Monsters, Mickey, and IRONMAN

What do Mickey Mouse, the Creature from the Black Lagoon and Ironman all have in common? It’s all Visit Santa Rosa working hard for you!

This past weekend of February 16th to 18th, the third annual Silver Scream Fest took place at the Roxy 14 Theater in Santa Rosa, California. An offshoot of the Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and events, Silver Scream Fest served up niche horror film screenings, short film blocks, celebrity appearances, vendors, live makeup and prosthetic creation by special effects gurus, and a lot more.

Opening night kicked-off with a ribbon cutting in the Roxy’s upstairs lobby featuring actresses Barbara Crampton, Kelli Maroney and Suzanne Snyder―collectively appearing in the festival’s “Heroines of Horror” panel and each screening one of their films―as well as writer and filmmaker John Russo, best known as the co-creator of 1968’s Night of the Living Dead.

Last week, the California travel and tourism industry's premier annual event came to life in "The Happiest Place on Earth." The iconic Disneyland Resort, home of Mickey Mouse, was the site of 2018 Outlook Forum, where more than 600 attendees from around the state gathered in Anaheim. Outlook Forum is the California travel and tourism industry’s flagship conference where leaders representing all corners of the state and the tourism, marketing and public relations industry gather for a week of events and immersive and engaging sessions. The conference brings together speakers from all over the world to participate in a variety of dynamic session formats. For two days, subject matter experts share insights on the latest trends, research and marketing strategies shaping the modern travel landscape, and attendees, including several members of the Visit Santa Rosa team, were afforded unparalleled networking and relationship-building opportunities throughout the experience.

The Outlook Forum also serves as the yearly meeting of the managers and staff of the California Welcome Centers (Welcome Centers are located throughout the northern, central, and southern parts of the state and are staffed with personal travel concierges). California Welcome Center managers also staffed a booth at this year’s forum and engaged with tourism industry attendees from around the state. The conference concluded with the biennial black time celebration of the Golden State’s top tourism marketing and promotion efforts, Visit California’s Poppy Awards.

Join together in helping thousands of athletes get to the finish line of the 2018 Santa Rosa IRONMAN races in May and July. Volunteers are needed throughout the week leading up to and at the races to assist with various functions. These include things like athlete check in, bike course support, run course support, and finisher medal distribution.

We are looking for individuals and groups to help create memories for these athletes. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please go to www.ironman.com/santarosa.

Groups interested in volunteering may be eligible for a grant through the IRONMAN Foundation. For more information, please contact Selena Mariani, Volunteer Director at santarosa@ironmanvolunteers.com.