ORA - Emily Altomare and Luke Kauffman of Two Mile Run County Park
for Best Landmark 2022.
Oil City, PA— The Oil Region Alliance is seeking nominations for the third annual Oil Region Tourism Awards.
As the designated tourism marketing organization for Venango County and the manager of the Oil Region National Heritage Area, the ORA is excited to recognize the best of the best in hospitality in our region.
“We’re excited to hold the Oil Region Tourism Awards for a third year,” said ORA Communications and Tourism Manager Emily Altomare. “It’s such a great opportunity for locals and guests to recognize some of their favorite things in the Oil Region and share them with others.”
Anyone can make a single nomination or multiple nominations for any or every category. However, winners from 2022 are not eligible for the same category this year, but can be nominated in different categories.
There are eight categories.
Best Dish is for the best restaurant meal (breakfast, lunch, or dinner) available in the Oil Region. Nominations must include the restaurant name and the menu item.
Best Drink is for the best cocktail, coffee, or other beverage and will need to include the menu item name and location in the nomination.
In 2021 both Best Dish and Best Drink were won by the Villa Italia Restaurant in Oil City for their Italian Sub and Peanut Butter Milkshake respectively. In 2022, Trails to Ales Brewery in Franklin won Best Dish for their Liberty Street Burger and Best Drink for their Broken Spoke Blueberry Beer. These menu items will not be eligible for 2023 awards, but anything else on Trails’ menu is fair game.
Best Room can be for a specific room or suite at a B&B or homeshare or any room at a specific lodging establishment such as a hotel or motel. The Caboose Motel in Titusville was the 2021 winner and Peddlers and Paddlers Inn in Franklin won in 2022.
Best Shop is for retail locations of any kind and does not have to be directly related to the tourism industry. Cross and Co. Boutique in Seneca won in 2021 and Core Goods in Oil City won in 2022.
Best Industry Advocate is for an individual who regularly sings the praises of the Oil Region, someone who frequently shares hospitality info on social media, and encourages attendance at community functions. Ashley Zaccari Smith was named Best Advocate in 2021 and Ronnie Beith was named Best Advocate in 2022.
Best Industry Partner/Organization can go to a specific hospitality industry business or an organization that contributes greatly to the offerings of the region. The Be Here program of the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce won in 2021. The Venango Area Chamber of Commerce won in 2022.
Best Must Do Activity or Attraction requests nominations for the best places to go and things to do in the region, such as a museum, festival, or park. The bike trails were named the Best Activity for 2021 and Applefest won for 2022.
Best Landmark will honor a specific location that guests shouldn’t miss during a visit, such as a monument, oilfield relic, architectural feature, or selfie site. Drake Well Museum and Park was named the Best Landmark in 2021 and Two Mile Run County Park won in 2022.
Locations must be within the Oil Region National Heritage Area, which includes all of Venango County, plus Titusville, Oil Creek Township, and Hydetown in Crawford County.
The nomination period is open now through Monday, July 31. Nominations can be made via e-mail to Altomare at ealtomare@oilregion.org or by commenting on Oil Region Tourism Awards posts on the ORA’s Facebook page. Nominations will not be taken by phone, but hard copies can be mailed to the ORA office at 217 Elm St., Oil City, PA 16301.
Voting will occur via an online link available through the ORA’s social media. Voting will open Monday, August 7 and conclude Friday, August 18.
Winners will be announced Friday, September 1.
There are no cash prizes for the winners, but nominees and winners will be promoted through the ORA’s marketing efforts.
Videos for each of the 2022 Tourism Award Winners were shared on the ORA’s Facebook page and can be viewed on the ORA’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@Oil_Region_Alliance/videos
For more information about the contest, please contact ealtomare@oilregion.org.