GREEN COVE SPRINGS – After reviewing several grant applications for marketing funds, the Clay County Tourist Development Council recently unveiled a list of events and organizations it is recommending for top funding in the coming year.

Not only do the grant applicants need to detail how the grant funds will be used, but upon receiving a grant, each event must use that money exclusively for marketing itself outside of Clay County. Each year, the majority of dollars are allocated to three big events dubbed Signature Events while the money leftover is split among a number of smaller events in Clay County.

The Signature Events this year are the Orange Park Fall Festival, which will receive $15,000, the Scottish Games, which will receive $30,000 and the Clay County Agricultural Fair, which will receive $45,000. Each grant was approved at the TDC’s regular Aug. 22 meeting. The three events are funded from a budget line item of $125,000, with $35,000 to be split up among smaller Clay County events.

“There will be remaining dollars there for us to use in the event that another signature event comes through,” said Kimberly Morgan, Clay County tourism director.

From there, the TDC voted to approve another 12 smaller events whose grant totals equate to almost $28,000. One of these events, the American Junior Golf Association Junior Golf Tournament, which will bring in nearly 300 visitors to Clay County, is new grant recipient for Clay County tourism.

“We don’t really advertise it [for locals] because it brings in so many people from outside the area,” said Adam Rodgers, American Junior Golf Association representative. “We have people from all over the country come to this event.”

Morgan reminded the council before they voted to approve the grants that each events’ attendees will be looking for a place to sleep, which drives them to Clay County hotels.

After this, the conversation was business as usual as Morgan continued down the list of events set to receive grants and the amounts they were set to receive, assuming the TDC voted to do so.

Hoots for Heroes Sound-Off will receive $2,000. Moosehaven’s American Pride Fourth of July and annual Chili Cook-Off will receive $3,500 each. Keystone Heights’ Our Country Day Fourth of July Celebration and the Our Country Day Street Dance will receive $1,750 and $1,500, respectively.

The annual Christmas on Walnut in Green Cove Springs will receive $1,500 and the Green Cove Springs Memorial Day Riverfest will receive $1,500 as well. The Soul Food Festival will receive $1,500 as well. Both the Run, Rock and Roll and Calavida Arts festival will receive $2,000 each and finally, the Concert on the Green and Orange Park Kids Festival will receive $1,500 and $1,950 accordingly.

For each of these events, the TDC voted to approve these grant amounts unanimously. The meeting ended with a discussion that started with the Board of County Commissioners. According to Morgan, the BCC asked the TDC to grant a special request for the Military Museum of North Florida.

“[The BCC] requested that the Tourism Development Council consider funding a grant for nonprofits that was traditionally distributed out of the general fund,” Morgan said. [They proposed] to shift that from the general fund to the TDC.”

The Military Museum requested $10,000 which, according to Morgan, will come out of the TDC’s Product Development budget line because the funds will not be used for marketing but for development of the museum, which needs to repair parts of its building.

“My thought is, is that the $10,000 being granted on a yearly basis by the board, this is much more closer to what we do than what they do,” County Commissioner and Chairman of the TDC, Mike Cella, said. “As part of [the Military Museum’s] request, we’re going to ask for a chair on their board…”

Cella brought up the point that John Whisenant of North Star Destination Strategies, who recently brought the board their first draft of a strategic plan, said Clay County should hone in on its military history as its a major draw for visitors and tourists coming in. Because of this, and because the Military Museum of North Florida is a large facilitator of the county’s history, Cella believes the TDC should approve the BCC’s request.

After a few minutes of discussion, the TDC voted 9-0 to approve the museum’s $10,000 request.