Nazareth Featured in Lehigh Valley Visions Video

There is much more to Nazareth than guns and guitars, as can be seen in a recent promotional video posted on YouTube.

Discover Lehigh Valley -- an Allentown-based organization that promotes tourism throughout the region -- is sharing the Lehigh Valley's rich history and tradition through 21st century technology.

With almost 200 views on YouTube, the Borough of Nazareth is the latest town to be featured in a Lehigh Valley Visions video.

Discover Lehigh Valley started the video series a few years ago as a promotional tool to convince prospective travelers that the Valley is a great place to visit, according to Kim Lilly, executive vice president of Discover Lehigh Valley.

The first few videos focused on specific attractions of interest to tourists, such as the  in Easton and Cedar Creek Park in Allentown, Lilly said.

Recently, the focus of the videos has shifted to the small towns around the Valley where jewels, hidden and otherwise, wait to be discovered by the curious.

“We've just started to break into downtown areas,” Lilly said.

The first such video focused on Emmaus in Lehigh County. Then came Nazareth.

Those videos drew “great feedback,” Lilly said, adding that “it's not always about the big cities.”

Sometimes it is, though.

The group's next video will feature historic Bethlehem; that shoot will commence after Musikfest ends next month, according to Lilly.

Tracey Werner, the perky host and narrator of the Lehigh Valley Visions series, had fun at work during the video shoot, which took place in late May.

“It was a good experience,” said Werner, an Allentown native and lifelong Lehigh Valley resident who still found new territory to cover in the Valley's northeastern reaches.

“I had never truly explored Nazareth in depth before, except to drive through,” said Werner, who owns and operates Blabbermouth Communications, a marketing and public relations firm in Easton.

Werner said she enjoyed exploring downtown Nazareth and learning about the borough's deep Moravian roots from centuries past.

The crisply cut but unrushed video features a visit to the , the , and the -- complete with a live demonstration of the firing of a long-rifle.

So, really, the video explores much more than just downtown historic Nazareth -- it also explores Upper Nazareth and Bushkill townships, both an equal part of the Nazareth-area community, both rich in history and tradition.

Shooting the video, while fun, took a lot of hard work on both sides of the camera, Werner explained. All told, it took multiple takes and several days of editing and technical work to produce the five minutes and 36 seconds of video, which was produced by NEWVISION Communications Inc. of Allentown.

Created in 1984, Discover Lehigh Valley is the designated tourist promotion agency for Lehigh and Northampton counties. Its mission is to promote and develop the Lehigh Valley as a leisure and business travel destination.

For more information on Discover Lehigh Valley, visit www.discoverlehighvalley.com, or call (800) 747-0561.