The Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors put aside its policy for applications for event sponsorship to approve $1,610 to help the second Magnolia State Fiber Festival coming to the Lady Luck Casino May 30.
VCVB’s policy requires that sponsorship requests be made 90 days in advance of an event. The festival organizers’ request arrived at the bureau May 15. The organization did not seek sponsorship for its first event in 2013.
No one from the organization was at the meeting, but according to the application, an estimated 260 people, 60 vendors and 27 instructors who will hold programs on knitting, crochet, rug hooking and other crafts are expected at the festival, which will run through May 31.
Organizers added in the application they expect to stay at the Lady Luck until the program generates larger participation and then move to the Vicksburg Convention Center.
VCVB executive director Bill Seratt recommended approving the request.
“Part of our mission is to bring new activities to the area,” he said. “This has the potential to grow, and we need more weekend events. We need to go with a leap of faith and help someone get started.”
In other action, the board:
• Learned hospitality tax revenue for May $110,914.42, up about $7,553 from May 2013. The VCVB is supported by a 1 percent countywide sales tax levied on hotel room rentals and food and beverage sales.
Sales tax reimbursements from two months behind, so the money received in May is for taxes collected in March.
The board also learned room occupancy at local hotels was also up for May by 7 percent over May 2013, 62.7 percent to 55.7 percent.