Telling stories that really represent these Pocono Mountains is more than a job, it's a calling for us at Pocono Television Network. We are deeply invested in our communities. For years, from two ends of the Poconos, Zane Shupp and Jim Hamill have been getting up, out the door at our respective homes in Carbon and Wayne counties, and sharing what makes these Poconos special.

As natives of the Poconos, they grew up, went to rival high schools, and now travel the expansive terrain that encompasses these mountains to meet people like them: parents, business owners, people working and living out their lives in the Poconos, a region with a legit history in hospitality.

Don't take just Jim's word for it.

"Delaware Water Gap was the resort area of Monroe County in the area. There were historic resort area, really. And at one point in time, there was a debate whether the Monroe County area would be called the Pocono Mountains or the Delaware Water Gap area, because the concentration of resorts, big resorts and facilities was in the Delaware Water Gap. And the trains would come up and the barges would come up. And it was a very famous resort area. Teddy Roosevelt went there. Fred Astaire was there," said the late Bob Uguccioni, former Executive Director of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau (PMVB).

"And what was life like for residents when those resorts were operating at their peak?" asked Chris Barrett, current President/CEO of the PMVB.

"Yes. Well, you know, you're talking about a town of maybe seven hundred people depending. Right. And then and then at the height of the season, maybe two thousand five hundred people in the town. Uh, on a nice day, the streets of that tiny little borough were packed with people walking up and down. Uh, the local people. I have never read anything suggesting they resented these people coming in. As a matter of fact, you know, they made their living from these people," said Marty Wilson, a longtime ESU history professor.

"Family business was always our biggest business because we had many more family places than we did honeymoon places," added Uguccioni. "So we started promoting the outdoors more, you know, more outdoor skiing and all those things. And then what happened? One day I got a call from an individual from Great Wolf, and Great Wolf said, we want to build an indoor water park here in the resort here in the Pocono Mountains. (...) And Great Wolf really opened the door because it wasn't long after that that Kalahari was here."

Even though quite a lot has changed across the Poconos, a lot has stayed true to what's always been. Jim's and Zane's travels brought them to Tannersville to find someone who has lived that, first as a visitor, now as a longtime resident.

Cindy Knecht spends her days working in the shadow of Camelback Mountain at her real estate company, Carr Realty, started by her dad decades ago.

Reflecting on her family's roots in the region, Knecht pointed to a photograph of her father's former office in Pocono Pines.

"So, yeah, he started back in the late sixties. Okay. Um, but we moved up here probably, gosh, around sixty seven, sixty eight, and he started up in Pocono Pines. Then he moved his office down here in Tannersville where he built the village and then the chateau."

Her family's legacies remain a part of the landscape, and Cindy has watched, like many of us Pocono residents, as the changes occurred all around. The expansion at Camelback to a four-season destination, not just winter skiing and snowboarding and snowtubing, but with waterparks, outdoor and indoor, is simply the latest chapter in the region's tourism story.

For Knecht, the appeal of the Poconos remains as strong as ever.

"We vacationed here. That's how we became a resident here. And I always thought Poconos was great. You know, I mean, there's so much to do."

From her perspective as a businesswoman, a mom, and a proud Pocono resident, the impact and character of the Pocono tourism story is fitting.

"It's so nice that, you know, Pike, Wayne, Carbon Monroe were so close that you can visit any of those different areas. And, um, with the growth of the area, it's brought a lot of job opportunities for people. I mean, property managers, cleaners, maintenance. I mean, there's so many jobs out there now for people. So I think that's, that's really helped out a lot. But we are a resort area. You know, we always were resort area. We still are."

Wanting to get a taste of the local flavor, we stopped up the road at Barley Creek.

Cindy remembers before Trip Ruvane and his crew turned the property into a major destination for craft beer and wiffle ball, another sign of the region's evolution and another business that has provided jobs while supporting the local economy.

"You remember when it was a ski shop many moons ago?"

"Pine ski shop. Yeah. So it was great. It was a really good ski shop. I guess that was back when I was in high school."

Today, visitors and locals alike continue to enjoy all the region has to offer.

When asked what she loves most about the area, Barley Creek employee Tori didn't hesitate.

"There's so much I love that there's four different seasons. So every season there's something fun to do. Yeah. So we have like our snowboarding and hiking and biking and the rivers right here. So that's really cool. Lots of outdoorsy stuff."

She added:

"And then you get all of us great customers that get to come."

Tori and her fellow employees, not just at Barley Creek but across the region, benefit from folks who, just like Cindy, made the Pocono Mountains more than a destination.

As Cindy explained:

"Then look how many people it hits. And then when I just, let's say I'm coming here skiing, you know, I have to rent skis, I have to get tickets. You know, I have to feed my family whether I go out to dinner or I'm cooking in, you know, you're, you're constantly putting money back into the local economy, which is great for us."

The Poconos has a history of benefits from the tourism industry. $7 billion a year in economic benefit from visitors. Calculate the huge amounts of tax revenue on the local level, saving taxpayers significantly on municipal and county taxes.

Jim & Zane and the team are fortunate to tell stories about the Poconos for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau. Started in the mid-1930s, the organization supports its 600 members, big and small, and the community at large.

Funding comes from a tax on hotel room stays, more on that in another part of this series, generating millions of dollars to compete for visitors from New York, New Jersey, Philly and beyond.

The Visitors Bureau is far more than Pocono Television Network. It supports community initiatives with grants, four years running with numerous examples of success. The PMVB also provides scholarships for our kids, a wildly successful anti-litter campaign, Pick Up the Poconos, and an initiative to provide a hand up to those facing housing insecurity, Pocono 3C.

One participant summed up that impact clearly:

"It feels pretty good. I remember where I came from, and no one would give me a chance. But, you know, the people at 3C and people at the Municipal Waste Authority, they gave me a chance," said Elisha Spencer back in June of 2025.

Being a steward of the Pocono Mountains brand, through the generations, has been a source of pride for the organization. A nonprofit focused on marketing the destination.

But far more than an office building, a handful of visitors centers, and employees who live and work and support what makes the Poconos so special, it's the hundreds of members across the four counties. That's who makes up the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

All these people, every bit a part of the Poconos story, one that has, for Cindy and countless others, provided a home and a way of life.

As she reflected:

"I don't know if you remember growing up, you knew everybody. You went into the store, you knew them, you know, and it still has that feel. You know, I just did a fundraiser for the Alzheimer's Walk, and so many people came that I hadn't seen in a while. And it was it was like, oh, this is great. So community is definitely still there, you know, so all that's still there, that hasn't changed. The beauty of the mountains hasn't changed."

The Pocono Mountains. More than a destination.