Repping The River City
Just a girl and her dog with a love for their community!
“Alone, we can do little; together, we can do so much” ~Helen Keller
As I sat down to write this guest post about my and Huckleberry’s experiences as #VistDecaturAl ambassadors and what it means to represent this community I didn’t quite know where to begin. I couldn’t just start at the day my dog Huckleberry became an official Visit Decatur AL Ambassador (March 2023) or when I became one (December of 2019) because it all started long before that. Having the official title of “ambassador” is definitely an honor, but in a way we should all be ambassadors!
What makes a #VisitDecaturALAmbassador?
A #VisitDecaturALAmbassador is someone who is active in their community and loves to share their local adventures from fun crowded hot air balloon festivals, water parks and art festivals to quiet trails and scenic walks along the river! A #VisitDecaturALAmbassador is someone who loves the River City and wants to see it grow! They’re someone who loves to celebrate Decatur’s victories and stand together with our community! A #VisitDecaturALAmbassador finds fun and creative ways to share their favorite locally owned businesses or local events on social media!
In the age of the internet social media is where it’s at! I love posting about all the fun and mostly free events happening in Decatur. I was surprised at how many local friends of mine didn’t know about the annual events that I had been going to since I was a child, or the history of certain locations that I had learned about with my hours spent at the Old State Bank (If you are a local who wants to learn more about Decatur’s History or upcoming events follow @VisitDecaturAL on Facebook and Instagram). Being asked to be a #VisitDecaturAL ambassador was so exciting because it combined some of my favorite things; social media and Decatur! During my time as an ambassador I’ve gotten to promote and share my favorite things about the River City! As you can imagine, being an official ambassador in 2020 was a bit of a challenge but it left myself and the other ambassadors and DMCT to get creative! As an ambassador during the pandemic I was able to be a part of the #MocoCares series. I created a downtown scavenger hunt and took over DMCT social media to go live and talk about it. I got to do another #Mococares live as a princess reading “Good Night Decatur” by local author Vickie Thompson Spangler and illustrated by local artist Tracy Roberts McCann. I shared my new found love for local nature trails, fun outdoor locations like GoFar Park, created fun Decatur themed bingos, promoted community action and local government voting, talked about all the delicious local bbq, attended several ribbon cutting ceremonies and dedications including Carver Elementary School Plaque dedication and Votes For Women Historical Marker Dedication and so much more.
In my second year as a Visit Decatur AL Ambassador I had the wonderful privilege of getting to make video content that would be featured on DMCT social media and content for their new TikTok account! I loved getting creative and showcasing my favorite places, MoCo trails, activities and festivals! I started a spooky season video series that I still continue to make every October! During this time I was asked to be a Decatur Tour Guide for out of town passengers stopping by on their river boat cruises and I also got to know the DMCT staff and their passion for this community! Later that year (2021) I was so excited and honored to win “Ambassador Of The Year”. Every Ambassador in the program does an incredible job highlighting and promoting their favorite aspects of Decatur. For some it’s nature, others it’s the food, or shopping or events! But together as a group we showcase all Decatur has to offer!
As an ambassador I’ve been able to do so many fun things, having my Decatur content featured on DMCT, guest blog posts, being a guest on Find Your Flow In MoCo Podcast and more! But nothing compares to getting to be an ambassador with my dog! My red-bi mini Australian Shepherd Huckleberry joined the team as the first doggie ambassador in 2022! I’ve loved getting to bring him to fun local events and getting to experience what Decatur is like from a dog’s perspective! As “Furry Ambassador”, Huckleberry has taken over DMCT social media for a couple of “Dog Weeks”, helped promote dog themed give aways, shared his favorite local dog friendly establishments, his favorite festivals, wrote a dog themed guest blog post and shared his many adventures in the community!
Getting to be a Visit Decatur AL Ambassador is more than just a cool title, getting fun swag bags of Decatur goodies, gift cards to yummy local restaurants or being featured on social media. It’s getting to know others who love and care about our community. It’s choosing to be a positive light in the community and being a part of its future. It’s choosing to represent the community you love!
