Celebrating Heritage: Five community events awarded funding in Douglas County

Five community events will receive a total of $24,000 in funding from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council’s new Heritage Events and Celebration Fund program. 

The recipients and award amounts are:

• The St. John Mexican Fiesta, $5,667
• We Remember: Lawrence Annual Día de Muertos Celebration, $5,667
• Juneteenth Celebration 2025, $5,666
• Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation Annual Blintz Brunch, $3,000
• Vinland Fair, $4,000

Approved by the Board of County Commissioners in the 2025 budget, the Heritage Events and Celebrations Fund is a new Douglas County program administered by the Heritage Conservation Council (HCC) to support annual events that celebrate our county’s living heritage.

As supported by HCC’s strategic vision to support local heritage organizations and honor Douglas County’s under-told heritage stories, the program is designed to support event organizers for up to three years to sustain and enhance community events.

This year, $24,000 in funding was available to support the program. Of the total funding available, $4,000 was earmarked specifically for support of the Vinland Fair, a previous recipient of Douglas County Community Partner funding.

HCC received 12 applications, requesting a total of $77,815.