LIGONIER, PA., (Sept. 4, 2019) – The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau (LHVB) will host a Tourism Grant Chat to review the 2019 Somerset County Tourism Grant Program, Oct. 2, at the Somerset Country Club.

The event will be held at 2 p.m. All Somerset County-based tourism businesses and organizations are encouraged to attend. This event is free, but reservations are required and can be made by contacting Rachel Roehrig at rroehrig@laurelhighlands.org or 724-238-5661, ext. 101. Deadline to RSVP is Sept. 24.

LHVB Executive Director Ann Nemanic will lead the chat by walking through the program’s guidelines, application and reporting process. A question-and-answer session will follow and attendees will receive criteria at the conclusion of the event. Tourism grant applications will be available online at www.laurelhighlands.org/grants on Oct. 1, and completed applications will be due by Nov. 12, 2019.

The Annual Tourism Grant Program is funded by 40 percent of the Somerset County Lodging tax, which became effective September 2002. Awards are granted annually on the basis of merit as determined by the Somerset County Tourism Grant Review Committee and administered by the Somerset County Commissioners and the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, the county’s official destination marketing organization. Since the program’s inception, more than $4.8 million has been awarded in tourism grants.

About Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands
A magnificent mountainous region, the Laurel Highlands spans 3,000 square miles in southwestern Pennsylvania. Located an hour’s drive east of Pittsburgh, the beautiful four-season destination offers spectacular natural scenery, outstanding outdoor recreation, historic sites and attractions, family activities, and world-class resorts. Notable destinations within the region include four architectural masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright – Fallingwater®, Kentuck Knob, Mäntylä and Duncan House – Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Flight 93 National Memorial, Idlewild and Soak Zone, whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle State Park, and more.

Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Washington D.C., the Laurel Highlands can be easily accessed from exits 67, 75, 91, and 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Visitors to the Laurel Highlands can find information online at www.LaurelHighlands.org, calling 724.238.5661, www.facebook.com/laurelhighlandsPA and www.twitter.com/laurelhighlands. Established in 1958, the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.

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