Old Mill Farms seeks $4,000 for Christmas advertising; board asks for budget and visitor-origin data

Representatives of Old Mill Farms told the Baker County Tourist Development Council they operate a fall festival and plan a Christmas event that will include lights, a petting zoo and evening activities. They said online and gate admissions and marketing have driven growth: company materials showed about 2,034 tickets sold during the fall period this year compared with about 1,154 for fall and Christmas combined last year.

The applicants asked for approximately $4,000 to pay for social-media boosts and regional listings for the Christmas event. Board members said the request lacked the level of detail required for disbursing public funds and asked the organizers to submit a comprehensive budget showing total income and expenses, itemized advertising costs (with receipts for already-spent marketing), and data on visitor ZIP codes or other measures that demonstrate how many attendees are coming from outside Baker County.

Applicants agreed to work with staff to provide the requested budget and to add the county logo to ongoing ads as a condition of future consideration. Applicant Sabrina Thrift said, "We are not gonna do TV anymore," and agreed to coordinate invoices with staff. The board scheduled the topic for follow-up at its December meeting, when consultant John will also present an updated tourism plan.

No funding decision was made for Old Mill Farms at the meeting; the board emphasized that evidence of out-of-county visitation and a clear budget would be required before any award.