Latest news with #CountryJam
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Paid Parking not a concern for tourism,' says Visit Eau Claire
EAU CLAIRE — Tourism in Eau Claire should not be negatively affected if the city implements downtown paid street parking, says Kenzi Havlicek, Visit Eau Claire executive director. Havlicek spoke at an informal social event Tuesday at the Sonnentag Center, where visitors discussed the potential impact of parking fees. 'The discussion was very positive,' she said. 'There are not concerns with paid parking in the tourism space because in most metropolitan areas, there is paid parking and the rates that the city is able to offer is very competitive with other metropolitan areas.' Havlicek said that the biggest issue with visitors to Eau Claire will be ensuring there's a lot of signage and that it's convenient and easy for the visitors to utilize. 'People are used to paying for paid parking in other metropolitan areas at the rate that the city is offering it,' she said. 'It's very affordable compared to others. Right now, in the parking ramps, there is already paid parking here. What I'm saying is [visitors] are used to paying for parking beyond parking ramps as well. Visit Eau Claire does not have concerns.' According to the last compiled statistics, in 2023, visitor spending in Eau Claire was $284.5 million. 'That was up 5.4 percent compared to 2022,' she said. 'Obviously, we had a little bit of a dip in 2020, but since then it's surpassed 2019 numbers. The tourism numbers will be released by the Department of Tourism in June for the 2024 numbers.' Havlicek said people visit Eau Claire for the opportunity to get away from the big city. 'It's affordable, so people are able to take affordable vacations, get to indulge in all the fun activities that we're able to offer,' she said. 'What usually brings the visitors here is a combination of different things. Leisure, sports, and meetings are kind of the three segments we're always going for.' She mentioned music festivals like Country Jam and Jazz Crawl as well as marathons and bicycling events. 'Later in September, we are hosting the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Travel Writers,' she said. 'That will bring outdoor travel writers to the area and not only will that bring in tourism for that particular weekend, we are able to use that as an opportunity for these travel writers to write about Eau Claire and generate more tourism for the area.' City Council Member Larry Mboga, City Manager Stephanie Hirsch, and Deputy City Manager Dave Solberg were in attendance at the Sonnentag Center event. Other attendees included hotel management and staff. 'It was a meeting with a presentation,' she said. 'We gave them a tour of the Sonnentag Center and tourism updates. In addition to that, city staff provided an update on city parking. I am super thankful that the city was able to present this with tourism as part of the conversation and am looking forward to continuing to work with the city.'
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
La Grange OKs new band shell, performance area in Gordon Park
A new band shell will be going up at Gordon Park in La Grange after the Village Board last week unanimously approved a special use permit allowing the Park District of La Grange to replace the existing performance area. The project will substantially increase the size of the bandshell at one of the district's largest parks, in the northeast corner of the village. 'The Park District is proposing a significant enlargement of the bandshell structure anchored in generally the same location,' Trustee Tim O'Brien said in introducing the measure. 'With open size and similar rear design.' The current bandshell was also the result of a special use permit approved in 2013, and the new proposal includes various modifications to the site, including improved pedestrian access from the parking area to the bandshell. The Park District already took the plan to the village Plan Commission, which gave it a unanimous recommendation on March 11. Trustees had little comment on the issue, although Beth Augustine did have a question for Park District Executive Director Jenny Bechtold. 'I have a pretty good sense of the programming you plan to do and how it will change slightly by having this structure,' she said. 'Could you tell us a little bit about what you see from the Park perspective?' Bechtold spoke of the Park District's planning for the new structure as a work in progress. 'We're still kind of working through programming,' she said. 'But one of the items we're looking at is Country Jam. This summer we will not have it. We will be closed (for reconstruction). But we're looking at other events like the Country Jam, similar size, nothing too large. We can do dance recitals, senior events, so there's a host of opportunities. We've had some inquiries about rentals from orchestras and church groups, so there's different opportunities. Bechtold also assured the board that any programming would comply with village ordinances, particularly those pertaining to noise. After the vote, Bechtold spoke of the reasons for enlarging the bandshell. 'Right now when we have special events at Gordon, for example, we have to bring in a stage,' she said. 'When we did Endless SummerFest, we had to pay to have that big stage brought in. So now this is a permanent stage for us to hold different programming.' Bechtold stressed that the new bandshell also would make it possible to hold programs outside of musical entertainment. 'We can do fitness classes,' she said, noting the size of the covering. 'We can do dance recitals, senior programs.' Bechtold acknowledged the increase in the size of the bandshell. 'Right now it's 180 square feet, and it's going to be 2,000,' she said. As for the cost of the new bandshell, it will be covered by the money from the Park District's successful 2024 referendum, which gained the District $13.82 million and passed with 74% of the vote. There isn't a specific cost yet named for the new bandshell, but Bechtold estimated it would be between $800,000 and $900,000. The next La Grange Village Board meeting will be 7:30 p.m. April 7, at the La Grange Village Hall, 53 S. La Grange Rd.
