Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson presented the Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend with a cheque for just over $178,000 Thursday from the Celebrate Ontario program.
Thompson said the goal of the Celebrate Ontario program is to encourage people to travel across Ontario and in particular, to smaller rural communities like Huron County.
Drayton Entertainment operates the Huron Country Playhouse and Artistic Director Alex Mustakas said the Celebrate Ontario funding did exactly what they hoped it would do this spring.
"It enhanced our production values, but it also allowed us to lure a big Hollywood star to our production of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' and that was Cindy Williams of 'Laverne and Shirley' fame," he said. "It lured over 10,000 patrons to our opening production, of which over 83 per cent were tourists under the Ontario definition of tourism, of more than forty kilometres away."
Lisa Thompson said the Huron Country Playhouse is just one example of what Huron and Bruce have to offer.
"There also is an opportunity to celebrate theatre in Blyth, you'll be hearing about that announcement, as well as Music in the Fields in Lucknow," she said.