August 2023

Hi Destination,

Is it already AUGUST?! It has been so much fun this summer and I hope you all have had some time to enjoy our beautiful weather!

Last week we had the pleasure of meeting with our State Park Superintendents, Eric Hyde (Peninsula, Newport and Rock Island) and Erin Brown Stender (Potawatomi and Whitefish Dunes) along with the East Central District Park and Recreation Supervisor for WI DNR, Michael Bergum. Our State Parks friends’ groups were also in those meetings. In addition, we met with our Door County Facilities & Parks Director, Wayne Spritka and Door County Parks Manager, Tim Kazmierczak along with the Friends of the Door County Parks System.

Destination Door County is partnering again with the Door County Community Foundation to administer a one-time grant opportunity for Door County’s State and County Parks. We are also providing our municipal parks with additional funding as well.

Our parks initiative will use dollars generated by overnight visitors to directly impact the conservation, enhancement and accessibility of our State, County and Municipal parks, helping make a positive difference in our local environment and community. These funds need to be used to benefit visitors as per the Wisconsin State Statute regarding lodging tax.

There will also be a challenge grant process set up for each of the individual state parks' friends groups. Destination Door County will begin to message this program throughout our marketing platforms to visitors and residents. 

Show your support by visiting the online portal for the Door County State Park Challenge Fund for each State Park Friends Group at DoorCountyCommunityFoundation.org/state-parks/.

All of our State and County Parks Friends Groups are passionate about our parks throughout the County. We are proud to be able to support their efforts and look forward to our continued partnership with them into the future.

And don’t forget to check out Ridge & Swale, a docuseries that Destination Door County helped sponsor, celebrating a legacy of conservation and community. Launched earlier this year, it really tells the story of how the Door County Community has worked and continues to work on preserving and maintaining its natural beauty and heritage. Watch the docuseries at ConserveDoorCounty.com. 

I also want to encourage all of you to get out and take in a performance at our incredible performing arts venues throughout the peninsula. Our arts community supports our increased neighborhood livability, community identity, and social well-being. It also creates a greater sense of pride and community ownership. Let’s support our local arts community!

Julie L. Gilbert CDME CTP

President & CEO

Destination Door County

Julie@DoorCounty.com

DDC Summer Outreach

DDC staff have taken our welcome center on the road to farm markets and events throughout the county. It has been a great way to connect with our visitors and residents. Look for us this month at the Egg Harbor Farmers Market (Aug 4), Ephraim Bondemarked (Norwegian farmers market/Aug 7), Door County Festival of Fine Art (Aug 12), Jacksonport Farmers Market (Aug 22), and Death’s Door BBQ (Aug 26). 

Door County in the Media

A few recent media hits for Door County include:

• The Washington Island Ferry was featured in a story in Marine Link titled, “Crossing Death’s Door Daily.” Read the story at marinelink.com. 
• The arts in Door County were featured in a story in the MinnPost titled, “An arts escape to Door County.” Read the story at minnpost.com. 
• Door County’s maritime heritage was highlighted in a story in PropTalk titled, “Death’s Door, or the Doorway to Heaven? Wisconsin’s Door County Peninsula.” Read the story at proptalk.com.

Advertising in the 2024 Destination Guide

Attention DDC Partners! The advertising contracts for the 2024 Destination Guide were sent out by mail on Tuesday, July 18th, and you should have received yours. Please open it right away and review the cover letter for important information about the 2024 Guide. 

For the second time, we will be partnering with our Agency of Record, Madden Media, LLC to produce the guide. They did a fantastic job on the 2023 Guide, so once again, you can expect exciting new content, imagery, and design elements.  

Please note two important deadlines: 

• Contracts must be received by August 23rd to ensure your place in the Guide, and 

• Ad artwork must be submitted no later than September 8th.  

We will not be able to extend these deadlines.  



If you have any questions or need help completing your contract, please contact Cathy Lynch at cathy@doorcounty.com or by phone at 920-818-1135. We will also be holding open house help sessions at the DDC office on August 15th and August 17th from 8:30 am to 4 pm. 

Community Investment Fund Grant Update

The second round of Community Investment Fund grant awards will be announced in mid-August. The first round of grants, announced in May 2023, awarded $325,251 to 8 different Door County projects. 

The next grant application deadline is Thursday October 5th and eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(6) organizations, and local units of government. Any interested municipality or local non-profit organization is strongly encouraged to schedule a meeting with the Door County Community Foundation to discuss their idea before submitting an application. Call the Community Foundation at (920) 746-1786 or email grants@givedoorcounty.org to schedule an appointment. For details about the program and to view funding requirements along with the online application, visit CommunityInvestmentFund.org.

Is the H-2B Worker Program a good fit for you?

A number of recent changes to the H-2B Visa program might make this a much more viable staffing option for Door County employers with staffing needs that "peak" during a season.

Learn more about the updates and find out if this program is a good fit for you and your business!

HEADS UP! The Deadline for 2024 H-2B Worker Applications is approaching

Employers who would like to hire H-2B workers for 2024 must begin the application process no later than October 1, 2023. This means that the groundwork for an application must be set up between now and October 1, 2023. With newly expanded opportunities attracting more business applicants, you'll want to make your first call now. (See the above update for details.)

More than 250 J-1 students helped this year!

54 local businesses were able to bring in half of this summer's J-1 Visa students to meet with representatives from the Social Security Administration at the Ephraim Village Hall, instead of having to drive them to Green Bay and back!



Since our first event in 2015, we have coordinated 16 Sign-up Days to help 1,332+ exchange visitors get their Social Security Cards. If each student had to be driven from Ephraim to the SSA office in Green Bay and back, our efforts have saved at least:

• 202,464 miles of driving - 76 miles each way!
• 8,099 gallons of gas - @ 25mpg
• 3,996 hours in the car - 3 hrs round trip.
• 7,992 hours if someone had to drive each one - and far too many headaches to count!

A sampling of the pins placed by some of our J-1 students at this year's sign-up days!

Helpful Partner Tools on DoorCounty.com

Have you checked out the partner page on DoorCounty.com? The page features helpful information such as monthly analytics reporting, board of director information, guide advertising, J-1 & H-2B info & updates, and much more. Visit DoorCounty.com/partnership for more information. 

Interested in the 2022 Door County visitor economy impact? Check out our Power of Tourism page, here. 

Missed a Destination Door County press release? Check out our Media Assistance page, here