During a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, councilors unanimously approved six award recipient recommendations from Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) funding in 2027, totalling $45,000 of awards.
The recommended allocations included $14,000 toward the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally; $7,500 for the Nisqually Valley Spring Expo; $7,500 toward Standing Room Only (SRO) Theater; $7,000 to the Visitor and Convention Bureau of Thurston County; $7,000 for the City of Yelm’s Prairie Days activities; and $2,500 toward the City of Yelm’s Backyard Bricks programming.
Applications for the funding were accepted year round, but were met with a deadline of 5 p.m. on Sept. 1, for consideration. LTAC held a public meeting on Sept. 15, to review applications, discuss each request and determine appropriate funding amounts for each proposal.
According to applications, which were publicly available in the Yelm City Council meeting packet for the Tuesday, Oct. 13, meeting, Yelm Chamber of Commerce requested $20,000 for the Nisqually Valley Barbecue Rally. The event will take place on Friday, July 30, and Saturday, July 31.
Yelm Chamber of Commerce wrote: “Tourists flock to Yelm for this event, enticed by the promise of live music, engaging in children’s activities, captivating performances, and, of course, some of the best barbecue around. From amateur barbecue competitions to youth burger cooking contests, there’s plenty of excitement and friendly competition to go around.
The Visitor and Convention Bureau of Thurston County originally requested $10,000 for year-round destination marketing services, and claimed the funds would go toward tourism promotion and marketing activities. The funding would be utilized from Jan. 1, 2027, through Dec. 31, 2027.
The Visitor and Convention Bureau of Thurston County wrote: “EOB attracts overnight visitors to Yelm and Thurston County from 50+ miles away through an integrated, year-round destination marketing strategy, including: targeted digital advertising (programmatic display, paid social, Google Search, native advertising and video) focused on high-value drive markets throughout Washington, Oregon and other priority markets.”
Yelm Chamber of Commerce also initially requested $10,000 for the Nisqually Valley Spring Expo event, which will take place on Saturday, April 24, 2027, and Sunday, April 25, 2027, at Yelm Middle School.
The organization wrote: “The Nisqually Valley Spring Expo is Yelm’s key springtime showcase of local businesses, artisans, food and community spirit. The event draws both locals and visitors, offering a unique opportunity to experience the culture and offerings of Yelm.”
Standing Room Only (SRO) Theater applied originally for $12,000 toward programs and projects. Specifically, the money would be used for its murder mystery dinner events planned to take place in May of 2027 at Farrelli’s Pizza.
