Visit Calhoun County video series highlights water, history and regional tourism
Ohatchee’s story begins with the water.
That’s the message behind a new Calhoun County Tourism video highlighting the town, its history and its connection to Neely Henry Lake as part of a broader effort to promote communities across the region and state.
Cher Dulaney, Calhoun County tourism director, said the video is part of a series that began in January with aim of exploring the county and sharing those experiences with anyone interested in this part of Alabama..
“We started a series to explore Calhoun County as a whole,” she said.
The Ohatchee video was released just ahead of Memorial Day weekend, timed to the start of summer and built in large part around Neely Henry.
“Neely Henry is a huge asset to the city of Ohatchee,” Dulaney said.
The video, produced by Simply Data Marketing, includes footage shot by boat and drone, with scenes of the lake, dam and areas around Ohatchee. Dulaney was on the shoot with the marketing team. Thomas Shelton, who has an Alfa Insurance Agency in historic downtown Oxford, provided the boat and helped make the lake footage possible.
Shelton also has been active in efforts to bring fishing tournament activity into Calhoun County and the surrounding region and is an avid angler himself.
Dulaney said you have to take a big-picture approach to promoting the lake and the area because lake business does not stop at city or county lines.
The same is true, she said, for other regional draws, including Cheaha State Park and Talladega Superspeedway. Visitors may come for one destination, but their trip often includes hotels, restaurants, gas, groceries and shopping in nearby communities.
For Ohatchee and surrounding communities, the lake has that same kind of spillover impact. People headed to the water may stop in Alexandria, Anniston, Oxford or along the Highway 431 corridor before spending time on Neely Henry.
“It has an economic impact when people are coming in and preparing for their day or weekend on the water,” she said.
Dulaney said the videos are being produced for Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, where travelers increasingly find ideas for day trips and weekend plans. The county also is working through a website redesign, with plans to make the videos available there for people who are not on every social media platform.
The goal, she said, is not only to reach visitors but also to remind residents what is available close to home.
“Sometimes you’re going through your daily life and you don’t really see what we have,” Dulaney said.
That awareness effort extends beyond Ohatchee. Dulaney pointed to Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Choccolocco Creek, Lake Yahou at Ft. McClellan and other outdoor attractions as part of the local story.
“Our region as a whole is so outstanding, and every little pocket of our region has a little something different to offer,” she said.
For Calhoun County Tourism, the Ohatchee video is one more piece of that larger effort — showing the water, history and small-town character that make the community part of the region’s tourism draw. “Awareness is the main vision that we have,” Dulaney said, “to make sure we’re increasing the awareness of what makes these places so special throughout Calhoun County and the region.”
Follow Visit Calhoun County on facebook, Instagram & Tictok and check out their website at visitcalhouncounty.com
