This spring, University of Georgia undergraduate students participating in the PROPEL Rural Scholars program helped one Georgia county explore ideas to juice up tourism by creating a best practices guide for rural specialty museums.
The PROPEL Rural Scholars program is an experiential learning opportunity for undergraduate UGA students as part of the nationally recognized PROPEL (Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership) program, led by the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
The program pairs undergraduate students with UGA Public Service and Outreach mentors and community leaders to work on applied research projects in participating PROPEL communities and has received support from the Langdale Foundation, UGA Foundation and UGA Parent Leadership Council.
Crisp County, known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World,” is Georgia’s largest producer of watermelons, growing more than 200 million pounds of the fruit every year. The county’s chamber of commerce recently received a donation of a 4,500-piece collection of watermelon memorabilia and would like to use it to promote local tourism.
Monica Simmons, president of the Cordele Crisp Chamber of Commerce, said the organization was fortunate that Ellen Ficklen of Bethesda, Maryland, donated her 45-year collection of “melonabilia.”
“The collection is very unique, as many of the pieces have come from all over the world,” Simmons said.
PROPEL Rural Scholars Robie Lucas, Chase Walker and Lydia Bellflower talk at the Cordele Railway Museum and Visitors Center. (Photo by Sara Ingram)
The acquisition led to a PROPEL Rural Scholars project in which a team of four students used research skills from the classroom and community development knowledge from the PROPEL Rural Scholars program to compile a best practices guide for rural specialty museums, said Madison Drummond, the institute’s PROPEL program coordinator.
“Rural economic development presents both unique challenges and great opportunities. This project offered our students a little bit of both, and they were genuinely excited to be part of it,” Drummond said.
Chase Walker, a fourth-year political science student, said he felt a personal connection to the project.
“Growing up, I would spend weekends with my grandmother, and she would always find something interesting for us to do,” Walker said. “Whether it was going to the Little White House in Warm Springs or Jimmy Carter’s boyhood home in Plains, I found a love of museums. I really enjoyed working on something that’s going to help rural Georgia. It took me back in time.”
PROPEL Rural Scholar Lydia Bellflower looks at an exhibit at the Cordele Historical Museum. (Photo by Sara Ingram)
The students created case studies for eight museums—seven in Georgia and one in Pennsylvania—as part of their research. They interviewed staff and volunteers, toured some sites in person, and learned about museum operations.
The group learned how museums like the William Daniell House in Watkinsville and Middle Georgia State University’s Museum of Technology in Macon manage visitor experience, space, programming, outreach, funding and marketing.
The students pointed out the National Apple Museum in Biglerville, Pennsylvania, for its free concert series, income-generating rental space and marketing podcast. Closer to home, they cited civic group partnerships forged by the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton that help the museum source volunteers and youth programming.
A banner welcomes visitors to downtown Cordele. (Photo by Sara Ingram)
The students also suggest advertising with billboards on Interstate 75, due to Crisp County’s proximity to the busy corridor, and leveraging the county’s participation in the Georgia Grown agricultural tourism trail. Crisp County has five stops on Georgia Grown Trail 41 with museums focused on local history, the railroad and even the U.S. military—but none dedicated exclusively to the area’s most famous crop. At least, not yet.
“The work the students have done is tremendous,” Simmons said. “From day one, these students have motivated us. They were spot on with their research, and we picked up lots of ideas from their presentation.”
Simmons said the chamber of commerce plans to display pieces of the watermelon collection at its office soon and added that next steps include researching funding sources and possible locations for a museum.
UGA students make an impact in rural Georgia communities
In the program’s third year, 15 UGA undergraduate students learned about rural Georgia and worked alongside UGA Public Service and Outreach mentors and community leaders on applied research projects in communities across the state.
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