PARKERSBURG -Wood County commissioners approved grant funding for two wrestling tournaments and one bowling tournament to be held here this winter and in the spring.

Dave Ashley, in conjunction with the Greater Parkersburg Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, submitted the applications for the funding through the county Innovative Grant Program. In May 2007, county commissioners doubled the hotel occupancy tax from 3 to 6 percent. At the same time, they voted to place 8.5 percent of the hotel tax revenue in an Innovative Programming Grant Fund.

Goals of the grant program include increasing overnight stays, promoting a positive image of the area, increasing expenditures by visitors in the area, enhancing the quality of existing programs and encouraging new program development. Program guidelines state grant funds are offered on a competitive basis, applications for the funding are available through the county commission.

The commissioners projected approximately $51,500 total to be in the fund.

The commissioners agreed Thursday to provide $5,000 for the West Virginia Junior State Wrestling Tournament/Wood County Junior Wrestling which will be conducted March 6-7 at Parkersburg High School.

"The tournament includes participants from across the state, and last year had 930 wrestlers," said Richard Dunbar, one of the tourney coordinators. The wrestlers range from ages 4-15.

"Eighty percent of the wrestlers will be traveling in excess of 100 miles to attend the 2-day event. The tournament is the largest open wrestling tournament in the state of West Virginia," according to the application.

"We got this event back last year and it fills nearly every hotel in the area," Ashley said.

All three commissioners voted to approve the application for funding.

Ashley asked for $2,500 for the Dec. 28-29 Bobcat Wrestling Club Mountain State Clash. The tournament is a middle school dual wrestling tournament that has been in existence for 10 years. It will be held this year at the E.L.I.T.E. Sports Center.

According to the coordinators of the event, it started out as a one-day event with eight teams in 1999 at Mineral Wells, went to 16 teams at Parkersburg South High School in 2003 and last year featured 36 teams at Mineral Wells and Blennerhassett schools. Coordinators noted by moving the event to the sports center there is the potential to grow the tournament from 36 teams and 500 plus wrestlers to 48 teams and 700-plus wrestlers and have it all in one facility.

Commissioner Wayne Dunn abstained from voting on this grant request because he is one of the investors in the sports center.

The third application was for $750 for the West Virginia Senior Classic bowling tournament which will be hosted by Pike Street Lanes on Jan. 15-17. The event will consist of a three region area for the Professional Bowler's Association.

The commissioners unanimously approved the funding for the application.