By: Stephanie Reynolds
All across the nation
We are running out of patience
Stress is high
Days go by
We all need a vacation!
Doesn’t need to be a week-long
A little peace can never go wrong
Deep breath in
Let’s begin-
Within our day to get our rest on.
Plans for you or out-of-town guests
Finding time to learn, play, and rest
Calm your heart
Wake your mind
Our life is not just one big, huge test.
So let’s all stop to make some spaces
Relax our shoulders, slow our races
Your ‘Cation guide
Is here inside
Let’s get some smiles on our faces!
IT’S HERE! Finally our ‘Cation Campaign is launching! And it is launching for YOU! This is for YOU!
Why? Because we all need rest. And fun is not just for two weeks out of the year. Because rest doesn’t just happen. It isn’t a crumb that maybe we get to lick off the plate after we have served everyone else. It’s a thing we need to seek out.
Because life is hard but a gift. Because even in hard times, there can be peace. We all have to work, we all have troubles, but merely having work or trouble doesn’t mean we can’t also laugh and relax. Anxiety is like rocking really fast in a rocking chair—we feel like we are doing something, but it gets us nowhere and doesn’t change anything. So let’s replace stress with rests (Get it? The same letters just rearranged? We can do the same thing with our lives!)
Because we all need ideas for date nights and girls/guys night out. Because sometimes the kids are out of school. Because if you are new or just visiting Limestone County, you may not know what fabulous things we have to offer! These are excellent mini-plans that you can use to make your days, weeks, and months just…more!
Let’s take a tour of a ‘Cation Mini-Plan:
Theme: Often built on an event like the Christmas Parade or Sheriff’s Rodeo or a local class. There are a ton of themes we’ll be doing from arts to sports.
Playlist: List of theme-related songs from various genre—everything from Charlie Daniels to K-pop (You gotta hear some of the Canadian hockey songs—what a trip!)
What to eat: Suggestions for local foods, stores, or restaurants (Our folk sure know how to keep our tummies full!)
What to wear: Theme related clothing ideas that you can put together at home or support local. Dress to impress, my peeps!
What to do: Theme related activities including everything from visiting local sites to journaling.
We are going to release 1-4 ‘Cations per week. Check our Facebook page (Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association) or our Instagram (@athenslimestonetourism), email us, or visit the office to find out what each theme entails.
Here are the guides for the ‘Cations Mini-Plans:
1. They are for YOU, so do whatever parts you want to. You don’t have to do the whole thing, but we suggest you try—the more you do, the more fun it is!
2. If you are into social media, take a photo of yourself doing any part of any of the ‘Cation plan, tag us in it, tag the store or locale or restaurant you are at, and tag any top sponsor. If you tag all three, you get a point!
3. At the end of the campaign, we will figure out who had the most points and who had the best presentation and give prizes! (Local influencers, this is your time to shine!)
4. You can do ANY part of ANY released ‘Cation throughout the campaign. So for example, if you couldn’t make it to a restaurant that we named on this week’s ‘Cations, you can go some other time and it still counts as long as you tag us, the restaurant, and the top sponsor (if there is one). The campaign should last about a year, so you have plenty of time. But don’t put off the fabulousness too long, we have a year of fun planned!
Are you ready?
AWESOME!
Our first 3 themes are:
(Drumroll please…)
1. Powerplay-cation! (Hockey! For our “Life is a full-contact sport” folk!)
2. Payday-cation! (For all you entrepreneurs! Time to get your hustle on!)
3. Everyday-cation! (For our “Trying to be everybody’s everything” folk! Starting every day on the right foot, learning to find the moments in your day to be calm, restful, thankful!)
Come get the details on our Facebook page, Instagram page, or office! Check back often.
“Sounds GREAT! I want my business to participate. Are there still spaces left?”
Hon, we’re Southern; there’s always room for one more at our table! Simply contact me and let me know what your business is. If you are a merchant, locale, activity, or food service, let’s see how we can make you part of a ‘Cation Mini-Plan. Even if you are a home-based business, we should be able to get something cool going.
If you are not really a “vacation” type business (insurance, roofing, accountants, etc), you can be a Top Sponsor! Contact me at the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association for more details.
So now you know what all is in store
To make an awesome 2-0-2-4
The time is right
Let’s start tonight
There’s no better time for us to wait for!
By: Stephanie Reynolds, Athens-Limestone Tourism Association
April 19, 2024
