Patty Judge kicks off Travel Iowa tour

(Photo by Anitra Wolf, DCN STAFF) [Click to enlarge]

Vowing to take a ride on one of the attractions at the Arnolds Park Amusement Park and grab some candy from the Queen's Court, Iowa's Lt. Governor Patty Judge made a stop in the Lakes area this week to tout Iowa's tourism opportunities.

The stop was part of Travel Iowa '09, a 67-stop statewide tour designed to highlight some of Iowa's many unique, fun, and affordable attractions.

"Things are a little different for a lot of Iowa families this summer," said Judge. "Many of them simply don't have the money to take off on a vacation this year. I have a great idea for them, and that is to just travel Iowa."

(Photo by Anitra Wolf, DCN STAFF) Herman Richter, University of Okoboji, accepted a Travel Iowa T-shirt from Iowa Lt. Governor Patty Judge Tuesday afternoon at the Arnolds Park Pavilion. Judge stopped in Arnolds Park on the first day of her Travel Iowa Tour. In the next two months, Judge will make 67 stops throughout the state to promote Iowa's tourism activities. [Click to enlarge]

Judge kicked off her Travel Iowa tour on Tuesday, July 7 with stops in Honey Creek, Onawa, Le Mars and Arnolds Park. At each location, Judge discussed some of Iowa's great attractions and encouraged Iowans to vacation close to home this summer. She highlighted a few of the Lakes area's amenities.

"Arnolds Park was founded in the 1880s and it is an Iowa tradition," she said. "But you don't have to stay here [at the amusement park] to enjoy this part of the state. I was fortunate to be here for the dedication of the Sami Center and it's a beautiful facility... and the Pearson Lakes Art Center - if you have not visited that, please do so. That is an amazing treasure."

Before concluding her short speech, Judge pointed out the importance of tourism to the state.

"Tourism is important to us and when we think of Iowa, we don't usually think about tourism,'" she said. "The truth of the matter is that we have tremendous tourist attractions all over this state. It is pumping an excess of $6 billion a year into our state economy... We urge all Iowans to bring the kids home and spend some time in this state."

Judge continues her Travel Iowa tour through Labor Day weekend.