|
By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
7-29-2010 Inyo County poured nearly $9,000 into the local economy Tuesday as the Board of Supervisors approved the final payments of three Community Sponsorship grants.
The Board of Supervisors approved payment of $3,000 to the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce for its amateur photo contest; $1,926 to the Inyo Council for the Arts for its Fabulous Friday Community Art Walks; and $4,000 to the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce for its Eastern Sierra Treasure Map brochure.
All three organizations received the first half of their grants in December 2009 to get their various programs off the ground, and received the second half this week, after showing the board how they had progressed.
The ICA has received a total of $3,925 for its art walks, which bring residents and visitors out for a Friday evening of live music and art, provided by local artists.
According to Museum Services Director Jon Klusmire, “the Inyo Council for the Arts has provided county staff with sufficient documentation of acceptable expenses eligible for reimbursement for the final $1,962.50 in grant funding. The Arts Council also provided ample evidence that Inyo County was prominently mentioned as a sponsor of the event.”
The two art walks sponsored by the county drew more than 400 visitors and shoppers to downtown Bishop.
According to the ICA, those in attendance were “a very diverse mix of age groups” made up of “about half locals and half visitors.”
There were about two dozen local artists participating in the events as well as 20 local galleries, shops and restaurants.
“Organizers noted that one of the primary benefits of the event for visitors or motorists driving on U.S. 395 was that Fabulous Fridays let everyone know that our community has an alive and vibrant downtown arts and business environment,”
The Bishop Chamber of Commerce received a total of $8,000 to reprint its popular Eastern Sierra/Inyo County Treasure Map brochure which highlights and directs visitors to some of the area’s popular attractions.
According to the Chamber of Commerce, the Treasure Map, which has been in print for 10 years, “has become one of the most frequently requested promotional tools distributed by all visitor centers in Inyo County.”
This year’s Treasure Map has been updated with special consideration given to several attractions in Southern Inyo, including the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery, Manzanar and the Lone Pine Film History Museum.
The Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce has received a total of $6,000 for its Photo Shoot-Out Contest, which gives amateur photographers an opportunity to showcase their best shots of Inyo.
Klusmire said that the Lone Pine Chamber has prominently touted Inyo County as a sponsor for the event.
The Chamber will be accepting entries for the Photo Shoot-Out through September.
“Currently, the Chamber is compiling the photo entries and will determine the winners this fall,” Klusmire said.
Klusmire also said that, “a key benefit to the Chamber (and Inyo County’s promotional efforts, too) of the photo contest is that entries will become the property of the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, which can use the images for promotional purposes in brochures, flyers, advertisements, Web pages, etc.”
With the 2009-10 Community Sponsorship Grants paid off, county staffers will begin preparing for next year’s round of grants, which will be awarded this winter.
|
