Buy Buckeye-made: Ohio festival among the proposals to entice people to visit Hilliard

Eight proposals designed to promote tourism and attract visitors to Hilliard received funding to help them come to fruition through Destination Hilliard's inaugural Tourism Attraction grants.

While it was not possible to distribute grants to every applicant, eight proposals received a total of $36,600 to fund “innovative and exciting ideas,” said Sharon Grenier, Destination Hilliard's board president.

Proposals included an $8,000 grant, the single largest, to Ohio Arts Festivals to create a festival of Ohio-based artisans and craft makers that would be staged on Main Street in Old Hilliard.

Much is yet to be developed, including the festival's name, but co-organizer Renee Flynn said she and Judy Vitale, owner of Whit's Frozen Custard in Old Hilliard, are looking toward a Saturday in June or July next year.

"The Ohio Art Walk and Night Market" is a tentative name for the new festival and it would likely be held from noon to 9 p.m., according to Flynn.

Flynn, proprietor of Ohio Art Festivals, manages other similar shows in Ohio, including the Made in Ohio Festival in suburban Akron, now in its 11th season that last year, she said, drew about 14,000 visitors in three days.

She said vendors begin filling their schedules in January so it not realistic to try and launch a new festival this year.

But for next year, we are looking to create an "outdoor pet-friendly and family-friendly event" that will feature Ohio-based artists, craft makers, growers, jewelers, wood workers, ceramicists and other kinds of artists, according to Flynn.

She said vendors would be selected by a jury committee.

Live entertainment and food vendors are also expected to be built into the event.

"But the focus is to support Ohio craft makers (and) local commerce," Flynn said.

Other grants awarded by Destination Hilliard as part of the first Tourist Attraction grants include $7,000 to Franklin Street Creative to produce an agora marketplace on three nights in conjunction with the city’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, events; $5,000 to the Westwood Field House for marketing and merchandise associated with a basketball tournament; $5,000 to SHED Fitness to host 5K runs in Hilliard; $3,600 to the Hilliard Arts Council for staging and tent rental to expand its annual concert series; $2,500 to the Hilliard Station Baking Company to create an outdoor mural or artwork outside its location; $2,500 to Columbus Sports Card to host collectible card shows at the Franklin County Fairgrounds; and $2,000 to the Conkey Memorial Foundation to help produce a benefit car show.

More details of the proposed events are yet being refined and some proposals are to require permits from Hilliard, according to David Ball, director of community events for Hilliard and acting director of Destination Hilliard.

“Destination Hilliard sees itself as being in a ‘building mode’ at this time,” Ball said.

Tim Kauffman, executive director of Destination Hilliard, died last year and the organization was restructured in the wake of his unexpected death.

“It is refocusing its investment in this community on putting funds back into the community by helping to create new events and new attractions," Ball said.

"This will inspire more people to visit – and produce more quality-of-life amenities for current residents. All of that serves the bottom-line mission of Destination Hilliard as a driver of economic growth in the community.”

In all, 16 proposals were submitted to the board for consideration, according to Grenier.

“There were some incredibly creative ideas in the mix,” she said.

In choosing what grants to approve, the board looked at “how closely the proposals met the mission of Destination Hilliard to attract visitors, produce overnight hotel stays and promote economic development in the community,” Grenier said.

The board plans to revisit the grant program this fall, according to Grenier.

kcorvo@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekCorvo

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Ohio festival among the proposals to entice people to visit Hilliard