The Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency held a welcome rally at the Josiah White Park in Jim Thorpe this past Saturday with coffee and cake for visitors of the town.

Two visitors, Linda and Doug Burns of St. Clair, enjoyed their recent visit."We come three to four times a year," Linda said. "We've done the train ride, the jail tour, I love the shops, the sightseeing; we've done it all and always come back for more."Diane Prokop, recording secretary of the JTTA and owner of Times House Bed and Breakfast, manned a stand with coffee and home baked cakes at the park, and welcomed passers-by and visitors to get a visitor's guide, and help themselves to some breakfast.National Tourism Week intends to highlight the importance of tourism and travel, which translate into economic growth, jobs, and personal well being.Prokop said, "The JTTA's mission is to promote the town of Jim Thorpe, which even when it was called Mauch Chunk, it was second to Niagara Falls in 1850 when it came to tourism. The agency want to attract visitors and tourists to discover Jim Thorpe, fall in love with it, and stay."Also in honor of National Tourism Week, a mixer fundraiser is scheduled for today with a Cinco de Mayo party at the Broadway Pub and Grille.The party is open to members and non-members of the JTTA for a $10 cover. The proceeds will go towards expenses such as the website maintenance, the printing of the Jim Thorpe Visitor's guide and more.For more information on Jim Thorpe, visit

www.JimThorpe.org.