Visitors ask: `Where can I rest my weary body?'

By BRENDA S. EDWARDS
Staff Writer

One of the most asked questions about the Great American Brass Band Festival is, "Where can I stay?"

Kay Berggren, director of the Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau on Martin Luther King Boulevard, said reservations for hotels were filled early for band fest visitors. So she refers the calls to hotels in other communities.

More than 450 people have registered for local lodging, she said.

Berggren said a new brochure designed this year by festival organizer George Foreman was distributed earlier and has helped with publicity.

In order to get the word out early about Danville's Great American Brass Band Festival, the bureau sent press releases to 75 magazines five months before the festival asking that the event be listed, Berggren said. Three weeks prior to the event, another 125 radio and television stations, and newspapers were asked to publicize the festival.

The office also has had a couple of calls from The Chicago Tribune and The Evansville (Ind.) Courier, newspapers that were interested in doing articles about the band festival prior to the event, she said.

"This is what we want," she said of the nationwide publicity. Berggren also took brochures to the state warehouse in Frankfort and within 24 hours they were in all welcome centers and rest areas where thousands of people stop each day, she said.

The state Department of Travel is sending a photographer this year to cover the festival. Berggren has to help the photographer coordinate what he will shoot. The visitors bureau will get the slides.

The convention and visitors bureau also has the telephone clearinghouse for all information about the band festival. Call (800) 755-0076 for information.

"We can answer questions for the festival easily," she said. Lots of people call for schedules, she added.

The bureau also has a Web site, but is unable to find out how many people use it for information. Earlier, the site said that the new schedule would be out soon, and to check back later.

"Some people do check back for the schedule several times," she said. "If they go to that length, we know they're looking us up on the Web site."  

The Web site address is www.danville-ky.com.  

Carolyn Crabtree, administrative assistant, updates the Web site with information on all the bands that perform in the annual event.

"Our office also has charge of the Chautauqua Tea on Thursday before the festival," said Berggren. "We're trying to make the event special for people that afternoon."

Besides the tea, Berggren's job is to get announcers for all the stages where bands perform.

"Our office is usually the first one called for setting up food booths.

Those calls are referred to the person in charge," she said.

The office is open to take calls from 9 a.m. until about 3 p.m. June 16.

"We get calls from all over from people wanting to know the schedule and weather conditions," Berggren said.