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Darke
County Visitors Bureau awards four grants in 2017
GREENVILLE, OH – The Darke County Visitors Bureau released the names of
the recipients of the 2017 Darke County Tourism Grants. This year, four
recipients were chosen – The Gathering at Garst, Versailles Poultry
Days, Main Street Greenville’s Hometown Holiday Horse Parade, and the
Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum’s Run for the Rails 5K.
“The Gathering at Garst, Versailles Poultry Days, the Hometown Holiday
Horse Parade, and the Run for the Rails 5K all attract visitors from
miles away to our communities,” stated committee member Andrea Jordan.
“We made some changes to the criteria to allow smaller events a better
opportunity at funding, and are thrilled to be able to give them a
step-up to greater growth potential and overall success.”
The Gathering at Garst was named “Best Summer Festival” in Ohio for
2016 & 2017 by the readers of Ohio Magazine and is held the last
weekend in July. The Gathering features juried artists, antique
dealers, garden exhibits, skilled historical craftsmen, live music, and
unique food vendors, and also includes a living history encampment with
participants from the French and Indian War through the Civil War. This
eclectic mix is set amongst the tree-lined grounds of Garst Museum,
which maintains normal operating hours for attendees of the festival.
For more information about the Gathering, contact Garst Museum at
937-548-5250 or online at www.gatheringatgarst.com.
Versailles Poultry Days is one of the longest-running community
festivals in the state of Ohio. This year’s event takes place June
9-11, 2017. Last year, Poultry Days set a record for the number of
chicken dinners sold, at 26,500. The festival features an Ultimate
Frisbee tournament, parades, the Miss Chick and Little Miss Poultry
Days pageant, vendors, games, rides, exhibits, and a 5K. The festival
is held at 459 S. Center St. in Versailles. For more information, visit
www.versaillespoultrydays.com.
Main Street Greenville’s Hometown Holiday Horse Parade is quickly
becoming one of the premier holiday events in the state of Ohio,
attracting several thousand residents and guests to downtown
Greenville. The parade features an average of eighty lighted horse
entries. In 2015, the parade was named “Best Parade in Ohio” by the
readers of Ohio Magazine. This year, downtown businesses have
collaborated to hold a holiday open house the entire weekend in
conjunction with the horse parade. 2017 will be the 14th annual
installment of the parade. For more information on the Hometown Holiday
Horse Parade and Main Street Greenville, call 937-548-4998 or visit
www.mainstreetgreenville.org.
The Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum’s Run for the Rails 5K is one of the
fastest-growing 5K events in the area, with over 70 applicants
participating last year. The Run for the Rails 5K supports the mission
of the Bradford Ohio Railroad Museum, which is to preserve the history
and memory of Bradford’s rich railroad history. This year’s 5K takes
place October 14, 2017. The museum is currently undergoing a $460,000
renovation and expansion, and will be available to view after the 5K
this year. For more information on the museum, visit
www.bradfordrrmuseum.org.
The Tourism Grant Program is designed to enable event organizers to be
more successful by subsidizing their marketing budgets to reach more
potential visitors. Funds are available to non-profit organizations
sponsoring special events and programs in Darke County. Grants are
awarded on a competitive basis.
“This is our ninth year of distributing these grant funds, and every
year we get better and higher quality events competing for these
dollars,” said Matthew Staugler, Executive Director of the Darke County
Visitors Bureau. “We had a lot of strong applicants this year, and we
encourage other organizations to continue to innovate and apply for the
grant next year. It’s our goal to continue to help other organizations
be successful with their events.”
To learn more about these events as well as other festivals and
activities taking place in Darke County, please visit
www.VisitDarkeCounty.org.
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