A grant will help Franklin turn a few Halloween-themed events into a full day of activities that officials hope will eventually become as popular as the downtown holiday lighting.
Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism organization, awarded $27,000 in grants to 10 government entities and organizations to start new festivals, help give existing festivals more regional appeal and to develop ways to bring in tourists all across the county.
The money comes from a new tax. The grants are funded with money from the county innkeeper’s tax, which charges 5 percent on local hotel and motel stays. The tax was used to help fund the Johnson County Convention Visitor and Tourism Commission, which decided to dedicate some of the money to grants to promote tourism.
Other grants will help build and market a new disc golf course at Johnson County Park, and develop a festival dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the “Little House on the Prarie” series, and her life in pioneer times.
Grants were given to organizations who applied with an idea that would help increase local tourism and, in some cases, entice regional visitors to stay the night and spend more on food, hotels and gas in the county, said Kenneth Kosky, director of tourism.
Applicants had to detail how they would improve an existing festival, such as adding more live entertainment or adding an extra day, that would help draw in a regional audience. Applicants also have to have a plan for making the festival or program self-sufficient and able to continue without grant money in the future, Kosky said.
The overall goal is to develop an event that would draw people from outside the county, he said.
“It is a nice mix of projects that appeal to just about anyone,” he said.
Franklin Parks and Recreation received $2,500 to develop its Halloween Town. The new festival adds to a trunk or treat and pumpkin-themed 5K the city plans every year at the end of October.
Now, people will be able to spend an entire day downtown with hayrides, stories on the courthouse lawn, shopping and trick-or-treating in businesses downtown and grabbing a bite to eat in Franklin, said Holly Johnston, community events and program director for the parks department.
People from all across central Indiana already visit downtown Franklin for the annual downtown lighting, and officials hope this festival will have the same type of draw, she said.
“We hope to get it out there to all of central Indiana,” Johnston said. “It is fun to share Franklin with others.”
Tourists who come and spend the day in the county spend an estimated $50 in food, gas and other items. Overnight visitors spend about $100, which is why drawing people regionally is important to the economy of the county, Kosky said.
“Every person who comes into our county is spending money,” he said.
Some of the grants are being used for festivals focused on a specific audience, with the hope of drawing people from all over into a unique event in Johnson County and enticing them to stay. For example, a movie festival at the Artcraft Theatre received a grant to show classic films in their original format, which could draw movie aficionados into the county for a few days, Kosky said.
The Trafalgar branch of the Johnson County Public Library received $2,500 to host a Little Library on the Prairie pioneer festival. The “Little House on the Prairie” book series is still popular, and a themed festival is likely to pull in people from across the region, said Sarah Taylor, programming manager for the Johnson County Public Library.
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Here are the organizations that received grants from Festival Country Indiana to help boost local tourism:
Artcraft Theatre Film Festival: $2,500
Aspire Johnson County activity book for children: $2,500
Franklin Parks Halloween Town: $2,500
Johnson County Parks disc golf course construction: $5,000, and marketing, $2,500.
Discover Downtown Franklin brochures: $1,000
Greenwood Parks summer concert series adult night: $2,500
Bargersville Harvest Moon Festival: $2,500
Funny Farm Petcare monthly farmers market for pets: $1,000
Johnson County Public Library Little Library on the Prairie pioneer festival: $2,500
Edinburgh Fall Festival: $2,500.
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