Tourism Ideas Sought for Heritage Valley

Residents and representatives of organizations from throughout the Santa Clara Valley are invited to a workshop in Fillmore on Monday to discuss the region’s progress toward becoming a tourist destination.

More than half a dozen organizations from Santa Paula to Piru, as well as the California State Office of Tourism, are scheduled to make presentations.

“The goal is to basically share information so that everybody knows what everybody else is doing,” said Steve McClary, Fillmore’s deputy city clerk.

The meeting is organized by a committee working on a marketing plan for the rural region, dubbed the Heritage Valley.

The effort began in 1995 under the title Santa Clara River Valley Heritage Trail, but the name was changed last year when organizers discovered people mistakenly believed the group was promoting construction of a hiking path.

The idea behind the plan is to encourage economic development by promoting tourism, yet resist the urbanization many residents see as a threat to their way of life.

The meeting is scheduled from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at the Fillmore Towne Theatre, 338 Central Ave.

For more information, call 524-1500, Ext. 211.