Video spreads word about Carter County’s mountain playground
Published 8:48 am Friday, July 17, 2015
As of July 9, the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce has been watching the views, likes and shares increase for the final cut of a video showcasing the area’s beauty.
“We’ve had 7,771 views,” Tonya Stevens, Chamber director, said Wednesday. “We get responses from all over the country. It’s been shared at this time 341 times.”
The first cut of the video had garnered more than double the number of likes and shares. It was released May 28 and had 47,000 views and 1,775 shares.
“Overall, we have gotten so many positive comments about how beautiful the county is,” she said. “I’d like to think we’ve made it outside the United States by now and that we’ve reached somebody in another country.”
Stevens hopes the 2-minute, 47-second video nurtures a sense of pride in the community and also inspires more people to take a look around.
The video is called “Carter County: Tennessee’s Mountain Playground.” The updated version of the video features new footage shot with a drone.
In Sycamore Shoals State Park Historic Interpreter Chad Bogart’s narration, he describes the county as a “haven for outdoor enthusiasts.”
“Elizabethton/Carter County is located in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee, a haven for outdoor enthusiasts throughout the year,” Bogart says in the introduction. “With four distinct seasons, visitors may select the time of year that best fits their interests. Whether one enjoys boating, fishing, hiking, camping or taking a leisurely tour of winding mountain roads, Carter County is a destination worth exploring.”
The locations featured in the video were selected based on what people are asking about when they come into the chamber office, Stevens said.
“Obviously we would love to put everything in there, but it would have been too long,” Stevens said. “We knew we needed to hit the high points, the most interesting places and pieces of information.”
The first location featured in the video is Watauga Lake. From there the video showcases Roan Mountain State Park, Carter Mansion, Sycamore Shoals State Park, downtown Elizabethton and Tweetsie Trail.
“Carter County has something for everyone,” Bogart says in the video. “Carter County has it all.”
Stevens was adamant about collecting footage from all four seasons.
“There’s something to do here within all four of them,” she said.
Local videographer Ron Zucker dedicated a year of his time to making sure he captured all the highlights of Carter County during every season.
“We had been looking for the opportunity,” said Stevens. “Ron was willing to do this within our budget. We were very excited about that. We had seen some of this work and knew he would do a great job. He put a lot of hard work and research into it.”