The Rhinelander Tourism Marketing Committee has awarded 13 area non-profits grants to promote winter activities coming up.
Chamber of Commerce Director Lara Reed says the committee awards grants twice a year.....
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"anybody in the Rhinelader community who is a non-profit organization who works to either host an event or has a program to draw in visitors and tourists is eligible to submit a grant application..."
She says the state requires room tax money collected from visitors be used to attract other visitors...
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"....those dollars raised as room tax, 70 percent of it needs to be used for tourism, marketing and advertising. So it's basically a circle. Visitors come in, they pay the tax, we use the tax to promote the Rhinelander community to bring in more visitors...."
Since 2006, nearly $114,000 in community grants have been awarded through the program. The next grant cycle will begin next June...
