Country Thunder, a large annual country music festival in Wisconsin and Arizona wants Myrtle Beach to be its next home starting next spring.
The Tennessee-based production company asked the city’s Accommodations Tax Advisory Board for $200,000 for the first festival, telling the board its events in other cities draw big country names – such as Toby Keith, Kid Rock and Tim McGraw - and between 85,000 and 100,000 visitors for the three- to four-day events.
But the committee Wednesday morning recommended the city not fund the festival out of the accommodations tax revenue, because the festival is a for-profit event and there are other sources of money, such as the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s for profit and they are from out of state,” committee member Debbie Harwell explained. “Some of our own people could put something similar together.”
Committee Chairwoman Mary Henry said the group typically recommends funding nonprofit events and programs, some of which have few other sources of revenue.
That doesn’t mean Country Thunder is out of luck, though.
Ultimately, the decision is up to the City Council.
City Councilman Wayne Gray said Country Thunder is the kind of event he would consider a good investment for the city.
The city also typically has funded nonprofits, but big events that could substantially enhance tourism and cultural arts are worthy of serious discussion, even if the company proposing them makes a profit from the events.
Country Thunder presents itself as a group that has experience and knowledge to book the type of talent that would justify $200,000 of the city’s money, Gray said, but the council needs to review where the event would be held, what kind of crowd it would draw, and other facets of the event to decide whether it’s a good choice for funding.
The city claims all of the accommodations tax revenue the state returns to it -- estimated at $4 million this year -- and uses that money to fund services like police and fire, beach renourishment and other tourism-related needs. It then gives grants from the general fund to many of the groups that apply for slices of the accommodations tax. This year’s requests exceed $1 million, and the committee recommended giving out nearly $800,000 -- more than last year’s peak of $756,000. Henry said she has asked the city for more money this year because of increases in accommodations tax revenue.
City Council members will likely start considering the requests after the first of the year.
Country Thunder, which has been putting on the large festivals for several years, also has booked such acts as Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney and Sugarland. Its application says most people who attend stay for the three or four days of the festivals, often camping in the area.
The group is asking the city to start with a $200,000 contribution, which would be reduced each year for three years until the city is giving $100,000. This, the production company says, is a way of sharing responsibility.
Representatives from Country Thunder were not at Wednesday’s meeting and could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Michael Price, analyst with the city’s budget and finance department, said the city could find other ways of contributing to the festival, though, through such services as police and traffic control.
Gray said there are other ways the city can contribute, perhaps not under the umbrella of accommodations tax money. Contributions could come directly from the general fund or through other services that would support the festival.
He cited the 60-day Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland as an example: It’s a for-profit group that thought Myrtle Beach would be a good venue. Instead of giving money, the city let the company use the BB&T Coastal Field parking lot at no expense.
“We felt their background, experience and event would be a benefit to the community,” Gray said.
Country Thunder proposes setting up at the former Myrtle Square Mall site and holding the festival the first weekend in May -- the same month as the city’s growing Military Appreciation.
“We still need to build out our shoulder seasons,” Gray said. “We wouldn’t need (Country Thunder) in June, July and August. If there are big-bang events that are parallel to or on top of other events, that’s going to get me more excited. That’s part of our goal for the community. We need to build our entire spring season, from mid-march to June 1.”
Holding such a large event at the former Myrtle Square Mall site, he said, makes the event even more intriguing, “because it puts all those people in the middle of town, on a site that otherwise sits vacant, and you’re going to have all those people coming and going? That’s definitely worth our discussion.”
In addition to the Country Thunder recommendation, the committee unanimously recommended the following grants:
Atlantic Stage | requested $24,000; committee recommended $7,000
Baseball at the Beach Tournament | requested $60,000; committee recommended $40,000
Beach Ball Classic, Inc. | requested $60,000; committee recommended $50,000
Beach Run Invitational | requested $14,950; committee recommended $4,000
Carolina Master Chorale | requested $30,000; committee recommended $20,000
Children’s Museum of SC | requested $90,000; committee recommended $40,000
Claire Chapin Epps Family YMCA | requested $50,000; committee recommended $50,000
Coastal Futbol Alliance | requested $170,635; committee recommended $30,000
Coastal Uncorked | requested $80,000; committee recommended $60,000
Coastal Youth Ballet | requested $24,000; committee recommended $10,000
Country Thunder | requested $200,000; committee recommended $0
First Presbyterian Concert Series | requested $12,000; committee recommended $12,000
Franklin G. Burroughs- Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum | requested $120,000; committee recommended $70,000
Gold Key Jazz Society | requested $150,000; committee recommended $5,000
Impact Ministries | requested $24,000; committee recommended $0 (referred the group to the city’s outside agency requests, typically for social-service groups)
Long Bay Symphony | requested $70,000; committee recommended $50,000
Mingo Bay Classic Baseball Tournament | requested $20,000; committee recommended $10,000
Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday | requested $40,000; committee recommended $40,000
Myrtle Beach Film Festival | requested $20,000; committee recommended $5,000
North South Game Committee, Inc. | requested $22,500; committee recommended $20,000
Ocean Front Merchants Association | requested $140,000; committee recommended $110,000
Omar Shriners | requested $60,000; committee recommended $40,000
Palmetto Havoc | requested $15,000; committee recommended $3,000
Palmetto Studios Arts Alliance | requested $60,000; committee recommended $30,000
South Atlantic Shrine Association | requested $70,000; committee recommended $40,000
South by Southeast (SxSE) | requested $15,000; committee recommended $15,000
The First Tee of Myrtle Beach | requested $28,000; committee recommended $15,000
Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild | requested $36,000; committee recommended $15,000
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