Spencer Applies For $20,000 Tourism Roadmap Grant

The city of Spencer has applied for a $20,000 Rural Video and Photography Asset Grant with the Tennessee Department of Tourism Development.

Spencer Mayor Alisa Farmer said the city sponsored a meeting with the state last week where state representatives shared opportunities to increase tourism in both the city and Van Buren County. She said the city will pick from the tourism assets and have the department take photos and videos of those for the city for online promotional content.

“That’s the beginning process of focusing on tourism because it brings revenue into the county and the city, and it also helps the school system as well when you get into looking at the sales tax and hotel/motel tax,” Farmer said.

Farmer said she hopes to use the grant to promote Fall Creek Falls State Park and the strong Mennonite population in the county. Farmer said she feels almost certain that the city will be awarded the full $20,000. Board Member David Chandler said the meeting was a big success.

“They said it was the most-attended meetings that they had had and we’re like the smallest county they’ve been to,” Chandler said. “There were quite a few people there. The state people were impressed that there were that many people there.”

He said he got the impression that residents of Spencer and Van Buren County are excited to work together to promote the great things happening in the area.