Smoky River Tourism Association met on Feb. 4 for its annual general meeting, and have many changes upcoming for 2009. Most notably, Carmen Ewing has stepped down as association presidentn . In her place is Romeo Cinq-Mars, who was the vice-president last year. “We will miss Carmen, but she is very busy doing other things,” says secretary-treasurer Penny Fox. “We thank her for her hard work. She was a great president and kept us on track to get lots of things done.” Guy Beaudoin accepted the nomination as vice-president for a two-year term. Tourism directors this year are Edouard Brulotte, Roger Remillard, Doug Colter, Phillippe Ouellet, Eckhard Christen, and Sandy Primeau. A president’s report was distributed at the meeting, showcasing projects the association completed or worked on in 2008. The visitor information centre was open for four months from May through August, with what Carmen Ewing describes as two “very enthusiastic and creative summer students.” The upstairs space in the centre is almost completely renovated. Security lights were installed, and the exterior lights will be set up when warmer weather arrives. The association is working on updating its strategic plan and is working with Leon De Wet on the creation of a regional tourism framework. “Although the year began with us having to say a final farewell to our visionary, president and friend Richard Primeau,” says Ewing in her report, “we have carried on with the knowledge that we move forward in his vision of tourism services in our region.” The tourism association will be looking for individuals to submit photos of beautiful places around the region. They are building a photo library to include all the best shots from around the region for a brochure and website being created for the tourism association. If you have any suggestions for possible pictures, please phone Penny at (780) 925-0009. “We are really hoping to attract business owners to our meetings this year,” says Fox. “We would love to hear from restaurant owners, hotel owners and tourism business operators. We need to start broader discussions about who is coming through the area and what the needs are. We want to focus on tourism traffic through the region all year, not just in summertime.” The tourism association is hoping they can promote the entire region, increasing tourism during all seasons.