from 9:00 – 10:30, we will be joined by some local Portsmouth attractions for a Portsmouth Historical Panel. These attractions will share with us an overview of their site, as well as its historical significance.
On May 10th from 3:00-4:00 pm, we will continue our Learn from a GSA series and host a panel of GSA authors. We are excited to hear more from these GSAs about their background and their experience as an author. We will host Dr. Mark Okrant, Mike Bruno, and Dick Hatin.
We are starting some small in-person tours as well. On May 27th, we will participate in a tour with AMTRAK Downeaster and travel from Exeter, NH to Freeport, ME.
We have several interviews coming up too – Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, Star Island, and more! Join us to celebrate our Seacoast month!
About New Hampshire Granite State Ambassadors
New Hampshire Granite State Ambassadors add value to state agencies, local businesses, and individuals through a training and service support network that sustains and enhances the New Hampshire experience. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, charitable organization, NHGSA serves hundreds of travel and tourism-related businesses.
Find out more about NHGSA, Inc. at https://nhgranitestateambassadors.org/ Our key partners are the NH Division of Travel and Tourism and the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
