TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y. — Tompkins County Legislature approved the last batch of spring tourism grants Tuesday. The awards to more than 40 local organizations give a peek at what festivities are ahead for 2019 — from community festivals like Groton Old Home Days and Dryden Lake Festival, cultural events, big downtown festivals like Wizarding Weekend, and even an exhibit about bees.
Tompkins County Area Development reviews the projects with the Strategic Tourism Planning Board every year. This spring, there were four categories including the tourism capital grants — which were awarded Tuesday night and total $200,000 for 10 projects — as well as tourism project grant awards, community celebration grants and tourism marketing and advertising grants. In total, $420,338 was awarded in the spring grant cycle.
The grants are funded by hotel room occupancy tax, which is collected from anyone who rents out a room or rooms in the short-term. That includes hotels, apartment hotels, motels, guest houses, inns and cottages, bed and breakfasts, and private homes that rent on sites like Airbnb, according to the county.
“The Tompkins County Tourism Program annually invests over $2.5 million in local hotel room occupancy tax dollars in community-based tourism to promote economic development and enhance quality of life,” a news release said.
There will be a fall round of community celebrations grants later in 2019.
The grants give a small insight into the many cultural activities and festivals that liven Ithaca all year. Below you can see what grants were awarded for what initiatives. You can sort and search this table. For example, type in “Trumansburg” or “Ithaca Festival” to see those events, or you can sort by award amount.
| Applicant | Project | Event Date | Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Science Olympiad National Tournament | 2019 Science Olympiad National Tournament | May 31-June 1 | $9,500 |
| Cayuga Lake Wine Trail | Winery property wayfinding signage | May 1-Aug. 1 | $3,000 |
| Community Arts Partnership | Spring Writes Literary Festival | May 2-5 | $3,000 |
| Community Arts Partnership | Greater Ithaca Art Trail | N/A | $1,000 |
| Downtown Ithaca Alliance | 2019 Winter Light Festival | Dec. 5-15 | $11,000 |
| Friends of Stewart Park, Inc. | Paddle, Pedal & Play Festival | Aug. 31 | $9,000 |
| Greater Ithaca Activities Center | GIAC's Festival of Nations & Gus Macker Tournament | Sept. 7-8 | $16,000 |
| Historic Ithaca | Downtown architecture tours and more | N/A | $7,000 |
| Ithaca Children's Garden | Engaging exhibits and essential signage to connect visitors to the living world | N/A | $3,000 |
| Ithaca College Office of Sponsored Research | Qinfolk Festival | QTPOC Film, Arts & Mental Health | Oct. 5 | $2,000 |
| Ithaca Festival | Silent disco | May 31-June 2 | $5,000 |
| Ithaca Shakespeare Company, Inc. | 2019 Summer Shakespeare Festival | July 11-28 | $7,500 |
| Ithaca Underground | Big Day In #15 and Naked Noise #11 | Dec. 1 & April 15 2020 | $2,500 |
| Kitchen Theatre Company | Kitchen Theatre Company Production of TRIBES | June 2-23 | $13,000 |
| Opera Ithaca | Opera Ithaca Collaboration: La Boheme with Cayuga Chamber Orchestra | Sept. 28-29 | $8,500 |
| Paleontological Research Institution | Bees Exhibit | N/A | $7,500 |
| Sciencenter | Sciencenter wayfinding evaluation and upgrades | N/A | $10,000 |
| Tea Leaves, Inc. | Ithaca Reggae Fest | June 29 | $8,500 |
| The Cherry Arts, Inc. | 2019-20 Cherry Arts Production Enhancement Funding | N/A | $4,000 |
| Triphammer Arts Inc. | Opera Cowpokes Alive! Outdoor music and dance performances | Aug. 1-4 | $3,000 |
| Wizarding Weekend | Wizarding Weekend 2019 | Oct. 26 | $3,500 |
| Community Arts Partnership | Spring Writes Literary Festival (marketing and advertising) | May 2-5 | $2,000 |
| Community Arts Partnership | Greater Ithaca Art Trail (marketing and advertising) | N/A | $2,500 |
| Community Arts Partnership | Finger Lakes Pottery Tour (marketing and advertising) | May 11-12 | $3,500 |
| Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County | Open Farm Days 2019 (marketing and advertising) | Aug. 10-11 | $4,000 |
| Discover Cayuga Lake (CTA) | New collaborations on Cayuga (marketing and advertising) | N/A | $3,500 |
| Downtown Ithaca Alliance | 2019 Winter Light Festival (marketing and advertising) | Dec. 5-15 | $3,000 |
