Back in 2022, the City of Hernando decided to move more into the tech world by doing something that most cities of its size don’t, or can’t, do. Hernando started a mobile app for Apple and Android smartphones, and the app has become a center of real-time information for residents and for out-of-town visitors attending attractions or events, such as this weekend’s Dickens of a Christmas.
The app is a free download to your mobile phone and when added, users will be able to learn more about community-wide events. City Community Development and Economic Development Director Gia Matheny said the app also has a GPS feature that will help visitors navigate around the city and to specific activities within an event.
Mayor Chip Johnson said he keeps getting asked about Hernando events and he responds with his suggestion to get the app.
“So, I was actually at an event in Memphis last week, and everybody I ran across, I was telling them about our events,” Johnson said. “They asked, ‘how do I find them? I told them to go get the city of Hernando mobile app. That’s the easiest way.”
Johnson credits Matheny’s foresight to move forward in getting the app put together.
“It’s unique for a small city,” Johnson said. “A lot of the bigger cities have it. When you pull it up, you’re kind of proud of your town. You say, ‘Wow, I didn’t really realize all this was going on in Hernando.’”
Matheny said a Maddox Foundation grant helped fund the building of the app, which is updated with events. Another grant came from the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area Alliance and was awarded to create a tourism tool for history, culture and city events that include educational opportunities about Hernando’s history.
“I had been to other events and noticed that they all had an app,” she said. “You never really saw that in a smaller city. The grants helped start the app and now we’re trying to be able to sustain it. It’s just been great to be able to show all of the events on the app.”
Information on items not directly city-related come from the organizations putting the events together first before they are added.
“If you have that mobile app, you can find out anything going on in Hernando, where all the businesses are,” Matheny said. “If you’re in town and want to go out to eat, you can find restaurants. It’s just the app to have if you want to be if you’re in Hernando and want to know what’s going on.”
Johnson and Matheny both suggest people coming to the weekend Dickens of a Christmas activities get the mobile app downloaded to their phone to navigate through all of the activities.
