Merced group to give incentives for planning events downtown

The Merced Main Street Association has announced a new sponsorship program intended to encourage organizations to hold public events in the downtown area.

The program called “Celebrate Downtown” offers up to $500 to cover the cost of permits and insurance requirements for public events within the downtown tax district, the association said Monday.

“Our hope is that this program goes some way towards further defining downtown Merced as an arts and entertainment district, a cultural crossroads and a place for our community to celebrate together,” association Vice President Joey Essig said in a news release.

Applicants seeking the funds will be asked to present event and marketing plans for review, Essig said, and the event would need to fit into the association’s hopes for downtown. “(The event’s) got to be a good brand for downtown,” he said.

The new program is the second launched this year by the association. In August, it announced a program to offer grants of $250 to $3,000 to downtown business or property owners wanting to improve the street-facing facades of their buildings.

Merced’s downtown generally is considered the area bounded by G and V streets, the Union Pacific railroad tracks and the alley north of 19th Street. The more than 500 businesses in that area pay double taxes on their business licenses, according to city records.

Due to limited funds, the association will process applications for event sponsorship in the order they are received, organizers said.

More information and an application for either program are available on the association’s website, www.mercedmainstreet.com, under the “Programs” tab.

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 10:21 AM with the headline "Merced group to give incentives for planning events downtown."