Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor
The Warren County Winter Coalition will return $50,000 that it did not spend from the $3 million in Occupancy Tax “seed” money it received to launch Winter’s Dream at the Fort William Henry.
The Chronicle obtained a draft copy of the report the Coalition will give the County Tourism & Occupancy Tax Committee on Tuesday, May 21, at 10 a.m.
“We remain committed to continuing to repay Warren County its full investment in Winter’s Dream, so that future attractions and projects have the same initial ‘seed money’ boost that made Winter’s Dream possible,” the Coalition writes.
“While a final financial report is still being prepared, it appears that the expenses were greater than the revenues in this start-up year, owing to the major investments needed to launch the attraction. These costs were absorbed primarily by three businesses that agreed to forgo payment of their invoices: the Fort William Henry Corporation, which hosted Winter’s Dream at its historic fortress; Mannix Marketing, which handled on-line marketing and advertising; and Christian Dutcher, whose Americade operation managed the event on a day-to-day basis.
“Fort William Henry also invested about $800,000 of its own funds in improvements to the Fort, necessary to host Winter’s Dream.”
The Coalition wrote in its overview, “With the support of Moment Factory, an enhanced Winter’s Dream will return in 2024, kicking off the holiday season with an opening date during the Thanksgiving weekend.”
The full report includes data on attendance, customer surveys and impact on county tourism, citing “a significant positive effect on hotel occupancy and revenue and short term rentals in Warren County.
Winter’s Dream “generated millions of dollars in earned media, helped establish the Lake George Region as a new Northeastern destination for wintertime fun and helped foster the development of a 12-month hospitality season,” writes the Coalition.
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