Greensburg, In. — The Decatur County Visitors Commission (DCVC) experienced many changes in 2018. First and foremost, executive director, Gary Herbert, retired in August. During Gary’s two-year tenure as director, the DCVC rebuilt much of our agenda, including the grant program, which significantly increased the amount of funding made available to qualified organizations in the community. The Board of Directors is very appreciative of his hard work and dedication to the job.
In December, Philip Deiwert was hired as our new Director, and the board is very energized to work with him to keep Tourism trending in this new and exciting direction.
Over the year, the DCVC allocated over $128,000 in funding for the marketing, development, and hosting of various events that demonstrated potential to bring visitors into Decatur County. This record-breaking amount significantly benefited Greensburg and Decatur County.
Also, Community Enhancement Grants were awarded to the Decatur County Fair Board ($29,000) for the installation of wi-fi at the Fair Grounds and to the Decatur Country Parks Department ($15,000) to rehabilitate baseball diamonds at the Decatur County Youth Sports Complex.
Special Events/ Festivals Grants were awarded to such events as the Decatur County Cattle Battle, the Decatur County Fall Classic golf event, Crackaway Daze, the Tenderloin Throwdown, the Caleb Brown Memorial 5K, an All for One concert at Highpoint Orchard, the Power of the Past, the Tree City Bonsai Show, the PKC Labor Day Classic, YMCA Tree City Run, the Greensburg Fall Festival, GCHS Fall Chautauqua, the Charger Holiday Classic, Bows for Blessing, the Holiday Walk, and the Westport Fall Festival.
The organization has also pledged $250,000 towards the completion of projects identified by the Greensburg Stellar Committee over the next several years. Even though Greensburg was not awarded the Stellar designation, the DCVC plans to honor that commitment and help fund projects that fit within the organization’s mission to promote visitors to Decatur County.
In December, the DCVC partnered with the Greensburg Decatur County Economic Development Corporation on a branding campaign initiative for the community.
Funding for the DCVC is provided entirely through the County Innkeeper’s Tax, which is a 5% tax collected on all overnight guest stays within Decatur County. These funds, which have strict guidelines for usage, are to assist qualified organizations with the promotion of tourism focused activities, striving to directly increase overnight lodging occupancy, or to create positive image building publicity for Decatur County.
The Decatur County Visitors Commission is made up of a seven-person Board with appointees designated by the Mayor, the Decatur County Commissioners, and the Decatur County Council. Board members are Ryan Maddux, Karen Cyman, Stephanie Hoeing, Joann Burkhart, Daniel Fayette, Laural Saylor, and Roy Middendorf . Philip Deiwert is the Executive Director of the DCVC.
The DCVC holds monthly meetings on the third Wednesday every month at 8:00 AM at the Tourism office, which is located at 211 North Broadway Street. The meetings are open to the public. Get information about grant applications by calling 812-222-8733.
