Museum of Confederacy, partners receive grant to promote sesquicentennial

Source: The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.存倉Jan. 01--The Museum of the Confederacy is getting a little help to promote Appomattox's upcoming sesquicentennial events, thanks to a matching grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation.On Monday, it was announced the museum and its four partners received a $14,500 matching grant. The grant will be used for marketing "The Best Part of the Civil War...The End" program, which covers events and sites from Sailor's Creek in Amelia County through Appomattox for the upcoming sesquicentennial."We were all pleasantly surprised that we got that grant," said Linda Lipscomb, the Appomattox site director for the Museum of the Confederacy. She added the grant helps to market things they might not have been able to otherwise.The money will be spent on three things. The first is a new rack card listing the sesquicentennial events occurring in the region this year, which will be placed in all 11 area Welcome Centers as well as on the Sesquicentennial History Mobile, a Civil War exhibit that travels around the country.Money also will go towards developing a banner to display during the history mobile's stops this year. The mobile also will have a brochure for "The Best Part of the Civil War...The End."Grant money also will help to develop a marketing focus with Recreation News, a publication provided to government and contract workers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Recreation News will have ads as well as stories focusing on the Civil War, civil rights, outdoor adventures, as well as unique shopping and lodging options."We're glad to get the word out so when [people] are planning their trips to get out here for 2015, they'll fit us into their schedules," Lipscomb said.She said the grant is fantastic not only for the museum but for the region because it will draw people to the region where they will eat, shop, sightsee and book overnight accommodations.The museum, which is the lead partner on the grant and so listed as the recipient, will contribute $4,000 towards the $29,000 match. Through the grant, the tourism corporation儲存will reimburse $1 of every $2 the recipients spend, totaling a $14,500 reimbursement. The town of Appomattox, Amelia County and Virginia State Parks will contribute $5,000 and Prince Edward County is paying $10,000. This partnership has been together for the past five years."This is a marvelous partnership where we work hard promoting the whole region of Sailor's Creek in Amelia County through to Appomattox; we all win when we focus on the region and not on individual locations," Magi Van Eps, Prince Edward County's tourism and visitor center coordinator, said in an email. "We have two Certified Visitor Centers in the region, both of whom give directions to all of the amenities throughout The Best Part of the Civil War ... The End."This grant was one of 42 awarded to tourism sites and localities around the commonwealth, which totaled $750,000, through the Virginia Tourism Corporation's Marketing Leverage program. The goal is to help local and regional tourism entities attract more visitors by leveraging local dollars, according to a news release from the governor's office Monday.A minimum of three Virginia entities -- such as cities, towns, visitor bureaus, marketing organizations, museums and attractions -- must partner to apply for the grant.The recipients were selected based on points awarded for addressing what the grant will be used for, how it will benefit the partners and the region as well as how the recipient will track success, Van Eps said.Patrick Saylor, director of PR and marketing for the Museum of the Confederacy, said he is excited for the opportunities the grant provides."We are very pleased to receive this financial support from the Commonwealth," Saylor said in an email. "We look forward to working with our partners in the Town of Appomattox, Virginia State Parks, Amelia and Prince Edward counties, to bring new visitors to this beautiful area and its many attractions."Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Visit The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) at .newsadvance.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