Tourism Grants For Ticketed Venues, Fairs And Festivals

Press release from Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce:

Sept. 24, 2020

New grants through the state and federal CARES funding are now available for ticketed venues, fairs and festivals in Luzerne County to assist with COVID-19 related expenses in Luzerne County. Luzerne County has designated $100,000 for fairs/ festivals and $750,000 for ticketed venues throughout the County. Details for the grant funding are as follows:

• The grant may be used to support unanticipated COVID-19 expenses including but not limited to the purchase of PPE, implementation of disinfection strategies, and socially distanced safety signs, etc. Additionally it may also cover other expenses, such as advertising costs, associated with a 2020 event that was cancelled.
• Any eligible cost incurred after March 1, 2020 may be considered for reimbursement.
• Invoices already submitted for reimbursement from other sources, such as the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency or the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, cannot be submitted for consideration.
• All grant requests will be considered that have a direct relation to the pandemic.

Fair/ festival grant awards are based on documented expenses. Proof of payment must be submitted with the application. Ticketed venue grant amounts will be allocated based upon each qualifying venue's seating capacity and overall impact on the local economy and tourism industry. All documentation should be submitted along with the completed application.


“We are extremely grateful the County has designated these funds to help some of our popular tourism attractions, namely our annual fairs and festivals as well as our large ticketed venues which usually attract thousands of visitors to Luzerne County,” explained Visit Luzerne County Executive Director, Theodore Wampole. “These funds will help lessen the catastrophic impact the pandemic is having on these popular tourism assets.”

Applications for both grant programs will be accepted until October 1, 2020 and should be mailed to:
Luzerne County Manager's Office
200 North River Street
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
The envelope should be marked "Fairs/Festivals Application" or “Ticketed Venue Application.”
Applications and supporting documents can also be emailed to: Fairsfestivalsfunding@luzernecounty.org or Ticketedvenuefunding@luzernecounty.org.

The application, along with additional information, can be found at www.luzernecounty.org.
Any questions should be directed to Ted Wampole, Executive Director of Visit Luzerne County at Theodore.Wampole@luzernecounty.org or 570-819-1877.

This press release was produced by Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.