Heavy Hitters!

Tri-State Dog Track is in my town of Nitro, W. Va.
I saw on the vent line someone out of state downing our tracks because of no smoking. They said of all places, West Virginia.
Well, let me say something about the Why of West Virginia.
When I was young you couldn’t even see to drive thru So. Charleston because of the plant smoke. I would put my head in a pillow while going thru Nitro, The smell was so bad because of the plant fumes. It wasn’t bad, it was terrible.
By 1967 I moved to Nitro and when a rain came we could still smell that horrible stink if the wind blew our way.
West Virginian’s have had their years of suffering with deaths due to lung cancer time and time again. Not many families missed the phone call that someone else was dying.
Why West Virginia, because we have been educated to the pain it caused us first hand. When people come to our town we want a clean environment for visitors and a place to be proud of.
It is not the smoking that is hurting the Dog Track. I have been there time after time. I have one of the original membership cards still in my billfold. I know the changes I’ve seen and there are many other factors that need addressed more than the smoking issue.
Promotion-Promotion-Promotion
That is one of the factors that needs addressed. Now that is not the only thing, but, sending out flyers to members isn’t working, apparently. I have been a member for years and I wasn’t on the mail list for a long time.
I remember before the slots came, “a Dog named Popcyle Pete” created more excitement than just about anything around this valley.
Everyone came from everywhere to bet on Popcyle Pete. He was in the newspaper when he would be racing. Pictures of the Dogs were in the newspaper. The dogs were displayed at the entrance before the races for everyone to see.
Now they have even taken away most of the seating where we watched the dogs from. You never see a greyhound at the entrance for anyone to view.
The pictures are never in the papers anymore. Get back to the basic issues people.
People read the newspaper. Why doesn’t the Dog Track have their own section in the Sunday newspaper? These special items can be brought out to the public for promotions, which dogs are getting played the most, which machine paid off $2500 last night, when will the next Truck be given away, tell about the great dinners and what time the restaurants are open, show pictures of the bead toss, the winners, the flowers out front, all the parking areas, tell when bus tours will be coming in and oh, why not run a senior citizen bus in different areas on certain days of the week. Remind everyone about Ladies nite, what kind of poker games are being played, when the tournaments will be, etc. Make the people aware. This is news. Big pictures and special articles are fun for the readers. Everyone likes to know about winners and a great promotion.
The track could also promote THF stores. They could tell about the Daffodils City. Everyone should be helping each other with times the way they are now.
We are Nitro, we are proud to be clean, green and alive. We are the future. We have a great chance with the tracks, don’t let it slip away. We have to pay for those new Police Cars. We have roads that need repaired. We need gas to get our trash picked up.
We could loose it all. I’ve made the suggestion, now run with it before it’s too late.