PROVO — America's Freedom Festival at Provo will receive an additional $40,000 of restaurant tax money from the Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau to cover advertising expenses for this year's festival events.
The newly privatized bureau originally pledged $10,000 to help fund the Freedom Festival — a figure well below the $33,000 the Utah County Commission gave the festival last year and far under the $75,000 requested by festival organizers for this year's events.
Utah County commissioners agreed to funnel $40,000 of restaurant tax money into the bureau's budget, enabling it to donate more to the festival for advertising, which will include promotions for the tourism bureau and Utah County cities.
The final figure is still $25,000 less than what festival organizers requested, but associate festival director Taylor McDonald said that the festival will make do, thanks to some additional volunteer services that will be provided by the bureau.
Tickets are still on sale for the festival's main event, Stadium of Fire, which will be held at Brigham Young University's LaVell Edwards Stadium on July 3 and will feature country singer Reba McEntire and conservative talk show host Sean Hannity.