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Committee hears reports on tourism marketing, small‑business grant, trails and fair improvements
Summary
Reports included Hayward Lakes Visitors and Convention Bureau marketing metrics and a $50,000 annual county request, Sawyer County LCO EDC securing a permanent office and $25,000 Thrive grant, trail events and a new permanent fairgrounds fence.
Staff and community representatives provided a series of informational updates on tourism marketing, local economic development, trails and fairgrounds improvements.
Mindy Simons of the Hayward Lakes Visitors and Convention Bureau reported on recent digital marketing campaigns targeting families, including sponsored content with parenting publications and email marketing that produced open rates in line with industry averages. Simons said the bureau tracks engaged sessions using UTM parameters and highlighted measurable on‑site engagement from advertising clicks. She also reported a vacation‑guide photo contest and the conclusion of a fishing contest that produced more than 1,400 signups for topic‑focused email lists. Simons said the bureau’s annual request to the county is $50,000, the same amount the county has provided since 2019.
Simons described an operational safety change for the busy summer months (Memorial Day through Labor Day): the visitor center and Hayward Area Chamber coordinated with the City of Hayward Police Department and the city attorney to deploy pedestrian crossing flags at the intersection of County Road 63 and Main Street while two staff are on duty at the information center.
The committee heard a submitted report from the Sawyer County–Lac Courte Oreilles Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Lamorie (as reported by staff) said the EDC has agreed to rent a permanent office in the Lumber Exchange beginning in 2026 and secured a second round of a Thrive Grant that will provide $25,000 for small‑business assistance, including business‑planning help and tax‑ID support.
Trail and event organizers reported record attendees at Lumberjack events and described trail maintenance work including brushing and erosion control. Organizers previewed an upcoming trail-run weekend in September that will include a marathon, half marathon, 5K, 10K and relay, and a large bike race over Labor Day for which organizers estimated substantial participation. County staff also reported the fairgrounds completed a permanent perimeter fence intended to improve safety and security ahead of the county fair running Thursday through Sunday the following week.
Ending: The updates were informational; the committee did not take formal action other than to record the reports. Representatives were invited to report again at future meetings.
