By Teri Vance
Julie Grady has lived in Carson City since 2000 and owned Due Sorella — a store of vintage and eclectic accent pieces, art and other items — since 2006.
“I love Carson City,” she said. “I have people from all over the world come in here. I tell them all about the town. I tell them about the Blue Line Trail, I tell them where to eat. I tell them we’re the capital.”
James Salanoa, marketing assistant for the Carson City Visitors Bureau, said it’s people like Grady who know the area the best. So he’s asking them to help visitors have a better experience in the capital city through a new ambassador program.
“For any tournament or event, people are here for two to five days,” Salanoa said. “We just want them, while they’re here, to see the rest of the city.”
He said ambassadors can receive training — such as a guide to downtown restaurants or tours of the city’s museums — to better help visitors.
“Everyone wants to talk to a local,” Salanoa said. “It’s always beneficial to read online about the place before you go, but people who actually live there will tell you things you haven’t read or be able to reaffirm the things you’ve read on the Internet.”
It can also benefit the ambassador.
“They get a different perspective on living in their own community,” Salanoa said. “When you share what you love about where you live, you appreciate it more.”
Ambassadors attend certain events where large numbers of visitors are congregated. They hand out the visitors guide and offer their expertise on places to check out, eat or shop.
“It’s definitely not scripted in terms of what they say,” Salanoa said. “We want them to be able to use their own personalities when they are sharing what they know. We want to give people options while they’re here.”
Bob Thrower, a retired state worker, draws on a lifetime of experience to promote the city.
“I was born and raised here,” he said. “I just think the world of Carson City. It’s the ultimate place to live. I want to help anybody and everybody in the community to make Carson City a better place.”
Salanoa said the bureau is looking for ambassadors of all ages and backgrounds, particularly college students.
Anyone interested in becoming an ambassador for the Carson City Visitors Bureau should contact Salanoa at jsalanoa@visitcarsoncity.com or (775) 790-7566.
In the photo: Julie Grady, center, talks with friends Mary Dorsey, Tom Hughes and Rebecca Phipps on the porch of her downtown Carson City business, Due Sorella, on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. Grady is part of the Carson City Visitors Bureau’s ambassador program that promotes the capital city to tourists.
