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$10 M Grant to Revitalize Illinois Tourism

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Resume McHenry County Update!
Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on stimulus programs, PPP loans, COVID-19 updates, and where the county is opening up through Resume McHenry County Updates.
Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as more and more are opening up in McHenry County. If MCEDC can be of any help, please call. Forward this email to your friends and family to help get the word out!

 

Summer is ending, but tourism never takes a break

With our kids back in school (where they belong!), the end of summer festival season is rapidly drawing to a close – the Labor Day weekend that marks the traditional end will be here before we know it.
But don’t think for a moment that fun activities for all ages (and pets!) come to an end with summer. Fun is a year-round business in McHenry County, and lots of it can be found with a swipe of your smartphone!
Our friends at Visit McHenry County maintain an impressive events calendar (which you can find and bookmark by clicking here) that is constantly updated, and their website at www.visitmchenrycounty.com contains definitive lists of the best places to dine, shop, and play locally. You also can subscribe to their monthly newsletter, The Insider (click here to sign up), or download their app from Google Play here, and from the Apple App Store here.
Also, be sure to hit the Visit Chicagoland website at www.visitchicagoland.com, and the Illinois Office of Tourism website at www.enjoyillinois.com to find leisure activities all over the Chicago area and Illinois.

 

State creates tourism grant, business COVID relief grant open

Speaking of state tourism, the state earlier this month announced the creation of a new $10 million grant program aimed at helping revitalize Illinois tourism that was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant Program, funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act, seeks to not only help existing festivals but establish new ones as well.
Awards of between $10,000 and $1 million will be granted to local governments, not-for-profits, or local promotion groups. An hour-long webinar to explain eligibility and the application process is scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow, and you can sign up by clicking here.
Click here to find the application form and the notice of funding opportunity. Applications are being taken on a rolling basis, and money will be awarded quarterly until funds are depleted.
Also, the application process has opened for the state’s new $250 million Back to Business Grant Program. The program, which builds on last year’s successful Business Interruption Grant program, offers small businesses funds to help offset losses due to COVID-19 and bring back workers. Grants range from between $5,000 and $150,000 per business and can be spent to cover a wide range of costs, from operations and staff to overhead.
Most of the remaining funding is targeted at businesses that did not receive previous federal and state assistance. About $100 million of the grant funding is reserved for businesses located in areas determined to have been disproportionately impacted, which in McHenry County includes the ZIP codes for Harvard (60033) and Richmond (60071).
Click here to learn more about the grant and to formally apply. If you need application help from a community navigator, click here to find one.

 

Apple picking season fast approaching

Here at Resume McHenry County, we’re into apples as much as Forrest Gump’s buddy Bubba was into shrimp.
Don’t get us started! Apple pie, apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, apple cobbler, caramel apples, apple butter …
McHenry County, in our extremely clinical and unbiased opinion, boasts the best you-pick apple orchards in the state with almost every variety you can think of. And given the crowds of big-city people who descend on McHenry County every fall to partake, it’s an opinion that many others share.
Looking for places to take the family to pack baskets full of apples and tire your kids out with a multitude of family-friendly activities? Go to www.visitmchenrycounty.com/apples for a list of orchards.

 

Workforce Network offers on-the-job training reimbursement

Attention employers! The McHenry County Workforce Network offers an on-the-job training program that can qualify participating employers for up to 75 percent reimbursement of a trainee’s wage rate.
The program is designed to assist employers looking to expand their business and assist applicants in addressing their skill gaps. It’s a “hire-first” program in which an employer enters into an agreement with the workforce network to hire, train and retain a job seeker upon successful completion of the training.
Such programs have the benefit of reducing employee turnover, providing hands-on training, and promoting worker retention.
For more information on the IWT program, contact Pete Hall at 815-334-2773 or PCHall@mchenrycountyil.gov, or Thom Faber at 815-334-2798 or TAFaber@mchenrycountyil.gov.

 

US regulators give Pfizer COVID vaccine full approval

On Monday, the FDA gave full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
This approval is expected to increase vaccination rates, which bottomed out in July but have since picked up again with the spread of the delta variant of the disease.
Up to now, the three COVID-19 vaccines in use in the USA – Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson – have been dispensed under FDA emergency use authorization.
Getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19, and to prevent mitigations from returning. To find a vaccination location near you, please visit vaccines.gov. If you’re a business owner, you can bring the vaccine to your employees by hosting a vaccination clinic through the McHenry County Department of Health. You can apply by completing the “Request a Clinic” form available on the MCDH’s COVID-19 Vaccine Locations page, which you can find by clicking here.
The MCDH last week announced that it would offer a third COVID shot to help protect people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised, in accordance with updated CDC guidelines. You can learn more by clicking here.

 

LITH Summer Sunset Festival (and Dog Days) raring to go!

Resume McHenry County is highlighting the return of McHenry County‘s iconic attractions with the June lifting of COVID restrictions.
Lake in the Hills is the place to be in the coming weeks; they’re putting on family-friendly fare for two-legged and four-legged county residents!
The village’s iconic Summer Sunset Festival returns this upcoming Labor Day weekend, from Sept. 3 to Sept. 5 at Sunset Park, 5200 Miller Road. Visit their website at summersunsetfest.com or their Facebook page to learn more about the festival, which includes a carnival, great food and drink, local craft vendors, live music, a parade, a car show, and so much more!
And from 6 to 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, the Lake in the Hills Bark Park is hosting its Dog Days of Summer party for dogs and their humans. Guests will enjoy a dog trick show, sample dog treats, and of course, lots of fun and companionship for dogs. Tickets are free for village residents and $2 for everyone else, and people can register by visiting https://bit.ly/ParkParties.
The Bark Park is located at 9027 Haligus Road (just west of Sunset Park).

 
We hope we got your attention. We need your help reaching more McHenry County residents and businesses to share this important information about the COVID-19 response and connect them with vital resources.
Please take these four steps:
1. Share/forward to your email/newsletter contacts.
2. Post information to your website.
3. Follow us on social media (see below); share our posts with your followers.
4. If you are not on the McHenry County Constant Contact list, please subscribe here

 

Follow McHenry County Government On Social Media

Staying connected and informed is more important now than ever! Follow McHenry County on social media for regular updates on COVID-19 in our region, resources to help you navigate the pandemic, safety tips and more!

 

What is Resume McHenry County?

Resume McHenry County is a collaborative initiative being implemented by McHenry County and the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) in partnership with the McHenry County community, including cities and villages, businesses and residents. The goal is to ensure a successful reopening of our economy so that we can return to our lifestyles safely and responsibly.