Lawrence.com

What entices visitors to come to Lawrence?

Do people come to shop downtown, to attend arts events or antique shows, to root for the Jayhawks � all of the above?

And once they are here, just what do they see and what images remain with them?

Those questions often are on the minds of Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau employees. So when they were brainstorming ways to celebrate National Tourism Week, the idea of a photo competition that reflected the city seemed a good fit.

"We issued a call for entries," marketing assistant Ashley Arnold said. "We received 40 photos. � We've had a good response, especially for the first year."

The field has been narrowed to about 16 artworks, which will be displayed Monday through Friday at the Lawrence Visitor Center/Union Pacific Depot, 401 N. Second St. The grand prize winner will be announced at the Business After Hours Chamber Mixer from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the visitor center.

Artists included in the show are William Pendleton, Sarah Shapiro, Jennifer Newlin, Tom Soetaert, Kyle Gerstner, Carmen Hocking, Wayne Richardson, Tom Dangermond, Jennah Beilgard, Niki Graham, Laura Cerveny, Jennifer Cain Bohrestedt, Anna Marie Wenner, Brynn Edmonds Burns, Charles Goff III and Evan Disser.

Photos entered in the contest range from a black-and-white shot of The Granada Box Office to color prints showing Stan Herd's earthwork on the Kansas River, Kansas University's Campanile, a boat speeding across Clinton Lake and Eldridge Hotel workers watching the annual St. Patrick's Day parade through the hotel's windows.

Other activities planned for National Tourism Week include:

� A Web site contest, which can be found at www.visitlawrence.com and asks entrants to answer questions about Lawrence. Entries are due by 5 p.m. Saturday.

� "Free State Fortress," a movie about Lawrence history, from settlement through Quatrill's Raid, throughout the week at the visitor center. No admission fee.

� A hospitality seminar from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday at the visitor center. By invitation only.

� A brown-bag lunch from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday at the visitor center. Steve Jansen, director of Watkins Community Museum of History, will talk about Lawrence history and attractions. No fee.

� A bus tour of Lawrence from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Saturday. Jackie Kennedy, a docent at the visitor center, will lead the tour. Meet at the visitor center. No cost, but registration is required by 5 p.m. Wednesday.