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Kosciusko County Convention, Recreation and Visitors Commission agreed to help sponsor over $45,000 to different organizations around the county during their regular meeting Wednesday.
Sandy Hatcher, with World Compassion Network and ML Community Impact Alliance Inc., asked the commission to sponsor the Run for Hunger event. Hatcher stated that 100% of the proceeds stay within the community and are given to organizations that fight hunger. Last year, they had 262 registrations and, according to Hatcher, about 20% come from outside of the county.
Mark Skibowski, commission president, asked where they would be advertising. Hatcher responded that they would be advertising with some local radio stations, which all together totaled $3,000 for each advertising package that Hatcher was wanting to use.
Lyle Schrock, commission vice president, asked where the other $850 comes from, to which Hatcher stated it would be for targeted advertising online. The full amount was approved.
Mark Knecht, Oakwood Foundation Chautauqua Wawasee, asked for two grants for the Plein Air Paint Out program and for the Wawasee Fine Arts Festival that will be taking place in May; along with a Plein Air workshop that will take place at a different time and will show beginners of the craft what Plein Air is.
“We have a goal, and maybe we’re being a little Pollyanna in this regard,” stated Knecht, “but it’s to establish the Syracuse-Wawasee area as an artist destination. We believe the beauty, landscape and the lakes are a big draw for artists. This is a 10-year vision.”
Knecht stated that they were asking for $1,000 for both programs, which was approved.
Brittany Denney, market manager for the Farmers Market at Winona, asked for a grant of $500 to help with advertising the Farmers Market. She stated that they have seen roughly 17,500 visitors, and visitors spent roughly 3 hours, 26 minutes at the market. Skibowski reminded Denney that this was a reimbursable grant and that she needed to keep all the receipts. This was approved.
Carrie Vrabel, development coordinator for the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, asked for a grant to help fund a targeted direct mail campaign and requested $34,891. Vrabel stated that they will focus on South Bend and Fort Wayne regions, as the demographic data they received was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Mike Loher, commission member, asked why they would choose mailers instead of digital advertising. Vrabel answered that their new communication director is “up with the latest trends,” and has seen that many people would prefer this level of communication because it is personal. Vrabel also stated that the list they received is assured and accurate by the company they had been working with; and that the mailers would make it to the correct destination. The request was approved.
Scott Fox, with the North Webster Lions Club, asked the commission for a sponsorship for advertising the 80th Mermaid Festival. He asked for a $500 grant so they could work with local and out-of-county radio stations. This was approved.
Cori Humes, with the Kosciusko County CVB, gave each member of the commission who was in attendance a copy of the Visitor’s Guide for 2026. The Visitor’s Bureau will be having an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 12 for the new Visitor’s Guide.
She noted that it has been a busy quarter for them, as they have been to travel shows and working towards completing their 2026 initiatives. She noted that they have seen an uptick in the county’s overnight stays and are trending with a survey done on American travelers.
In the Visitor’s Guide, they had added itineraries for what to do during certain days, places for recreation and shopping; and a kid’s section. Humes noted that the community is becoming more accessible for everyone and in the Visitor’s Guide, it gives ways to be active in the county.
They will know if they won Best Visitor’s guide by next week and the CVB has hit 17,000 likes on Facebook.
Mike Hagy and Megan Davis, with the CCAC thanked the commission for their continued support.
Other news from the CCAC:
• They reported that the indoor youth soccer league just finished up with 14 teams and about 150 kids.
• Basketball camp has started and they have about 20 kids participating.
• The dance class has wrapped up with eight kids participating and was taught by Malori McDaniels. They are looking at it expanding.
• They did need to do some repairs as they had a pipe burst because the pump house could not keep up with the cold.
• The Kosciusko County Soccer League will start up the second week of April.
• They have two new board members.
• They are looking at painting the walls and replacing the padding in the future.
• The CCAC made a switch from Pepsi to Coke because of the donations and rebates Coke offered.
• They are working on opening park procedures and are bringing back their part-time maintenance.
• The first weekend for the park will be April 10-11.
• They will be hiring for the concession stands and are looking for part-time workers.
• The first Friends of the Trail meeting was held at the CCAC.
In other news:
• Since January, the commission has paid $10,500 worth of claims and the remaining appropriation after today’s meeting was $243,159.
• Between Jan. 1 and the end of February, Kosciusko County welcomed around 100,500 visitors, which is up 5.7% from 2025.
• Skibowski noted that approval and changes to by-laws need to happen by the commissioners for them to change how they do things.
• The next meeting will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 13.
