SLRCC takes tourism efforts "high tech"

Soozi William of Marked Tree and Cindy Grisham of Tyronza always seem to have something new up their sleeves to promote the cities that make up the Sunken Lands Regional Chamber of Commerce (SLRCC). From art exhibits at the Southern Tenants Farmers Museum in Tyronza to a bike tour of the Sunken Lands set for November, they are working hard to promote the cities of Marked Tree, Lepanto, Tyronza and Dyess.

What's next? Geocaching.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, and then share experiences online.

Grisham said the museum in Tyronza recently put out a geocache for people to find, and they were surprised by the quick response.

"We had five people find it in two days," said Grisham. "And all of them were out-of-towners."

Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, and it can serve as a powerful tool for tourism.

"The people who found our geocache at the museum were amazed by what a cool place it is," Grisham said. "They had no idea it was there."

Once a cache is hidden, it is listed at www.geocaching.com. Treasure hunters can search the website by postal code, themes and other criteria. And, the type of items hidden are endless.

"The geocaches can be anything really," said Williams, president of the SLRCC and director of the Marked Tree Delta Area Museum. "Some people hide capsules with things in them and other people simply have a log book at the site where the cache is located."

Geocashers who come through the Sunken Lands area can find caches at the Marked Tree Siphons, the Painted House in Lepanto and in a film canister hidden somewhere in a "little lake" off Highway 63.

Williams and Grisham said they are hoping to place more geocaches around the area, and are looking for volunteers to help with the process.

"We need help to figure out who is going to put out the caches where," said Williams. "And we need to figure out how often then need to be updated and maintained."

Grisham said the SLRCC is also looking to get involved in "way marking," a lower-tech version of geocaching.

"With way marking, people just take pictures of themselves at certain advertised locations, and then post those pictures and comments online at www.waymarking.com.\"

There are already several pictures of travelers who visited Dyess Colony, the boyhood home of Johnny Cash.

"We'd like to see people come by and take their pictures at the museums and then post them online," said Williams. "Way marking is really a pretty big deal that a lot of people don't know about."

Grisham said they hope to have their geocashing sites up and running by early spring. Those who would like to volunteer are asked to call Williams at 358-4998 or e-mail her at sooziw@eritter.net. Volunteers may also e-mail Grisham at cindy.grisham@smail.astate.edu.