Heart of NC hosts media visit to zoo, potters and orchard

ASHEBORO — Representatives of seven media outlets and their families were guests of the Heart of NC Visitors Bureau on Nov. 19 for tours of the NC Zoo, the Seagrove Pottery Festival and Millstone Creek Orchards.

Hosting the guests, mostly from the Piedmont Triangle region, were Susan Dosier and Des Keller of D&K Communications Group. Dossier is a public relations contractor with the Heart of NC Visitors Bureau.

The group met at the Stedman Education Center near the North America entrance to the NC Zoo. They boarded a bus there with Debbie Fuchs, public relations officer with the zoo, as tour guide.

Stops were made to view elks, the grizzly bear, a red wolf, an ocelot and the William Mangum Desert exhibit. Some continued to see other animals such as the polar bears.

From the zoo and after eating lunch, the guests had the option to attend the Pottery Festival in Seagrove or Millstone Creek Orchard east of Ramseur. 

Jessica Hall of Raleigh came to the zoo with her 5-year-old daughter, Chloe. Hall said she writes a "lifestyles influencing" blog, www.jessicalhall.com.

She indicated that she would use the visit to let readers know of “things to do in the area.”

Phyllis Coley of Durham is editor/publisher of Spectacular Magazine, a digital journal. With her was her mother, Lelia Royster. Coley said this was her first time at the zoo.

“I think it’s a treasure right here in North Carolina,” she said. “I want people to know more about it, the chance to do a safari. People need to find out about it.”

Other media representatives visiting the zoo were John Batchelor of Greensboro, retired writer for the News & Record, and his wife Dale; Leslie Heigh of Raleigh, of SoBeSavvy, with husband Barry and daughter Ava; Elliot Acosta of eatRaleighBlog and son Ephraim; and Dathan Kazsuk and Jen Primrose of Triangle Around Town blog in Raleigh. Randolph Hub was also represented.