AUGUSTA — Kennebec Valley Tourism Council has awarded Sponsorship Support funds in the amount of $2,500 to Lake George Regional Park for the 2022 Maine’s Garlic Festival. This funding will assist in the growth of tourism in Maine’s Kennebec Valley and produce a positive economic impact on the region.
Lake George Regional Park was one of nine sponsorship recipients awarded as part of the 2022 KVTC marketing partnership program. In total, the 2022 KVTC sponsorship support application requests reached nearly $21,500.00. The organization was unable to fully fund the regional sponsorships request however, we were able to fund every applicant in some capacity. KVTC is excited to award local organizations who are helping KVTC promote Maine’s Kennebec Valley Region as a destination place with their own marketing initiatives.
According to Lake George Regional Park Director Darryll White, “Maine’s Garlic Festival, which occurs the first weekend of each October has all the components for a wonderful annual event in Northern New England. Held lakeside and surrounded by autumn foliage and rolling hills, this festival celebrates Central Maine’s local art, music, recreation, agriculture and of course, the garlic harvest.
In its third year with a one-year moratorium due to COVID, Maine’s Garlic Fest has been a great success to date, expanding attendance, vendors, activities and musical entertainment, since the outset. With plans for further expansion of the festival, the marketing grant provided by the Kennebec Valley Tourism Council and The Maine Office of Tourism provides the means to broaden outreach and attract more visitors from beyond the local region. Lake George Regional Park and the Garlic Fest committee are most appreciative of KVTC’s and MOT’s support.”
“KVTC is excited to be able to support local organizations with our 2022 partnership program. These sponsorships help provide funding for key marketing elements including advertising, printing, branding and more,” says Tanya Griffeth, executive director of the KVTC. “These past few years have been difficult for our signature events, with many events seeing an increase in cost; we are happy to say summer tourism in Maine looks strong! These funds are dedicated to support marketing efforts in some of the more rural areas in Maine. While established events can rely on word-of-mouth and brand awareness to help drive attendance, new events and destinations have quite a bit of ground to cover to pull visitors from neighboring regions.”
The Kennebec Valley Tourism Council is a 501(C)6 nonprofit group organized to manage the Maine Tourism Marketing Partnership Program grant issued by the Maine Office of Tourism and the state of Maine to each of the eight Maine tourism regions. Funds from the MTMPP regional grant are allocated for use in the promotion of tourism in each of the eight tourism regions of Maine. The KVTC board undertakes activities to promote tourism in Maine’s Kennebec Valley generate a positive economic impact for the region. KVTC is primarily funded by the MTMPP grant however, in order to receive the grant, KVTC must also contribute funds. We accomplish this by membership dues, advertising revenue and county contributions.
Named for the Kennebec River that runs down the center of the region, the Kennebec Valley is one of the eight Maine tourism regions and includes the cities and towns contained in both Kennebec and Somerset counties. The region contains Maine’s capital city of Augusta, Gardiner, Hallowell, Waterville, Skowhegan and Jackman as well as the recreational resort communities near Monmouth, Belgrade, and The Forks. It also contains a few outlying towns including Rockwood-on-Moosehead Lake.
