The Festus Tourism Commission heard pitches for more than $292,000 in grant requests at a Monday afternoon meeting at Festus City Hall.
The five-member commission will reconvene Monday, May 18, at City Hall to discuss the requests and award grants. Commission members are chair Pat Parsons, Rhonda Gerstner, Jeff Adams, Michelle Hohmeier and Mike Cage.
Gerstner did not attend the meeting.
Prior to the grant request pitches, Andy Held spoke on behalf of Jefferson County Growth Association about its 11th Annual Bottleneck Bridge Ride to tell the commission that the JCGA will from now on put on the event by itself, no longer partnering with the Trailnet organization. This change will allow JCGA to move the event from August to Oct. 10 to coincide with the Main & Mill StreetFest.
“It opened up for us to not be stuck in one calendar, which was putting us in August, which is, you know, hot as the surface of the sun,” he said. “Last year, it was especially.”
He said he was there to explain the changes in the event, not to request a change to a $12,700 grant the commission awarded for the event in November 2025.
“As far as Tourism funds, we’re not asking for anything more or anything less,” he said.
The following are the grant request amounts and those who submitted the requests. All those listed below attended the pitch meeting and made presentations to the commission, except the representative for Get Healthy De Soto.
■ $16,500, Vince Borgmann on behalf of the Mead on Main Viking Festival on Oct. 3 behind Four Brothers Meadery, 124 E. Main St.
■ $2,000, Shelley Otec on behalf of the Jefferson County YMCA for the Thanksgiving Day Workout Nov. 26 at the YMCA facility, 1303 YMCA Drive.
■ $16,000, Jim Berger on behalf of the Jefferson County Pickleball League for more funding to add to a prior Tourism Commission grant in order to cover $3,000 in extra expenses incurred in 2026 and for $13,000 for the league’s expenses in 2027.
■ $39,000, Justin Lenhard for expansion of the 2026 Lenhard Family Light Show held during the Halloween and Christmas seasons at Larry G. Crites Memorial Park.
■ $6,500, Ashley Martin for the Fitness NOW gym Turkey Trot 5K/10K Nov. 26 in Festus.
■ $4,890, Peggy Scott for the Leader Festus Senior Expo on June 24 at the Jefferson County YMCA.
■ $10,000, Kimberly Rushing for additional funding for the 2026 Worship in the Park concert event scheduled for Oct. 3 at Crites Park.
■ $8,600, Tom Vogel on behalf of the Festus Main Street Association for a billboard advertising campaign promoting Festus Main Street.
■ $8,100, Tricia Nelson on behalf of the Festus Main Street Association for the Ladies Night on Main event Nov. 7 on East Main Street.
■ $18,750, Vogel on behalf of the Festus Main Street Association for permanent string lighting over Main Street to promote nighttime activity at Main Street businesses.
■ $6,800, Courtney Wisely on behalf of Spotlight Community Theatre for its performances of “The Little Mermaid” July 3-Aug. 2 at Jefferson High School south of Festus.
■ $5,000, Wisely on behalf of Spotlight Community Theatre for its performances of “Little Women” starting Oct. 15-18 at the Contrarian Concert Hall & Theater, 125 E. Main St.
■ $2,416, Katie Huck on behalf of the Twin City Area Optimist Club for a fundraising pickleball tournament Oct. 11 at the Jim and Michelle Berger Pickleball Courts in Jokerst Memorial Park in Festus. The fundraiser is for a bike park to be located in Crites Park.
■ $5,200, Melody Yesberg on behalf of the Festus Main Street Association for its Small Business Saturday Adult Stocking Stoll event Nov. 28 along Festus Main Street.
■ $1,700, Yesberg on behalf of the Festus Main Street Association for its Children’s Reindeer Ramble event Dec. 12 along Festus Main Street.
■ $3,000, Denny Foster on behalf of JC Jump for its JC Jump Entrepreneurial Market in collaboration with Jefferson College scheduled for Oct. 10 along Festus Main Street.
■ $4,000, Foster for the St. Baldrick’s Shave for a Cure fundraising event to raise money seeking a cure for cancer scheduled for Oct. 10 at the Central Tap area, 10 E. Main St., Festus.
■ $30,000, Lucas Tetrault on behalf of Taytro’s for the Taytro’s Twin City Mardi Gras Parade Feb. 6, 2027, on Festus Main Street.
■ $5,000, Barb Lowry, Festus recreation and tourism director, on behalf of the city for the Mardi Gras Pet Parade scheduled for Feb. 7, 2027, on Festus Main Street.
■ $5,200, Lowry on behalf of the city for the Swingin’ Under the Stars event scheduled for May 9, 2027, in Crites Park.
■ $4,050, Lowry on behalf of the city for the Mayor’s Summer Cruise scheduled for June 5, 2027, on Festus Main Street and a car show and related activities on the Festus Public Library parking lot.
■ $4,050, Lowry on behalf of the city for the Mayor’s Fall Cruise scheduled for Sept. 18, 2027, on Festus Main Street and a car show and related activities on the Festus Public Library parking lot.
■ $16,500, Lowry on behalf of the city for the Sundays at Sunset concert series in the fall of 2027 at Sunset Park.
■ $6,025, Lowry on behalf of the city for the Santa House in Schneider Park in December 2027.
■ $60,077, Michelle Vaughn, the city of Festus finance director and the Festus Tourism Commission treasurer, for the Festus Tourism Commission operating budget for 2026-2027.
■ $3,000, Cara Ahern on behalf of Get Healthy De Soto for its Farm to Table Dinner Sept. 12 at 520 N. Main St., De Soto, a fundraiser to support the De Soto Farmers’ Market.
The grants work on a reimbursement system, so if a group awarded a grant does not use any or all of the funds designated by the commission, the remaining amount remains with the commission.
The commission funds its grants with revenue from a 5 percent hotel-motel tax charged when people stay at the city’s hotels or motels. Vaughn reported that the tax generated $367,551.55 in 2025.