Interview by Abernathy Cochran intern and Gainesville High senior Donangelo Marshall
Meet Stacey Dickson! She is a native Georgian, longtime Hall County resident and is the president of the Lake Lanier Convention and Visitors Bureau, a destination marketing organization.
We want to thank Stacey for spending time with us recently and telling us more about her life and love of Hall County.
Question: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Answer: “I am a native Georgian; I was born and raised in Albany. Through the years, my career in the tourism and hospitality industry has led me to Hall County and Lake Lanier. I started out working for the Morale, Welfare & Recreation Department of the Marine Corps (as a civilian) and helping the Marines and their families plan to travel for fun. That led to working on the other side of the desk through Chambers of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureaus. I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years now. It‘s been a great career and a lot of fun. Working in the Convention and Visitors Bureau world is never the same day twice.”
Q: What inspired or led you to your current career?
A: “Wanderlust, the love of traveling and trying new things, meeting new people and seeing new places led me to be interested in the hospitality and travel industry. When I was coming up through school, I had never heard about Convention and Visitors Bureaus, I didn’t know what they were, and now a lot of schools have hospitality management degree programs that teach students about the industry what is waiting for them when they get out of school. Once I got in, I knew this was the right path for me, and I’ve loved working in the tourism industry. The places I’ve gone, the people I’ve met, and the opportunities I’ve had have been really incredible.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County?
A: “I don’t have one favorite in particular. It depends on what mood I’m in, honestly. For special occasions, like celebrating a birthday or anniversary, I would say Antebellum in Flowery Branch because it’s a top 100 restaurant in the U.S and their food is top notch. But then there’s a taco place on Atlanta Highway (Taqueria El Antojito) that makes roasted sweet corn I really love, and places like Atlanta Highway Seafood Market with their fried shrimp; and I also love our local Southern style places like Longstreet and Loretta’s – so there are too many places to choose from. We are lucky to have so many options here.”
Q: How long have you lived or worked in Hall County?
A: “I was the Convention and Visitors Bureau Director in Clayton County in Jonesboro and then came here in 2006, so 14 years this past June. This is our home; we’ve been South Hall residents this whole time…we enjoy being part of the Hall County community.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
A: “There have been so many people I’ve met through my job and Hall County has its share of characters. I’ve met artists, chefs, historians and authors but one person (if she hasn’t already been featured in the Faces of Hall County) that I would say is a very interesting person is Nairika Cornett. She’s an immigrant from India who came here to attend Brenau University. She has a super fascinating life, she’s a fabulous person, beautiful inside and out. She made her home here with her husband who is a Gainesville native and has created a place for herself in the local Arts Community.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?And why?
A: “Right now, anywhere! We wanted to make a trip to Scotland to do a long hiking trip along Hadrian’s Wall, which was a part of the Roman Empire. But because of the pandemic, travel has been restricted, so instead, we bought a travel trailer this summer and went on a bucket list trip across the country where we kept ourselves isolated for health purposes. We traveled all over to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park and saw 17 states! Now, we are dreaming of another camping road trip to New England.”
Q: What is your favorite movie? What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?
A: “I love going to the movies. My family is in deep sorrow because our movie theaters are closed right now. The first movie I remember seeing in a theater would probably have been a Disney cartoon – like ‘Cinderella’ or ‘Snow White.’ Then as a teen, ‘Star Wars’ was the first movie we went to see repeatedly and I’ve seen all of the films in this series ever since then.”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “My No. 1 advice and I would say this to my kids and anyone else, “Say ‘yes’ when you have opportunities.” Don’t be scared to take a class, try to do some kind of art, take a trip, go out for an event or activity that may be a little out of your comfort zone. Say ‘yes,’ so you won’t regret the things you missed later in your life.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “If I was independently wealthy and didn’t have to work and could do anything I wanted? I would travel all the time. More travel to see more of the wonders of the world that I haven’t been able to see yet, like the Pyramids.”
Q: What is your favorite music or three bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: “If you looked at my Spotify playlist, you would say ‘she needs therapy’ because it includes 90s R&B, stuff from the 60s and 80’s to Cardi B. I think having a son in his 20s, a daughter in her 30s, and a grandson who is10 helps me be open to listening to a little bit of everything. Lately, though, I’m listening to more audiobooks and podcasts – SmartLess is a podcast I really like right now. For bands, I would say from my childhood or teens, Duran Duran would be my favorite go-to band. Currently, I love Harry Styles, I think he’s incredibly talented, super stylish, and wickedly funny. Lady Gaga is also a favorite. I saw her in concert at the Fox, and she’s amazing, too.”
Q: What current/former local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County?
A: “One of the things that I love about living here is our proximity because we are close enough to Atlanta, if we want to go to comedy show, theater, a great restaurant, a festival, or an event – we are close enough. If we want to go to the mountains and hike and see a waterfall or to a farm market, we are close enough. Growing up in South Georgia, places like Jaemor Farm and Green’s Grocery remind me of my childhood. There’s a comfort zone there. One of my favorite nostalgic places is Liberty Candy in Flowery Branch. They make their own candy, but they also have all the candies from the 50s to 90s, the things you can’t find any more in a curb market.”
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about Hall County?
A: “We’re pretty diverse in the things to dohere. In the rural northern part of the county, we’re still very much farm land, pastoral drives, corn mazes, farm markets, horse farms, wineries. I like being able to take a leisurely drive through that part of the County. Then, of course, Lake Lanier is an obvious gem. We like going to beaches and parks on the lake. It’s such a great amenity to have here in our community.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
A: “In 10 years, getting close to retirement hopefully, God willing my husband and I stay well and continue our plans to do a lot more traveling and hopefully seeing more things around the world.”
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “I’m generally someone who won’t give up on trying something new. I can roller skate, ride a horse, and do many other things, but I cannot ride a bicycle. It may have been the harsh stories I heard when I first got a bicycle as a kid that turned me off, when my parents were like, ‘okay, you’re going to fall down, a lot.’ I ran into bushes, and I scraped my leg on the gravel, my Dad pushed me, probably 500 miles on various bicycles trying to get me to learn to ride a bike, but that was not just my jam and I guess it never will be.”
Q: What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
A: “Family, Georgia, and Coziness.”
Q: If you have a full-time staff member that is fully paid for, who would you choose? Driver, Nanny, Personal Fitness Trainer, Chef, or anything you want.
A: “Having a Chef would be fantastic and really cool. Even though I like to cook and obviously love to eat, I think it would be great not to have to think of what is going to be prepared and to be able to enjoy their expertise.”
