Festival Country Indiana, the official tourism agency of Johnson County, has selected 11 nonprofit organizations and government partners to receive more than $32,000 in grant funding to help develop and promote festivals and other tourism-related initiatives during 2019.
“A great way to increase tourism, as well as the quality of life for residents, is to partner with other organizations to develop new tourist attractions, start new festivals and publicize our communities,” said Kenneth Kosky, director of tourism for Festival Country Indiana.
“We were pleased how many impressive grant applications we received, and we’re pleased to be able to support initiatives in communities like Greenwood, Franklin, Edinburgh, Whiteland, Trafalgar and unincorporated Johnson County.”
In 2019, Festival Country Indiana will provide the following grants: Discover Downtown Franklin’s Ethos Celebration of the Arts, $2,500; Franklin Parks & Recreation’s Halloween Town, $1,500; City of Greenwood’s reimagined Old City Park and cube tower, $5,000; Johnson County Public Library’s Library on the Prairie Festival, $1,500, and cultural diversity film festival, $2,500; The Historic Artcraft Theatre’s Glenn Miller Orchestra concert, $2,500; Edinburgh Fall Festival, $2,500; Old Town Greenwood’s historic home and business tours, $1,500; Franklin Chamber Color Bash, $2,500; Johnson County Museum’s printing of a Johnson County driving and walking tour, $1,538; the town of Whiteland’s parkour, BMX and sand volleyball park, $7,500; and Johnson County Antique Machinery Show marketing, $1,000.
“We are pleased that in 2019, we are helping to launch new events for residents and visitors to enjoy, as well as increasing the appeal of existing events,” Kosky said.
“The grant money will also help build unique attractions in our communities that will be enjoyed for years to come.”
Festival Country Indiana’s mission is to increase visitation to Johnson County and increase tourism’s economic impact through product development and marketing.
Anyone interested in being a part of future grant cycles should visit festivalcountryindiana.com/grants.
