TAKING TOURISM TO A NEW LEVEL

STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

TTallapoosa County has always drawn visitors from all over with its natural beauty, friendly faces and endless activities, but having the Tallapoosa County Tourism group has definitely widened the possibilities for the Lake Martin area. One of the newest faces of Tallapoosa County Tourism is none other than Reeltown native Katelyn Cotton.

Cotton, who graduated from the University of North Alabama in December of last year, has been part of the community her entire life and decided after obtaining her public relations degree she would return home and take up a position at

Dadeville High School. “My passion is writing, and through teaching

English, I thought maybe this is something that

I want to do. Maybe this is a way that I can use what I’m good at and what I love to do, but I very quickly figured out that it was not for me,” Cotton explained. Following her time with DHS, she connected with the director at Tallapoosa County Tourism,

Sandra Fuller, and the rest is history. Cotton and

Fuller couldn’t make a better team. “The job got posted. I went through interviews, and me and Ms. Sandra just hit it off. I’ve loved working here ever since. It was kind of unconventional, but a God thing for certain,” Cotton said. Cotton is thankful for the opportunity to be such a staple in the community she holds near and dear to her heart. She loves representing the community as a key member for Tallapoosa County Tourism and wishes to show tourists just how special the county truly is. She began working for the group the last week in May and has a list of duties that she tackles well. Cotton runs the organization’s social media accounts, communicates with event sponsors, manages the website and writes press releases, among other things. One of her favorite things to do is keep the blog up and running, which is a great way to hone her writing skills. She loves talking about the appeal of the county through writing for the blog. “I’ve grown up here my whole life, and I’ve seen my community through various tragedies, through the good moments, celebrations that we’ve had really come together, and supporting each other.

That’s something that is special to me because if it weren’t for my community, essentially, I wouldn’t be the person that I am. To know that I have support and we all support each other, that’s probably my favorite thing,” Cotton said.

Another one of her favorite things about the county is the beauty in the scenery it provides. Cotton believes sometimes it’s easy to take what we have for granted and tries to remember just how special the area is.

“Going away, I was able to really appreciate what we have as far as natural beauty. Lake Martin obviously, the river, all of these great resources that we have. It’s just absolutely beautiful and it’s a great place to kind of relax, and I’ve been able to come find myself again here,” she said.

Cotton’s position has given her the chance to be creative about representing and promoting her community. She hopes through her writing she can excite others to live here and find the beauty that surrounds the communities. Along with the natural appeal Lake Martin brings, Cotton mentioned the long way Dadeville and the other communities have come with updating and upkeeping their downtown areas, which she believes is another high point within the communities.

When Cotton isn’t spending her time figuring out new ways to promote the area, she loves to catch up on her reading and writing, as well as spend time outdoors and hang out with her family and friends.

Cotton’s favorite book, though a tough decision, is Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns, and the reason behind it being her favorite has a lot to do with her own community.

“It’s a story about a Southern town, and it’s set in about the ‘30s or ‘40s. It’s kind of a little bit of a gossipy book, but what I appreciate and what I love about that book so much is that it’s a true reflection of the South. I look at it like it kind of embodies the way of life and the way that Southern, small towns do things, and that is absolutely beautiful to me. It kind of allows me to think about things and how to approach the community and play on the charm that we have. It is unbelievable charm,” Cotton explained.

Cotton loves Tallapoosa County and loves its warm atmosphere and friendly faces, and she plans on representing and promoting it in the best way possible. If you ever see Cotton out in the community, don’t be afraid to say hello, she’ll be happy to talk to you and share her thoughts on what makes the community so special to so many.

“I’ve grown up here my whole life, and I’ve seen my community through various tragedies, through the good moments, celebrations that we’ve had really come together, and supporting each other."

~ Katelyn Cotton

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