Now that the village council has approved changes to the community grants program that will presumably eliminate requests to fund parade floats and Easter egg hunts (not that I’m against either of those diversions, mind you), now might be a good time to consider just what our town could gain by focusing $80,000 a year on arts, cultural and “other community-minded events.”
The original intention of the program, as explained by commissioners Geoff Neustadt, Marilyn Schnell and others, was to contribute funding to events that have a shot at attracting wallet-carrying visitors who would replenish the hotel-motel tax coffers that underwrite the grants.
In recent years, however, applications have veered toward civic and recreational events geared toward the hometown crowd. Commissioners also expressed concern that some recipients have taken the grants for granted instead of viewing them as a limited and occasional source of funding.
“The original intention was to give an organization money for a few years than wean them off,” Schnell said.
Some long-time residents will no doubt agree that the grants program was attracting too many applicants that fell short of its original goal. By getting back to basics, the CGC has the opportunity to encourage local and outside organizations to come up with some fresh ideas.
I’ll throw out a couple of examples; I’m sure readers will suggest others.
A movie-making contest would be a huge draw for the YouTube generation — the kids who pick up a digital recorder and knock off a short film with as much aplomb as my generation folded cootie-catchers.
It could be modeled after the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival Challenge, in which teams have 48 hours to make a film (maximum length: eight minutes) assigned from one of eight categories including action-adventure, sci-fi and musical. Other rules require the use of specific locations or landmarks. The event culminates with screenings and awards.
I’d also love to see an organization bring a First Night celebration to town. The event offers an alternative to boozy New Year’s Eve parties by co-opting downtown shops, churches and public buildings as venues for one-act plays, art shows, musical performances and other cultural attractions. Patrons buy a button which allows admission to any of the events and refreshments are available.
Think of it as Heritage Fest in the snow with fireworks. A really magical way to start the new year.
Clearly, these events might be outside the reach of a local organization, but they may be possible on a smaller scale by a partnership of several groups. Or the village Community Events department might consider an addition to its already successful calendar of HF, classic car shows and Criterium racing.
In any case, events such as these would almost certainly attract people from outside Downers Grove, not just for an evening but — cha-ching, cha-ching — for a couple of nights.
Why not use the money for both, recreational events geared toward the hometown crowd and events that have a shot at attracting wallet-carrying visitors who would replenish the hotel-motel tax coffers that underwrite the grants.
Well, for one thing, the money won’t stretch that far. Besides, anything that would attract “outsiders” would also appeal to locals.
I like the First Night idea. We could get the Bus system involved so we could libate without concern.
You mean the half empty buses I see driving around town around 5 and 6 PM?
At least I was breathing easy.
Destination type events or evenings are needed to bring people in. Something unique to the area and directly surrounding towns. Look well beyond our area for examples and find that unique event. Bikes and Ice Festival are great examples.