The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Seven organizations get money for marketing
The Mt. Crested Butte Town Council gave out grants on March 18 worth $45,000 to seven local organizations in hopes of building better marketing and outreach campaigns to get people into town.
Twice every year the Town Council awards grants from its admissions tax fund, which is fed by a 4 percent tax on ticket sales in town. That money is meant for marketing local events to an out-of-valley audience and to improve on the places local groups interface with the public, such as website development.
This year the council took $35,000 off the top of its $80,000 admissions tax grant fund for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge bike race that will finish its second stage in town in August.
Summer admissions tax funds this year also went to three events being put on by the chamber of commerce: the Fourth of July celebration, Taste of Crested Butte, and the Beer and Chili Festival.
The Beer and Chili Festival, sponsored by the chamber but put on by Iron Orchid Events, got $4,500 of the $9,500 it asked for to continue reaching out to people in the drive market as far away as Santa Fe. The Fourth of July festivities received a grant worth $2,000 to bring in a band for the day. Taste of Crested Butte asked for $2,000 and received $1,500.
The Adaptive Sports Center asked for $5,000 to reach out to individuals along the Front Range who might use the organization’s services. Adaptive often connects with hospitals and other places people with disabilities can learn about what Adaptive has to offer, resulting in a group visit. But in the last year the non-profit has seen a 10 percent increase in individual visits and a 20 percent increase in revenue from individuals visiting.
“Individuals are people who might find out about us online, pick up our brochure and come to us individually. It’s a really important group for us because they’re coming to us and paying our full rate. It’s not supported by a scholarship from outside sources,” Adaptive marketing coordinator Mike Neustedter said. “These are people who are bringing money to the valley, bringing their whole family to town.” The council funded Adaptive’s $5,000 request in full.
The biggest award of the evening went to the Crested Butte Music Festival to support its continued growth in markets that reach a prime demographic for a tourist town. The festival, as it has for the last few years, asked for and received $25,000 from the admissions tax fund.
The Crested Butte Center for the Arts received $3,500 to continue its effort to bring people into the valley for events, but missed out on $1,500 it had asked for to support Alpenglow. The council agreed with an assessment by Councilmen David Clayton and Tom Steuer that Alpenglow was an event aimed at people who were already here, instead of bringing people in from outside the valley, which is what the terms of the admissions tax grants require.
Finally, the Trailhead Children’s Museum received $3,500 of the $4,000 it had asked for to continue its outreach efforts.
A grant request from San Moritz condominiums was turned down because it didn’t fit the parameters of the grant application criteria.
The council will make the grant money available immediately upon request from the successful applicants.
