$30,000 from the Cayuga County Tourism Office will support 22 local events, programs, and community experiences taking place in the county.
The funding comes from the office’s 2026 Tourism Support Grant program. The office said the program aims to assist organizations and community partners in developing public-facing programs to encourage visitation to the county and enhance visitor experience. Themes honoring Harriet Tubman, commemorating America 250 and Freedom 2027, and highlighting the county through tourism-focused events all received funding.
“Now in its fifth year, our support grants remain a proven and successful program for our tourism partners,” said Tour Cayuga Executive Director Courtney Kasper. “The continued demand for funding was validated by the near doubling of applicants this cycle, which is a clear signal that the need is strong and growing. Supporting our partners as they develop programs that boost the visitor economy and foster resident pride is a true win-win, allowing our office to amplify their impact and extend our collective reach to a wider audience all for the betterment of Cayuga County.”
This year’s grant recipients are:
- Ward W. O’Hara Agricultural & Country Living Museum: June is Dairy Month
- Auburn Downtown Partnership: Alter Egos Fall Fashion Show
- Save Our Fourth Association (SOFA, Inc.): Fair Haven Fourth of July Celebration
- Friends of Emerson Park: Friends of Emerson Park EPIC Concert Series
- Cayuga Museum of History and Art: COMBEE: Harriet Tubman’s Legacy of Leadership with Dr. Edda Fields-Black
- Community Preservation Committee Inc. / Willard Chapel: Womba Africa Drumming and Dance at Willard Chapel
- Love’s Worth: Cayuga County Miss Juneteenth
- Team Get Right: Nas Smith Annual Youth Football Camp
- Booker T. Washington Community Center: Juneteenth Celebration of Cayuga County
- Howland Stone Store Museum: Educational Programs and Exhibits
- Friends of Fillmore Glen State Park: Fillmore Days
- Schweinfurth Art Center: Celebration of Sa:gwa yo’ Gayogohó:nǫ’ / Cayuga People Returned
- Fair Haven Area Chamber of Commerce: Old Railroad Day
- Harriet Tubman Liberation Foundation, Inc.: Canning Class
- Skaneateles Festival: Terra String Quartet at the Carriage House Theatre
- Auburn Public Theater: “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
- NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center: The Underground Railroad Today
- Auburn Cayuga NAACP: 58th Annual Freedom Fund Gala
- United Way of Cayuga County: Day of Caring & Personal Care Drive
- Authentic LeaderShift, LLC.: Leading Like Harriet: A Values-Based Transformation Journey
- Essentially Erica: A Santa Experience
- Melody’s Coworking and Event Space: EmpowerHER: Crowned & Curated in Cayuga, A Women’s Leadership, Luxury & Cultural Weekend
