Lomira Tourism Commission Allocates Funds for Advertising and Attractions

The Village of Lomira Tourism Commission met on Wednesday, February 26, to discuss the allocation of the promotional fund in 2025.
“The purpose of the promotional fund is to promote travel... and the village,” explained Administrator-Clerk-Treasurer Jenna Rhein. “So before 2017, it was a requirement that if you had a hotel or a promotional fund, you had to spend 59% of that revenue on advertising for the municipality, not for the hotel. You would advertise in magazines, papers, everything. But then they changed the rule on that. You can develop a tourism commission, and then the tourism commission allocates 51% of the funds that are in a promotional fund. They can direct that to advertising the village, promoting events, that type of thing. 49% is under the village board’s control for promoting the village.”
In the past, funds have been allocated to projects, such as the village entrance signs and the dog park, along with yearly expenses.
Items on the agenda were allocating funds to the annual installation of Christmas decorations and buying new ones, the Fond du Lac Symphonic Band performance at Sterr Park, and reimbursing Lomira Inn & Suites for marketing and property improvement expenditures.
“One year, we gave $1,000 for the [hotel’s] interstate signage,” said Rhein.

“There is a [$1,000] yearly expense on that to have it there,” elaborated hotel owner and commission member Jenny Roedig. “So having that up there [is an expense] along with other marketing expenses to get out there. We are doing well with the three wedding venues in the area... I am reaching out to people not just, you know, Lomira’s three wedding venues but within a decent driving distance. They are coming here to stay with us, especially after the remodel.”
“We have a Facebook page,” added Roedig. “Every day at 5 o’clock, we pay for our ads going out, and it’s a different one every day.”
Later in the meeting, Augie Luedtke motioned to allocate $3,000 to Lomira Inn & Suites for interstate signage expenses and other advertising, which passed unanimously.
The Tourism Commission also discussed allocating funds to new projects. Dave Luedtke inquired about adding dog park signage to the roads.
“I think if we want signs for the dog park, we want signs for, you know, how cities have ‘Aquatic Center this way,’ ‘Sterr Park this way,’ ‘Dog Park this way,’ we should look into that,” stated Dave Luedtke. “I just think that would be a good thing to accent what we have to offer here.”
“I like that idea, but the question I have is, what is the state going to say about putting more signage on our state highway?” asked Augie Luedtke. “I know through the years that’s come up so often.”
Rhein responded, “The only thing could be adding something down on Pleasant Hill Avenue further, almost by Springfield Church. Something that says, ‘Lomira Athletic Fields, Dog Park, Dumpsite.’ Something like that to steer people down the road, but it would have to be located, probably, more by Springfield Church or by the homes there and more set back off of the highway.”
Don Luedtke made a motion to allocate $1,000 to Christmas decorations, $1,600 to the Fond du Lac Symphonic Band, and $1,000 for dog park signage, which passed unanimously.