CVB advisory board approves $5,000 tourism grant for Junior League’s Mistletoe Market

The Denison Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board voted to award a $5,000 tourism grant to the Junior League of Grayson County to support the Mistletoe Market, a three‑day event scheduled for Nov. 19–21 at the Hilton Garden.

Heather Shilling, speaking for the Junior League, told the board the event draws vendors and shoppers from across Texas and nearby states and that the group seeks the grant primarily to purchase billboard space on the U.S.‑75/84 corridor and to boost social‑media advertising aimed at out‑of‑county visitors. "We raised $65,700" at the market in 2025 and "we roughly [had] about 3,000" attendees last year, Shilling said, adding the group hopes to increase attendance to about 4,500 this year.

Shilling described how proceeds support local programs: the League provides shoes to schoolchildren, runs a prom dress giveaway, supplies food through the Lions Locker program, and operates Holiday Express, which reached about 900 students in 2025. She told the board this is the League’s first application to Denison’s tourism grant program and emphasized that funds will be used for visitor‑facing marketing to encourage overnight stays and retail spending.

Board members discussed vendor recruitment and marketing strategies; one member noted the hotel location matters for tax and tourism metrics. The motion to approve the $5,000 grant carried; the transcript records the board saying "All in favor?" and later "The grant is approved," but it does not include a roll‑call or numerical vote tally.

Next steps: the Junior League will proceed with the planned marketing activities if the award is released; the board did not attach further conditions in the meeting record.