photo by: Mike Yoder

The group Mariachi Girasol de Topeka performs during St. John’s Mexican Fiesta Saturday at St. John Catholic School, 1234 Kentucky St.

Five annual community events in Douglas County will receive funding from the county’s Heritage Conservation Council’s new grant program.

The events will receive a total of $24,000 from the Heritage Events and Celebration Fund program, which is administered by the Heritage Conservation Council to support annual events that celebrate the county’s living heritage and help them grow, according to a press release from Douglas County.

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

According to the application materials for the grant, the funding can be used for any expenses related to hosting, promoting and preparing for the events. Only events that have been established in the community and are held on an annual basis are eligible to receive funding under the program.

The application materials also say that once an event is accepted into the program, awardees may be eligible to receive funds each year if all reporting requirements are met and sufficient funds are available. Awardees would be required to re-apply for funds after five years, the materials say.

The funding for the program was allocated in the Douglas County Commission’s 2025 budget. The release said the HCC received 12 applications for the program, and that these applicants requested a total of $77,815.