Highland County Chamber Awarded $20,000 Advertising Grant For Maple Festival
The Highland County Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a $20,000 matching grant to spend on marketing for this year’s Highland County Maple Festival.
In a Jan.23rd press release, Chamber Executive Director Chris Swecker announced the grant from the Virginia Tourism Council, or VTC, through its Special Events and Festivals Sponsorship program.
“The Highland County Maple Festival is ‘Virginia’s Sweetest Event of the Year,’ and the chamber is humbled to receive this funding to share exactly why Virginia is for Maple Syrup Lovers,” Swecker explains.
“With this grant, we will be able to showcase a brand new video about our annual county-wide event, capture new high-quality still images from local photographer Laura Honaker, create new bumper stickers, advertise in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine and WDBJ online, and much more,” Swecker adds.
The Chamber will supply $14,959 in in-kind matching grant funds with local member organizations and businesses for this year’s festival, scheduled for the weekends of March 14th and 15th and 21st and 22nd.
The VTC will award more than $885,000 in matching grant funds to 88 special events and festivals during this grant round. The program is designed to increase visitor spending by maximizing limited marketing and event production dollars to stimulate overnight visitation to Virginia in 2026.
Using a hub – and – spoke tourism model to create multi-day visits, four Virginia entities partner financially to apply for funding. Those entities include Virginia cities, towns, counties, destination marketing organizations, restaurants, museums, attractions and other tourism-related businesses.
With the special events and festivals as the main lure, VTC’s program encourages visitors to extend their stays to experience Virginia Main Streets, boutique shopping, distinctive dining and historic sites. This generates significant economic impact beyond the event itself.
Swecker cites a 2023 economic study conducted in collaboration with Virginia Tech, the West Virginia University and the Future Generation University, which studied the economic effects of the Maple Festival. The study found that the festival not only attracted 28,000 visitors to the area, but generated $2.4 million in spending in Highland County.
Rita McClenny, VTO’s president and CEO, says special events and festivals are at the heart of what makes Virginia such a compelling destination.
“Through the Special Events and Festivals Sponsorship Program, we’re proud to support these experiences that bring communities together, inspire travel and encourage visitors to say longer and spend more across the Commonwealth,” McClenny adds.
The VTC will have additional grant sponsorships rounds opening throughout 2026. Organizations and businesses interested in applying may visit vatc.org/grants for more information.
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