Ohio festival among the proposals to entice people to visit Hilliard

Eight proposals designed to advertise tourism and entice guests to Hilliard acquired funding to assist them come to fruition by means of Vacation spot Hilliard’s inaugural Tourism Attraction grants.

Whereas it was not doable to distribute grants to each applicant, eight proposals acquired a complete of $36,600 to fund “revolutionary and thrilling concepts,” mentioned Sharon Grenier, Vacation spot Hilliard’s board president.

Proposals included an $8,000 grant, the only largest, to Ohio Arts Festivals to create a competition of Ohio-based artisans and craft makers that will be staged on Principal Road in Outdated Hilliard.

A lot is but to be developed, together with the competition’s identify, however co-organizer Renee Flynn mentioned she and Judy Vitale, proprietor of Whit’s Frozen Custard in Outdated Hilliard, are wanting towards a Saturday in June or July subsequent yr.

“The Ohio Artwork Stroll and Evening Market” is a tentative identify for the brand new competition and it could seemingly be held from midday to 9 p.m., based on Flynn.

Flynn, proprietor of Ohio Artwork Festivals, manages different related reveals in Ohio, together with the Made in Ohio Competition in suburban Akron, now in its eleventh season that final yr, she mentioned, drew about 14,000 guests in three days.

She mentioned distributors start filling their schedules in January so it not sensible to attempt to launch a brand new competition this yr.

However for subsequent yr, we want to create an “out of doors pet-friendly and family-friendly occasion” that may function Ohio-based artists, craft makers, growers, jewelers, wooden employees, ceramicists and different kinds of artists, based on Flynn.

She mentioned distributors can be chosen by a jury committee.

Reside leisure and meals distributors are additionally anticipated to be constructed into the occasion.

“However the focus is to assist Ohio craft makers (and) native commerce,” Flynn mentioned.

Different grants awarded by Vacation spot Hilliard as a part of the primary Vacationer Attraction grants embody $7,000 to Franklin Road Artistic to supply an agora market on three nights together with the town’s Designated Out of doors Refreshment Space, or DORA, occasions; $5,000 to the Westwood Discipline Home for advertising and marketing and merchandise related to a basketball event; $5,000 to SHED Health to host 5K runs in Hilliard; $3,600 to the Hilliard Arts Council for staging and tent rental to develop its annual live performance sequence; $2,500 to the Hilliard Station Baking Firm to create an out of doors mural or paintings outdoors its location; $2,500 to Columbus Sports activities Card to host collectible card reveals on the Franklin County Fairgrounds; and $2,000 to the Conkey Memorial Basis to assist produce a profit automotive present.

Extra particulars of the proposed occasions are but being refined and a few proposals are to require permits from Hilliard, based on David Ball, director of group occasions for Hilliard and appearing director of Vacation spot Hilliard.

“Vacation spot Hilliard sees itself as being in a ‘constructing mode’ presently,” Ball mentioned.

Tim Kauffman, govt director of Vacation spot Hilliard, died final yr and the group was restructured within the wake of his sudden dying.

“It’s refocusing its funding on this group on placing funds again into the group by serving to to create new occasions and new points of interest,” Ball mentioned.

“This may encourage extra individuals to go to – and produce extra quality-of-life facilities for present residents. All of that serves the bottom-line mission of Vacation spot Hilliard as a driver of financial progress in the neighborhood.”

In all, 16 proposals have been submitted to the board for consideration, based on Grenier.

“There have been some extremely artistic concepts within the combine,” she mentioned.

In selecting what grants to approve, the board checked out “how carefully the proposals met the mission of Vacation spot Hilliard to draw guests, produce in a single day resort stays and promote financial improvement in the neighborhood,” Grenier mentioned.

The board plans to revisit the grant program this fall, based on Grenier.

kcorvo@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekCorvo