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Philadelphia comedian Betsy Kenney, who helps provide regional voices to Visit PA's winter tourism campaign (Courtesy of Betsy Kenney)
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The Pennsylvania Tourism Office wants youse and yinz to consider getting out of the house this winter and checking out some of the state’s attractions.
It is doing so over the phone with regional accents, so you will understand.
“Yo dere. Thanks for cawlling the Visit PA Snow Day hawtline,” a pre-recorded Pittsburgh voice greets callers. “Whether you want outdowr stuff or cewzy indowr hangs, we’ll shew you where to gew all over the state.”
Visit PA has launched a snow day telephone hotline for its winter tourism campaign, 1-877-SNWFUN1 (769-3861). Callers navigate a prerecorded phone menu voiced by actors speaking in classic Pittsburgh and Philadelphia accents.
“Discahver deh genius behind icohnic Pawp Ahrt at the Andy Warhol Mewseum in Pixsburgh,” the recorded voice advises. “Visit the Children’s Mewseum of Pixsburgh, where kids ken take awf inta space den return to Ert to splesh in a river through hands-on exhibits.”
“You’ll hear a lot of ‘youse’ and ‘yinz’ in the mix, depending on what path you choose,” said Kaitie Burger, executive director of Visit PA. “I really wanted it to feel like you’re meeting up with someone at Wawa or Sheetz and having a conversation with them about what they did this weekend.”
To bask in Pennsylvania’s phonological quirks, you must use the telephone. While winter tourism tips are available digitally on Visit PA’s website, the accented hotline is strictly old-school.
“I see such a trend online now of people wanting to disconnect from screens and get back to that ‘analog vibe,’ is the term I keep hearing people use,” Burger said.
The cold weather hotline will run until Feb. 23. During that time, there will be windows of time when the hotline will be live, with a real person fielding calls in distinctive regional accents.
“Think of it like a telethon,” said Betsy Kenney, a Philadelphia comedian known for her viral ASMR videos speaking in an exaggerated Philly accent.
“I’ll be taking calls for two hours straight and I’m going to give people personal recommendations on things to do in the cold weather in Pennsylvania,” she said.
During a Zoom interview, Kenney delivered a taste of what callers can expect when they call the live hotline.
“I kniw a lot of people from Phulahdelphia ere like, ‘I’m not gooing to dat Art Mewseum. It’s tew much.’ But ewe kniw what I say? Gew for it,” said Kenney in her best Philly jawn. “You don’t gotta gew to Fraince to look at some nice ahrt, OK?”
Manning the phones will also be Johnny Pittsburgh, also a comedian known for his online videos leaning into Pittsburghese, and TV reporter-cum-social media content creator Cat Jalisco.
“The accents to me sound like cousins,” Kenney said. “They sound so alike, but I do think there is a big difference.”
Kenney does not naturally speak with a thick Philly accent. The alum of New York’s improv comedy institution Upright Citizens Brigade falls into a character when she starts talking.
“When I start doing the accent, I can see this person’s whole world. I just click right into it,” she said. “It’s like every neighbor and aunt and person I grew up with, all melted into one person.”
While the winter campaign hotline is meant for both out-of-state and in-state travelers, most winter tourism tends to be Pennsylvanians exploring their own state. Burger said the accented voices are an “Easter egg” for those in the know.
When Kenney goes live on the hotline, she will be putting her improv skills to the test by responding to whatever the caller wants to talk about.
“Hopefully they’ll walk away with some ideas of what to do in Pennsylvania, but I could talk to a wall,” she said. “I could talk about anything, anytime.”
The Visit PA winter hotline is open 24/7 until Feb. 23 and will feature live operators on Wednesday, Feb 4 (Cat Janisco); Friday, Feb. 10 (Betsy Kenney); and Monday, Feb. 16 (Johnny Pittsburgh).
Saturdays just got more interesting.
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