Nyack Sketch Log: Tourist Guide and Billboard Put Nyack on the Map

by Bill Batson

Propelled by an upcoming regionally distributed tourist guide and a strategically placed billboard on the upper west side of Manhattan, a coalition of business and civic groups is putting Nyack on the map.

More than 50 local business leaders attended a briefing by the Nyack Marketing Association at Nyack’s seaport on Wednesday, October 8. The group’s marketing director, Meg Mayo, presented an ambitious program, funded by local merchants, to bring more visitors to Nyack. “We intend to eliminate our best kept secret status,” said Mayo.

One component of the campaign is poised to reach a captive audience of millions. Mayo announced that the Marketing Association secured a billboard in one of the most sought after locations in outdoor advertising, 134th street and the West Side Highway near Fairway Market. For one month, grid-locked drivers will be tempted to consider Nyack as their next exit for a fall excursion.

Just as commuters begin forming a notion of Nyack as a destination, the Nyack Chamber of Commerce is publishing a document that will seal the deal. On Wednesday, October 22, the Chamber will be release the second edition of their Map & Guide to Nyack. “We had such a strong response to the first map that we thought we should take the promotional vehicle on the road. We have more than doubled the circulation to 50,000 copies and expanded the distribution to southern New York State, Westchester and northern New Jersey,” said Scott Baird, Chamber President.

“We wanted a document that would be useful to first time visitors as well as long time residents,” said Baird. “Currently, tens of thousands of people visit Nyack each year for our street fairs, classic car show, year round farmers’ market, Halloween Parade, and our great shops and restaurants. We even get tourists from overseas to visit Edward Hopper’s childhood home and Carson McCuller’s grave in Oakhill Cemetery. Our combined, strategic efforts can make these numbers grow.”

Forty five advertisers supported the 2014/15 Map & Guide, an increase of 50% from last year. Map features include:

• Local history resources
• Local recreational information
• Parking information
• How to get to Nyack via car, bus, train and bike
• Display ads and business listings
• Universal list of businesses in downtown commercial district
• Farmers’ Market guide
• Landmarks and points of interest
• QR codes that link to information about parking, the Farmers’ Market and the Nyack Chamber of Commerce

I was one of three local artists commissioned to develop the Map & Guide:

Graphic Designer Loraine Machlin created the bold, colorful design and the easy functionality of the Map & Guide. For decades, Machlin has been the go-to-graphic-artist for many local non-profit organizations and arts groups.

Artist Kris Burns, who helped reinvigorate the legacy of Edward Hopper as the artist-in-residence at the Edward Hopper House Art Center and was the organizer of the Hopper Happens Festival, served as artistic consultant to the Map & Guide.

As the first artist-in-residence for the Nyack Chamber of Commerce’s Farmers’ Market and the creator of the Nyack Sketch Log, I was asked to coordinate the project, contribute my illustrations and writing to the map and serve as Managing Editor and Sales Director.

“Without our map committee co-chairs Annette Van Loon and Nancy Phillips, this unique collaboration between the arts and the commercial community would not have been possible,” said Baird. “The local economy will benefit from our Nyack Map & Guide, and the village’s reputation will be enhanced by the dissemination of this encyclopedic document.”

Starting on Wednesday, October 22nd, the Map & Guide the map will be available at:

• Nyack Chamber of Commerce Members (look for a copy of the map in their window)
• The Chamber of Commerce booth at Street Fairs
• The year-round Nyack Farmers’ Market.
• Or, contact the Chamber at nyackchamber.org or call (845) 353- 2221

 The Nyack Marketing Association, the group that produced the billboard, was founded by The Arts, Crafts and Antique Dealers Association (ACADA), Nyack Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Nyacks, Nyack Hospital, Nyack Library and the Village of Nyack

Bill Batson is an activist, artist and writer who lives and sketches in Nyack, NY. Nyack Sketch Log Tourist Guide and Billboard Puts Nyack on the Map” ©: 2014 Bill Batson.