| Hangar Theatre | More the Merrier Campaign (marketing and advertising) | Dec. 8-22 | $5,000 |
| Historic Ithaca | Downtown architecture tours and more (marketing and advertising) | N/A | $3,500 |
| Ithaca College Office of Sponsored Research | Qinfolk Festival | QTPOC Film, Arts & Mental Health (marketing and advertising) | Oct. 5 | $4,000 |
| Ithaca Festival | Silent disco (marketing and advertising) | May 31-June 2 | $3,000 |
| Ithaca Shakespeare Company Inc. | 2019 Summer Shakespeare Festival (marketing and advertising) | July 11-28 | $1,000 |
| Ithaca Underground | Big Day In #15 and Naked Noise #11 (marketing and advertising) | Dec. 1 & April 15 2020 | $2,000 |
| Kitchen Theatre Company | Kitchen Theatre Company Production of TRIBES (marketing and advertising) | June 2-23 | $4,000 |
| Opera Ithaca | Opera Ithaca Collaboration: La Boheme with Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (marketing and advertising) | Sept. 28-29 | $2,500 |
| Paleontological Research Institution | Bees exhibit (marketing and advertising) | N/A | $3,000 |
| Tea Leaves, Inc. | Ithaca Reggae Fest (marketing and advertising) | June 29 | $4,000 |
| The Cherry Arts, Inc. | 2019-20 Cherry Arts Production Enhancement Funding (marketing and advertising) | N/A | $1,000 |
| Village of Trumansburg | 2019 Trumansburg Farmers Market (marketing and advertising) | N/A | $1,500 |
| Wizarding Weekend | Wizarding Weekend 2019 | Oct. 26 | $1,000 |
| Center for Community Transportation | Streets Alive! Ithaca | April 28 & Oct. 1 | $1,400 |
| Child Development Council | Playdate in the Park | June 26 | $500 |
| Danby Volunteer Fire Company | Danby Community Day | Sept. 21 | $1,525 |
| Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers | Celebrating Dorothy Cotton's legacy in Ithaca and beyond | May 10 | $2,250 |
| Southworth Library Association | Dryden Holiday Celebration | Dec. 17 | $1,500 |
| Dryden Lake Festival | Dryden Lake Festival 2019 | July 27 | $1,500 |
| Dryden Town Historical Society | Homestead Heritage Fair 2019 | Oct. 5 | $1,500 |
| Finger Lakes Finns | Fostering Finnish Folkways | May 21-Sept. 29 | $925 |
| Greater Ithaca Activities Center | GIAC Festival of Nations | Sept. 7 | $2,250 |
| Groton Girl Scout Troop 41432 c/o Village of Groton | Groton Community Night | Aug. 6 | $750 |
| Groton Olde Home Days | Groton Olde Home Days | Aug. 23-25 | $2,200 |
| Ithaca Children's Garden | International Mud Day | June 29 | $1,500 |
| Lansing Events Committee | 2019 Lansing Community Celebration | June 6-7 | $2,000 |
| Latino Civic Association of Tompkins County | Latinx Heritage Month | Sept. 15-Oct. 15 | $1,000 |
| Multicultural Resource Center | First Peoples Festival | Sept. 28 | $1,250 |
| New Roots Charter School | Rootstock | May 18 | $500 |
| Newfield Memorial Day Committee | Memorial Day Parade and Services 2019 | May 27 | $523 |
| Town of Newfield | 2019 Newfield Music Series at Mill Park | June 12-Sept. 11 | $850 |
| Triphammer Arts Inc. | Watermusic/Dancing on the Trail | July 12 | $1,950 |
| Historic Ithaca | 2019 Tompkins County Walk and Talks | June 22-Aug. 24 | $1,265 |
| The History Center (on behalf of all TCHC partners) | TCHC community celebration | May 10 | $1,000 |
| Town of Groton | 11th Annual Verne Morton Memorial Photography Show & Contest | Aug. 23-24 | $700 |
| Center for the Arts at Ithaca, Inc., d.b.a. Hangar Theatre | Hangar Theatre New Flight Plan Feasibility Study | N/A | $12,500 |
| City of Ithaca | Six Mile Creek Trail Feasibility Study | N/A | $20,000 |
| Friends of Stewart Park, Inc. | Renwick Plaza & Cayuga Lake Overlook Design Study | N/A | $5,000 |
| Friends of Stewart Park, Inc. | Stewart Park Inclusive Playground Bathroom Building and Splash Pad | N/A | $50,000 |
| Sciencenter | Sciencenter Amphitheater Renovations | N/A | $10,000 |
| Tompkins Cortland Community College | TC3 Disc Golf Course renovation/expansion | N/A | $17,500 |
| Town of Dryden - Dryden Rail Trail Task Force | Dryden Rail Trail bridge infrastructure | N/A | $50,000 |
| Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts | Trumansburg Conservatory building compliance and upgrades | N/A | $12,500 |
| Village of Freeville | Station Park: A history-themed pocket park in Freeville | N/A | $15,000 |
| Ithaca Farmers Market | Visioning the future of the IFM pavilion as part of Waterfront Development | N/A | $7,500 |