MOLINE, Ill. — Visitors will soon be able to play the world's largest Monopoly game at the McDonough County Courthouse grounds in Macomb thanks to new funding from the state of Illinois.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office announced today it has awarded $22.5 million in grant funding for 89 projects across Illinois through the Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant program.
Pritzker's office said the grants are designed to support local festivals and attractions and drive tourism across the state. Illinois increased the funding available this year from $15 million to $22.5 million in order to support a broad range of other tourism-related projects such as attractions, museums, live performance venues, and more.
This includes:
- $100,000 for the Historic Dixon Theatre Group in Dixon.
- $40,000 for the Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau in Macomb, Ill. to purchase and install the World's Largest Monopoly Game on the grounds of the McDonough County Courthouse in Macomb.
- $478,414 to construct the National Railroad Hall of Fame in Galesburg.
- $67,742.80 for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra Association Rock Island to fund Masterworks concert series at Centennial Hall in Rock Island.
- $24,000 for Western Illinois Museum Macomb to upgrade the "Our Front Porch" space in the Western Illinois Museum in Macomb.
“Illinois is the best place in the nation to visit, and now that people are finding that out through our marketing, our tourism economy is booming,” said Pritzker. “The Tourism Attraction and Festivals Grant program has been a vital part of that success by restoring and enhancing the great events across our state that draw visitors from around the world. When we invest in projects like these - it reverberates beyond just one event or exhibit. It benefits entire communities - from small business owners who get to attract more customers to families with young children who get to enjoy all that Illinois has to offer.”
The governor's office said this new round of grants builds on $10 million in funding already given out to 40 communities across the state. Combined with Illinois’ largest-ever tourism campaign, ‘Middle of Everything,’ Illinois is prioritizing investing in our thriving tourism industry while driving millions of visitors to choose Illinois for their next trip.
The additional $7.5 million is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
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