Olney Chamber Seeks County Funding for Olney in America

Leaders of the Olney Chamber of Commerce made their case April 13 for county support of the city’s annual Independence Day celebration, asking Young County commissioners for $12,000 in hotel occupancy tax funds to help sustain and grow the event.

Chamber Director Kimberly Smith and board member Dan Branum presented the request, describing Olney in America as a free, family- friendly concert and fireworks event that has steadily grown over the past six years.

“This is our sixth year,” Mr. Branum told the court. “We’ve never charged for it… it’s a public event.”

Held at the Olney Country Club each year, the event features live music, food vendors, and a fireworks show, drawing what organizers estimate to be as many as 2,200 attendees.

While Olney is not traditionally a tourism hub, chamber leaders argued the event brings in visitors from surrounding communities and beyond, helping fill local lodging and support businesses.

“We don’t have a ton of tourism in Olney… but this does — we bring in people,” Mr. Branum said.

Mrs. Smith said the chamber has expanded its marketing efforts to reach cities such as Wichita Falls, Jacksboro, and Burkburnett, positioning the event on the Thursday before July 4 to avoid competing with larger celebrations.

“We’re not having to compete with these other people that have a bigger name or a bigger budget,” she said.

The timing, she added, allows visitors to begin their holiday weekend in Olney.

Organizers said the event typically costs between $15,000 and $18,000 to produce, with expenses covering staging, entertainment, and logistics. Last year’s event cost about $38,000 after booking country artist Aaron Watson.

Despite the cost, the chamber does not charge admission and does not expect to make a profit.

“We pretty much break even,” Mrs. Smith said.

Local support helps offset some expenses. Tower Extrusions has consistently funded the fireworks show, while the country club provides use of its facilities, and the county supplies a stage.

Still, Mrs. Smith said the chamber has reached the limit of what it can fund on its own.

“To take it to the next level… we just can’t afford to do an Aaron Watson or anything close to that,” she said.

Commissioners focused much of their discussion on whether the event meets the legal requirements for hotel occupancy tax funding, which must be tied to tourism promotion.

They noted the need for better data to demonstrate how many out-oftown visitors attend and where they come from.

“We need to be able to justify this as a true tourism event,” Judge Win Graham said.

Mrs. Smith agreed to explore ways to better track attendance and visitor origins, including potential use of data services and hotel occupancy information.

After discussion, commissioners approved a reduced amount of $10,000 in hotel tax funding, aligning the contribution with similar support provided to other county events.

“Give us some data and kind of go from there,” Judge Graham said in supporting the motion.

The motion passed 4-0, with one abstention.

With the funding in place, chamber leaders said they will move forward with planning this year’s event, scheduled for July 2, while continuing efforts to grow attendance and document its economic impact.

“We see this as something that will hopefully grow with the community,” Mr. Branum said.