Marshall County Tourism Commission awards $7,500 to Culver Visitors Center for guide and map project

The Marshall County Tourism Commission met Tuesday afternoon at the County Building in Plymouth, approving a $7,500 grant to the Culver Lake Maxinkuckee Visitor's Center to fund the creation of a visitor's guide and map — while tabling larger requests for further discussion later this fall.

The commission, with six members present representing Plymouth, Culver, Bremen, Argos, and the Marshall County Blueberry Festival, heard a $50,000 funding request from Tracy Gordan, the new Executive Director of the Culver Lake Maxinkuckee Visitors Center. The request was broken down into three areas: $15,000 for wayfinding signage, $15,000 for a visitor's guide and maps, and $20,000 for event programming.

Gordan explained that the proposed wayfinding signage would help connect uptown and downtown Culver through a series of informational stations featuring QR codes linking visitors to details on local restaurants, parks, the beach, and shopping. The visitors’ guide would include a map and event listings, with plans to distribute them through Vrbo, Airbnb, and other short-term rentals in Culver, as well as at locations throughout the county frequented by visitors.

Commission members expressed enthusiasm about the visitor's guide concept but raised questions about the signage request, noting that their primary goal is "heads in beds" and that signage didn't align well with that model. Members also suggested that event marketing efforts be directed through Visit Marshall County.

The visitor's guide, however, generated significant excitement. Commission members discussed using Culver as a prototype and then expanding the concept to create similar guides for other communities throughout Marshall County, which could be distributed countywide.

Another idea that drew praise was Gordon's proposal to bring all short-term rental operators in Culver together for an informational meeting, providing them with visitor guides to place in their rental units — a grassroots approach to reaching tourists where they stay.

Following discussion, the commission unanimously approved a $7,500 grant to cover a graphic designer, printing, and production costs for the map and visitor's guide.

The commission's next meeting is set for Wednesday, September 9, at 4:30 p.m. in the second-floor meeting room of the County Building, where members will consider a funding request from The REES Theatre. The commission will also meet on October 22, at which time the Culver Lake Maxinkuckee Visitor's Center is expected to return with additional details on its remaining requests.

The commission noted that one board seat remains open and that members are working to secure a representative from Bourbon.