Business & Tech

Bucks Tourism Agency Announces Awards, Grants

Visit Bucks County celebrated National Tourism Day on Tuesday.

 

, the county’s tourism promotion agency, celebrated National Tourism Day on Tuesday by announcing award winners and grant recipients.

The event, held at the Bucks County Visitor Center in Bensalem, was one of 75 similar Tourism Day celebrations held nationwide.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

To celebrate the special occasion, the group announced the winners of its National Travel and Tourism Week Awards. Winners included:

  • Hospitality Leadership Award: Olga Rose Lopez, of 1870 Wedgwood Collection of Historic Inns
  • Guest Service Excellence Award: Michael Joyce, of Sesame Place
  • Rising Star Award: Christy Gallagher, of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad
  • Community Service Award: Skip’s Candies
  • Dedicated Partner Award: Tabitha Dardes, of Pennsbury Manor

Visit Bucks County Executive Director Jerry Lepping also announced $140,000 in awards through the 2012 Tourism Grant Program. The Friends of Washington Crossing received $30,000 and the Newtown Chamber Orchestra received $1,500. (See the complete list of grant winners below.)

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The grant program was instituted in 2008 with support of the Bucks County Commissioners to assist in the development and enhancement of non-profit tourism product and marketing, Lepping said.

Over the course of four years, more than $1.2 million in grants have been awarded through the program, he said.

Lepping acknowledged the importance of the tourism industry in Bucks County. It supports 11,000 jobs and generates $814 million in local revenue, he said.

Below is a list of the 2012 grant recipients:

Organization

 Spring 2012

Actors Net of Bucks County

$1,000

Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve

$17,500

Bristol Borough Business Association

$2,000

Bristol Cultural Historical Foundation

$1,000

Bucks County Children's Museum

$5,000

Bucks County Choral Society

$1,500

Bucks County Extension

$3,000

Bucks County Historical Society-Mercer Museum

$15,000

Bucks Beautiful

$5,000

Friends of Washington Crossing

$30,000

Historical Fallsington

$2,000

James A Michener Art Museum

$15,000

Johnsville Centrifuge and Science Museum

$3,000

New Hope Celebrates

$5,000

New Hope Chamber of Commerce

$7,000

Newtown Chamber Orchestra

$1,500

Pearl S Buck House

$5,000

Pennsbury Manor

$7,500

Quakertown Alive!

$2,000

Mission Center and Shrine

$2,500

Tinicum Civic Association

$5,000

Town and County Players

$2,000

Warwick Township Historical Society

$1,500

TOTAL

$140,000


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here