Tourism in Hereford? It could happen

There are three things, besides relatives and friends, which will make people drive long distances to visit: Natural beauty, manmade wonders and really special events.
Think about it. Would there be any reason to visit New York City or Las Vegas if it were not for manmade attractions? Would anyone visit the mountains or go to the beach if they were not so beautiful to behold? Would anyone make a pilgrimage to Woodstock, N.Y., or Gettysburg, Penn., were it not for what happened at those places?
Probably not.
A few years ago, my hometown of Longmont, Colo., opened up a huge area for development by extending a major highway through what had been prime farm land. It crisscrossed a creek that runs through the south end of town.
I argued then that the city would be wise to follow the lead of San Antonio and create a kind of River Walk along the creek. It would have given people a reason to come to Longmont from out of town.
Instead, the river runs virtually ignored and the road is now lined with big box stores and half-empty strip malls. Farther up the creek, the city’s mall is rapidly losing tenants and has recently been declared “blighted” in an attempt to get some Community Development Block Grant money to redevelop it.
What does this have to do with Hereford, you ask?
Probably nothing.
Hereford is a thriving farm community now bolstered by two ethanol plants and a growing dairy industry. And if that’s all Hereford wants to be, that’s all well and fine. I like Hereford. It’s a nice, friendly place with good people and a good work ethic.
But say, for instance, that we wanted to become something of a tourist destination, how would we go about that? What does Hereford have, or what could it have, that would cause people to go out of their way to come here?
At the risk of getting shouted down on the streets, I’d dare say it isn’t natural beauty. Sure, it’s scenic here, but there’s nothing here that can’t be seen for miles and miles elsewhere in the Panhandle.
It doesn’t seem too likely that any manmade attractions will be built here; at least not in the foreseeable future. Of course, if we had someone with the wealth and eccentricity of Stanley Marsh 3 in Amarillo, Hereford just might have something that would make people go an hour or two out of their way to visit here.
Absent an eccentric millionaire, that leaves special events to bring out-of-towners to Hereford. Naturally, the Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping event brings in a good crowd, as do some of the other sporting events and community festivals. But what would bring in really big crowds, say tens of thousands of people? Would we even want something that big here? Maybe a few thousand people perhaps?
What kind of an event would draw such crowds that aren’t already being done in the area? Comic conventions and film festivals are popular, but there are no industries here to support them. A music festival would be a thrill, but it’s hard to compete with the offerings in Amarillo and Lubbock.
Halloween is coming up. Rather than do haunted houses, I think a grand costume ball would be fun and different. I think a nonprofit agency could make a pretty good haul and get a lot of publicity with one.
Another idea might be to host some kind of a big cowboy event here, like they do in Lubbock with the Cowboy Symposium. I think it would be neat to see someone build an Old West movie lot here and try to lure some Hollywood gold this way.
If nothing else, it’s fun to think about. If any of you have a great idea, drop a line. I’d be glad to share it with readers.