Valley organizations receive $27,000 in grants

Carson Valley organizations will receive five grants from the Nevada Commission of Tourism totaling $27,000.

A grant request, by the Carson Valley Visitor's Authority for $30,000 to advertise outside of Douglas County to attract visitors, was reduced to $10,000 from the $15,000 requested during the first half of the year due to budget constraints. The tourism board meets twice a year.

"The applicant has an extensive list of advertising requests, all of which are valid," according to the commission. "However, we are unable to fund them all. We recommend that the applicant prioritize these requests with the reduced amount recommended."

The visitors authority is seeking a total of $6,500 to hire a freelance travel writer and photographer to capture the essence of the Carson Valley.

"The Carson Valley has a lot more to offer than most people realize. The use of a travel writer will help to convey all the great things that the Carson Valley has to offer. These stories will be made available on the Carson Valley Visitor's Authority Web site and the photos would be available for use by the state." The board approved all of the $3,250 requested for this period.

The state fully funded the first half of a $7,500 grant to enhance the visitcarsonvalley.org Web site to include internal search engine, photo gallery, itineraries, testimonials, tracking capabilities, sample restaurant menus and e-mail blast capabilities.

Proposed events in Carson Valley, including a bicycle tour and a cowboy poetry and music festival also received grant money, though much less than requested.

The chamber is seeking $15,000 for the Tour of the Carson Valley - Barbecue & Ice Cream Social. The chamber asked for $2,500, but was approved for $2,000. The event included a 3-5 day bicycling tour, mountain biking hiking and a cruiser bicycle ride and expected to attract 900 visitors from outside of a 100-mile radius.

The largest grant request for the year was from the Carson Valley Arts Council, which is seeking $40,000 for the Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival to draw 6,000 visitors to Genoa.

The first event is proposed for April 2010 and backers hope it will someday rival the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Elko, which draws more than 18,000 visitors from all over the world. The festival will receive the first $8,000 in grants this year.

Statewide, the state awarded 115 grants worth more than $659,000 to help rural communities promote attractions that draw visitors and generate revenue for local economies.

"One of NCOT's most rewarding activities is to provide grants, which reap returns many times their value in visitor spending," Lt. Gov. Brian K. Krolicki, NCOT chair, said. "They enable our rural communities to advertise and promote public awareness of all the fun things to see and do in historic mining towns and the majestic high-desert landscape."

NCOT awards grants twice a year to public entities such as visitors authorities, cities and chambers of commerce, and each grant must be matched in value with local funds or labor.

Rural grants are awarded twice a year, and requests for grants are reviewed by NCOT staff and an advisory board before being approved by the commission. This round of grants was approved at the June 16 commission meeting. For more information on NCOT and the grant program, visit www.TravelNevada.biz.