Several years ago, the Sabine Area Economic Advisory Council (SCEDAC) team hosted a tour of our area for state representatives from the Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism, Texas Commission on the Arts, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Historic Commission, Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Department of Agriculture. The end-result was a Tourism Assessment report that helped SCEDAC identify tourism opportunities for Sabine County. SCEDAC views tourism as a major economic driver for Sabine County because of the abundant resources that surround us for fishing, boating, and hunting as well as a rich and interesting historical heritage.
While the tourism potential of Sabine County is our greatest untapped resource, SCEDAC, in conjunction with the Sabine County Tourism Committee decided to focus our limited resources on branding and promoting tourism in the county for 2020 under the theme of “Sabine County – Make it an Adventure.”
SCEDAC realized that most people are attracted to the area because of Toledo Bend Reservoir and Sam Rayburn Reservoir, both of which have a superb reputation for fishing and boating. However, they have come to realize that paddling and kayaking have become increasingly popular, and Toledo Bend possesses a tremendous potential for tapping into this market.
Last year, Sabine County made application for a Kayaking/Paddling Trail on Toledo Bend with the Texas Department of Parks & Wildlife (TPW). Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the application was delayed, but the trail has been approved.
The trail will be designated as the Toledo Bend – Patroon Bayou Paddling Trail. Visitors will enjoy a great loop paddling trail along Patroon Bayou up to 8 miles long with no shuttle needed. Paddlers will put in at Holly Park Marina. Float time will be 2 – 6 hours depending on water level, wind speed, route taken, and time spent doing other activities such as fishing.
TPW has developed the paddling trail information map/graphic panel and will be listing the information on their website. The graphic will be installed at the starting point at Holly Park Marina. SCEDAC will be filing applications for additional paddling trails in the very near future.
To highlight the world-class fishing on Toledo Bend, SCEDAC construct six (6) fiberglass bass statues that stand seven feet tall at four Toledo Bend Lake locations and in two cities. These fiberglass fish will be our own custom design with professionally painted finishes with themes from Sabine County and clear coated. The bass would be mounted on an attached pad and would be a unique photo opportunity for those utilizing various parts of the lake and will get a lot of play on social media.
To keep the fishing theme and branding in the forefront of visitors wherever they come to Sabine County, SCEDAC will install six (6) 5’ tall X 4’ long fishing lures that can either be bolted into a 2’ X 5’ concrete slabs or existing sidewalks. These will be professionally painted and clear coated. The locations of these lures around Sabine County have not been determined.
To involve the community in marketing the brand, the Sabine County Chamber of Commerce has sold, painted, and delivered fifty-two (52) 2’ X 2’ concrete bobbers to both public and private entities that are popping up all around the county. The Chamber has ordered 26 more bobbers available for purchase. (See article in the magazine).
The Sabine River Authority (SRA) is providing tremendous assistance to improving facilities on Toledo Bend with their commitment of $800,000 for additional amenities at 6-Mile Marina that were completed in early 2021 and the recent announcement of the SRA purchase of the Pendleton Harbor Marina (See article in this magazine). This is the beginning of a number of projects that SRA is planning with a long-term goal of establishing a large multi-million-dollar park with first class amenities on the Texas side of Toledo Bend that would be capable of handling large bass tournaments.
To continually market Sabine County, the Sabine County tourism website www.VisitSabineCounty.com has been completely updated on a platform that makes it more mobile friendly and easier to maintain. While the website is greatly enhanced with new information and photographs, it will be a continual process to provide up-to-date information to promote the assets of Sabine County in a manner that will entice tourist to the area.
SCEDAC has an ambitious plan that focuses on activities that will produce economic enhancement of Sabine County. It takes the entire community rowing the boat in the same direction to achieve a prosperous economic future for Sabine County. It can be done if we continue to work at building the type of community where people will want to live, work, and play and have a secure future.