The Henry County Tourism Development Authority met for their regular monthly meeting
Paris, TN – The Henry County Tourism Development Authority met for their regular monthly meeting on Monday morning at the newly refurbished Chamber of Commerce meeting room. Mayor Brent Greer presided over the meeting. Applications for funding of $2000 dollars was approved for Elder James Travis of the Church of the Living God for a joint workshop and breakout sessions concerning Domestic Violence, Interpersonal Relationships, Marriage and Family Values, Health and Spiritual walk with Christ as it affects the family and each individual. Over the past three years, the Women Work Ministry of the Church of the Living God, C.W.F.F. District 8 held their Annual Conference in Paris, Henry County. The event, according to Travis, brought over 100 individuals to Henry County that spent nights in local motels, and ate in our restaurants. Travis told the Authority, “Our participants enjoyed Paris and Henry County so much that many from as far away as Arkansas, came back for the Worlds Biggest Fish Fry and will be coming in June for Annual District Convention June 3-7.
Chamber Executive Director, Travis McCleese reported the success of the Wings of Winter Birding Festival held this last weekend in our area. The third year of the event has seen a continual growth from its first year of 88 participants, 140 last year and 168 this year with one couple coming from Canada for the event. Friends of Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge were the organizing body for the event.
Approval was also granted for funding of the American Crappie Trail-Two-Day National Qualifier at Paris Landing June 19-20 of this year. It is expected that 92 boats, 184 anglers plus spectators from over 15 states will come to the Henry County area. Film crews from Fox, and Pursuit Network will air the event nation wide and internationally through Youtube and on demand networks.
USA Bassin will be here once again in October for their regional competition. Anglers from KY, VA, NC, SC, GA, AL, MI, AR, and MO will attend along with local fisherman who may participate.
One of the most economically beneficial tournaments for Henry County is the High School fishing tournament that is scheduled for July. High School teams usually bring parents, siblings and grand-parents as well who spend money in our area. The tournament proximity to the July 4th weekend creates issues with parking problems for the state park. Regular visitors and people with slips at the marina often have complaints of the overload of parking spaces taken up by competitors at that time and the noise of the early morning launching. An attempt to move the date of the high school tournament was met with resistance by the tournament director at the state level. State Park officials agreed to work with the tournament for this year with hopes that a different date can be found in the future for the event that will benefit all concerned. Mayor Greer expressed appreciation to park director Zac Tinkle for working with the HCTA. According to Greer, “This tournament not only affects Henry County but also Carroll County with the junior high tournaments that go on during the same period on Carroll Lake. We look forward to the tournament continuing here in Henry County and would hate to see it go somewhere else. We also look forward to the new inn at Paris Landing being ready to accept all those visitors that will be coming to Henry County.”