All BET on Q funds allocated with latest grant – Herald-Whig

QUINCY The Bring Events to Quincy, or BET on Q, Committee authorized $18,000 in grant funding for the 2022 Quincy Freedom Fest on Tuesday.

With this contribution, the committee has allocated all of its original $100,000 fund balance.

According to the Freedom Fest grant application, the money will be used to help fund three musical acts, as well as country music star Wade Hayes. Freedom Fest volunteers said the event also should have more vendors this year since it wont be competing with Tom Sawyer Days in Hannibal.

The BET on Q program had about $10,500 in funding available. The allocation of the remaining $8,000 would be contingent on the passage of a fiscal 2023 budget with additional BET on Q funding.

Community Development Planner Jason Parrott said last years Freedom Fest was awarded $5,000 in BET on Q funds. But because event organizers did not submit closeout surveys detailing the community impact of the event, they were ineligible to receive the remaining $1,250 of grant funding.

In September of 2021, the commission voted to not allow (Freedom Fest) to apply in the future because they had not presented that survey, Parrott said. We obviously received the application from the group, who brought it to the committee (and) the committee said as long as the survey is turned in now that (the committee) would review the survey.

The survey, which was received shortly after this, showed a $600 profit from Freedom Fest 2021 after all expenses but no estimate was made regarding hotel stays, Parrott added. Although the estimated attendance was 2,000, the event ended up pulling closer to 2,500 people.

The BET on Q committee has had multiple discussions about whether the program should be supporting the growth of local events or drawing in new events.

Quincy Mayor Mike Troup said he supports Freedom Fests efforts to grow by drawing in bigger musical acts.

Im thrilled that we have groups that are willing to do all this work and pull it together because theres nobody else thats stepped up, Troup said.

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All BET on Q funds allocated with latest grant - Herald-Whig