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Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission tabled a grant request Wednesday, July 15 for the Dixie Sternwheeler.
Sheila Strickland and Bob Dailey, with Dixie Sternwheeler, asked the commission to sponsor the themed cruises they will be offering. Dailey noted that they have been doing some major renovations to the Dixie and also had a “breakdown” of the paddle wheels.
“There was a group of three ladies that went out on the lake with their paddle boards dressed as witches in the middle of October,” said Dailey. “Every year it has gotten bigger and bigger. Last year, we decided to do a boat with people in costume that went out the same time they (the paddleboarders) did. In addition, we’re looking at a dog paddle …pirate battle with a fake mast on Aug. 15 … a nighttime cruise on Aug. 27 for the partial eclipse … we’re hoping to draw more people in.”
Mark Skibowski, commission president, asked if they would mainly use the funds for advertising, which Dailey noted that they would be using them for decorations and refreshments for the cruises.
Matt Metzger, commission member, asked where they see people coming in from, and how they know where they are from. Strickland answered it was thanks to Placer.AI, and they have seen people coming from southern Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Ohio.
Skibowski noted they needed more specificity in the grant request, stating it’s a “reimbursement” and they have to match whatever they spent the money on. Strickland stated that because they did not know how much they would be spending, it was hard to have the correct dollar amounts. Kathy Ray, commission member, stated they did not need to completely rewrite the proposal, but needed it to be more detailed. The commission agreed to table this until their September meeting.
The commission also heard from Marla Schlatter, chairman of Lost Sparrows. She was asking for the commission to sponsor the 2026 Healing Childhood Trauma Conference and was asking for $20,000. Schlatter stated that Curt Thompson would be there to give a keynote, and they would be utilizing program booklets, digital marketing, tickets and paper advertising.
John Hall, commission treasurer, asked what was given last year, and County Auditor Alyssa Schmucker noted that they gave $20,000 last year, and $17,000 in 2024. Schlatter did note that they received a $15,000 gift from a donor to use specifically for marketing. Lyle Schrock, commission vice president, noted that $20,000 is a lot to give when they will maybe only have 200 people, but stated that it’s for a good cause regardless.
The commission approved $5,000.
CCAC, Convention Visitor’s Bureau Updates
Megan Davis, with the City County Athletic Complex (CCAC), said they are grateful for everything the KCCRVC has done in helping provide quality athletics opportunities and experiences for the community. She stated that the CCAC is building positive momentum and recently launched two new fall youth programs that have seen an “outstanding response from our families.”
While they have had some operational difficulties this year because of building problems and equipment “beginning to near the end of life,” they are doing a lot of planning to help get it through the season. Davis stated they have hosted several of the largest tournaments in the complex’s history and have seen 81,000 visitors.
“The Kosciusko County Community Foundation awarded us the Community Fund Grant. This has allowed us to launch the new Next-Gen Girls Fast Pitch League,” said Davis.
Cori Humes, CVB executive director, shared that Kosciusko County has welcomed 1.3 million visitors and generated over 6.7 million visits across the county. There was a growth of 13% from last year during the Fourth of July and was all around “a great weekend for Kosciusko County.”
The CVB has seen increases for visitors’ guides and e-newsletters. Lodging is up over 8%, and Humes stated that she “hopes it continues.”
The Clearly Kosciusko on the road series will be coming to North Webster and Syracuse in late July, have an updated brochure for the passports program, and is working with Dream On Studio to not only make a commercial, but also to help promote what to do after 5 p.m. in Kosciusko County.
In other business:
• Troy Phillips with Grace College asked for a $4,535 tourism sponsorship for Lake Days, which was approved.
• Sandy Hatcher, with the World Compassion Network, asked for a $3,718 tourism sponsorship for the Winona Lake Sunset Pavilion Pickleball tournament, which was approved.
Hatcher was also representing ML Community Impact Alliance and asked for a $5,500 tourism sponsorship to support A Country Christmas with Susie McEntire, which was approved.
• The commission approved the budget for 2027, which will go before the Kosciusko County Council. The proposed budget will be $1.167 million, with $562,000 to be allocated to the CVB and $240,000 to the CCAC. This will be an increase of 9.6% overall, to which Ray stated is around where she has seen projections for hotels go.
• The commission received several thank you’s for the Freedom Fest, and Mike Loher, commission member, reminded everyone to go out to the fair to support the local 4-Hers.
The next meeting of the KCCRVC will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, in the old courtroom.
