Wednesday, April 24, 2024
A contingent of Russians vising Dallas were given a royal tour after specifically requesting to spend a weekend in Granbury.
They arrived at about mid-afternoon on a Friday earlier this month and left on the following Sunday. They stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn.
James Dickens, who works part-time for Visit Granbury, took responsibility for entertaining the group because CVB Director Tammy Dooley was attending a conference in Galveston.
When they arrived at the Hilton, Dickens was there to welcome them with “goody bags.”
The nine Russians work for Novatek, the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia, Dickens said. They were visiting a Dallas branch of that company.
Dickens said that the Russians had heard about Gran-bury and specifically asked to visit.
Sandy McKenzie, whose husband works at the Dallas branch, had been to Gran-bury before and readily agreed to personally bring the Russian guests here, Dickens said.
The group of men and women had three requests: to visit the Granbury Opera House, tour the courthouse and visit the Jail Museum just off the square.
Dickens said that new County Judge Ron Massingill and his assistant court coordinator Alicia West met the group at the courthouse last Saturday for a tour.
Local historian Mary Sutton served as a tour guide at the Jail Museum, and Granbury Theatre Company board president Micky Shearon personally welcomed the contingent to the Opera House.
The Russians ate at Eighteen Ninety Grille and Lounge on the square on the night of their arrival, Dickens said.
He stated that they went to Glen Rose on Sunday to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park and, he thinks, Fossil Rim.
kcruz@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 258
