Concordia visit is part of 16-day excursion for travel blogger Sara Broers

Sara Broers has spent the better part of the past decade traveling around the country and then writing about it - blogging, specifically - to her legion of fans and followers.
She is currently on a 16-day road trip sponsored by North Central Kansas Tourism. On Tuesday, day nine, she was in Concordia.
"Here in the Midwest, we need to get better at bragging about ourselves," Broers said. "We need to bring people here. Tourism is a great way to bring money into a community."
A native of Mason City, Iowa, Broers has been a blogger since 2008 and morphed into travel blogging in 2013.
She is the CEO of Travel With Sara, and co-owner of the Midwest Travel Network, which has a network of more than 1100 tourism offices, writers, and bloggers who are all connected.
What exactly is a blogger? In essence, it refers to someone who writes or publishes information or articles online. Blogging almost always includes daily updates and opportunities for readers to engage the blogger and each other online.
Broers has been all over the United States and parts of Canada writing about her travels. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are her three main social media outlets, along with her website: travelwithsara.com
The COVID-19 pandemic took a serious toll on travel and tourism all around the world, and the Midwest was no exception. "Things are starting to come back now," Broers said. "Road trips are becoming popular again."
Broers, who estimates she travels about 120 days a year, is excited by what she has seen in Concordia. "The Orphan Train is a big part of this town's heritage, and very unique. The POW Camp was also impressive. All the statues around town really draw your interest. The thing about this town is that you have very moving, emotional experiences for people."
Broers also toured the Brown Grand Theatre - "That theater was amazing! So beautiful!" - and stopped into Easy G for lunch. "I had the crispy honey barbeque chicken wings, which were great. Just what I needed."
Broers had high praise for the Cloud County Tourism Office, and Susie Haver and Marian Condray. "One thing they do well here is market their brand. Susie and Marian know this town and they market it very, very well."
Broers believes that there is at least one positive aspect from the effect the pandemic had on tourism. "So many people think traveling means you have to leave the state or even leave the country. But if there's anything the pandemic has taught us, it's that we have amazing things in our own backyard."