Arts Montco Week is coming in September
Event will highlight the county’s arts and culture venues
The Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board will shine the spotlight on Montgomery County’s arts and cultural venues.
UPPER MERION » The Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board will shine the spotlight on Montgomery County’s arts and cultural venues when it hosts its inaugural Arts Montco Week, Sept. 17-26.
There are more than 200 venues in Montgomery County, according to the agency, including live music venues, award-winning playhouses, historic movie theaters, architecture, museums, art galleries, and gardens and arboretums.
The venues, according to the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board, normally represent about $100 million in positive economic impact, as well as “hundreds, if not thousands of jobs.”
The hospitality industry has been hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with venues impacted by extended closures, the moratorium on indoor events and capacity limitations.
“Tourism is certainly powerful in Montgomery County,” Mike Bowman, Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board president, said in a statement, adding that the industry has been bent but not broken. “Arts and culture can change us, shape us, and have a positive impact on all of our lives. We need that now more than ever, and we know that our suburbs are going to come out of this strong. Together, we’re going to work hard to use that power to turn things around, and get people back to work.”
According to Rachel Riley, spokeswoman for the Valley Forge Convention and Tourism Board, the agency has wanted to do some sort of event like Arts Montco week for several years.
“We started seriously talking about an arts festival, even if it had to be virtual, last fall,” she said.
“We knew how heavily COVID impacted our arts and culture groups with closures, etc. Many were still trying to provide virtual content or even serving their communities in some form, but either way, they need our help and
“Arts and culture can change us, shape us, and have a positive impact on all of our lives. We need that now more than ever, and we know that our suburbs are going to come out of this strong.”
support.”
Arts Montco Week will be free for arts and culture venues to participate, with no requirements for in-person or virtual programming. The 10-day event will feature a website, blog, video, public relations, and a social media campaign. Visitors can find information about the event and participating venues by visiting www. artsmontcoweek.com and on the Visit Valley Forge app.
The Valley Forge Convention and Tourism Board plans to make Arts Montco Week an annual event.
“We’re hoping people find value, and visitors come back, and even stay overnight. I think we all need the mental health benefits and the entertainment outlet for release that the arts offer us now more than ever,” Riley said. “But, this is about the future, too. The arts matter because we’ll always need creativity to impact on our towns, communities, and neighborhoods.”
More than 15 venues have already signed up to participate in the event, according to Riley, including: John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, Soul Joel Comedy Club in Royersford, Ardmore Music Hall, and Exhibit B in Souderton. Some of the other
— Mike Bowman, Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board president
venues are: The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College, Keswick Theatre, ArtTrail Detective: Exploring Art with the Artist at Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center, and a book discussion at North Wales Area Library.
She added that more venues are signing up every day.
“Arts Montco Week will highlight the people and organizations that make these incredible venues inspire thousands of visitors a year,” a press release stated.
The goal of the initiative is to help reinvigorate Montgomery County tourism’s normally robust $1.65 billion positive economic impact — including more than 25,000 jobs. The county has previously hosted Cirque du Soleil, Big Apple Circus and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
The event comes on the heels of the agency’s first-ever Crave Montco Month in July — a 31-day restaurant promotion. In addition, the county is hosting more than 30 events this summer, with an estimated $20 million in economic impact.
According to Riley, the agency saw increase in web traffic, app downloads, social interaction and engagement, during Crave Montco.
“And we’re hearing restaurants/ Montco Makers also saw that translate into foot traffic/customers,” she said. We’ll be conducting surveys to consumers and restaurants/Montco Makers so we can make it even better next year.”
More details about Arts Montco Week will be announced as the event gets closer. In the meantime, venues can sign up to participated by completing a form letting the Arts Montco team know what kind of content the venue will be offering that week.
Riley said participating venues can “join us in being arts ambassadors, and help us spread the word.”