The Charleston City Council approved the expenditure of $5,500 in tourism funds in two separate resolutions during its meeting Tuesday night.

Five thousand dollars went toward covering the entertainment expenses for Red, White & Blue Days that will be held on July 3 and 4. 

Mayor Brandon Combs said the city helps fund Red, White & Blue Days every year.

“We always have a concert in the park every year, and this is just us donating fund to it like we do every year to help with the expenses of the food, entertainment,” Combs said.

Combs said he is looking forward to Red, White & Blue Days.

“It’s just great because it brings so many people to town and it’s a free concert, so we usually get some good entertainment there and it brings out a good crowd and it’s always a good time,” Combs said.

The expenditure of $500 for Candy Cross 2019 was also approved.

Candy Cross was held on Oct. 26.

Combs said it is not uncommon for the expenditures to be voted on by the tourism board until after an event or after the council can vote on the matter.

“Sometimes things don’t get approved through the tourism board until a little bit later, but it was already allotted, so it was fine,” Combs said.

The $500 will go to Team Mack, LLC, who helped coordinate the event.

Team Mack, LLC is self-described as “a non profit organization dedicated to the sport of bicycle racing.”

The council also approved the appointment of Jessica Killough Meadows to fill the remainder of Jessica Kranke’s three-year term on the Carnegie Public Library Board of Trustees.

The library board of trustees supervises the administration of Carnegie Public Library and consists of nine members who serve three-year terms.

Two raffle licenses were also approved during the meeting.

One raffle license was approved for the Corn Belt Shrine Club.

The Corn Belt Shrine Club will hold an event on Nov. 16 at the Charleston Country Club that will benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children in St. Louis.

Another raffle license was approved for Citizens Against Child Abuse.

Citizens Against Child Abuse will host an event on Nov. 21 at the Charleston Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. building.

The determination of the of the winner will be done at 8 p.m. at the VFW building.

Money from the raffle will go towards purchasing gifts for children who are not part of the One Stop Community Christmas or who come into foster care after One Stop Christmas.

One Stop Christmas serves Coles, Clark, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Moultrie and Shelby counties by providing Christmas gifts and household necessities for families in need.

Each family who receives items from One Stop Christmas receives one blanket and one family game, two toys (gifts) for each child, paper supplies and cleaning products, diapers or underwear, feminine products for the teen and tween girls, wrapping paper, pajamas, dental supplies, and a traditional Christmas dinner.

The council also approved a proclamation naming November 2019 as National Caregivers Month with the theme “#BeCareCurious” in Charleston.

One reason for celebrating National Family Caregivers Month listed in the proclamation was “while caregiving can be a rewarding experience, caregivers can experience stress, poor health, and caregiver burnout.”

The next council meeting will be Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall building.

Corryn Brock can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].