Four Area Events Funded by Lodging Tax Panel

Promoters for four area events received funding from the Prowers County Lodging Tax Panel during its April meeting this past Tuesday.

A Colorado Springs convention center visit, the Holly Bluegrass Festival, the Firecracker Showdown Jackpot Clinic and the Tri-State 9/11 Tribute and Parade received funding for their future activities.

Representatives from the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau will be in Prowers County May 5^th and 6^th, according to Leslie Stagner, manager of the State Welcome Center in Lamar.  Stagner requested $1,400 to help defray expenses for the center’s two-night stay for seven members.  She said the group intends to learn about the history of the area situated along the Santa Fe Trail.  The members will use that information to help educate visitors to their Colorado Springs Center about Prowers County.

This year’s Holly Bluegrass Festival will run from June 9^th to the 11^th and received their full request for $2,500 to help market the annual, free music festival in Holly.  An estimated 30 performers will be in town, requiring eleven rooms for the festival which draws over 800 visitors during the tree days of music, entertainment and vendors.

The annual Tri-State 9/11 Tribute and Parade will be held on Saturday, September 9^th this year.  The all-day event at the Prowers County Fairgrounds as well as the morning parade brings hundreds of persons to the event from around the region.  The organizers received $2,000 for their marketing needs.

The Firecracker Showdown Jackpot/Clinic is a new event to the area.  The event, set for July 1^st and 2^nd will be held at the Prowers County Fairgrounds between 7am and 3pm and will feature a livestock clinic for beef, sheep, goats and swine as well as a jackpot livestock show for 4-H and FFA students.  The organizers were awarded $3,000 for their marketing expenses in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and sections of Colorado.  Approximately from 75 to 100 attendees are expected and as this is a first-time event, exact numbers are an unknown quantity.  Food trucks and vendors are welcome to participate and can receive particulars at 719-688-1142.

Funding for events is derived from a 2% lodging tax applied to all motel and hotel room rentals in Prowers County.  The Panel meets the third Tuesday of each month and can be contacted through the Lamar Chamber of Commerce at 336-4379.
By Russ Baldwin