SOUTH HADLEY — Organizers of the town’s first Showcase South Hadley event last fall say plans are in the works to bring the event back next April, after which they will decide which season is the best time to host the festival of local arts, history and culture.

John Anz and Elizabeth Wood, co-chairs of Showcase South Hadley Steering Committee, appeared before the Select Board on Tuesday to request $15,000 for the upcoming event scheduled for April 25-27. According to the proposal, the weekend-long jamboree will function the same as the first Showcase in October 2023, partnering with local businesses, artisans and schools to show off the center of South Hadley on Saturday and the South Hadley Falls on Sunday.

“I think it’s just a great feather in our cap to say that South Hadley is bringing such a cultural infusion to our town, and not just for one day, but a weekend long event where there’s plenty of opportunity to attend multiple events,” said Wood, South Hadley High School’s principal.

The Steering Committee successfully carried out all the planned events at the inaugural showcase despite the weather, Anz said. The intent was always to host more showcases in future years, he added, to highlight as many talents as the Pioneer Valley has to offer.

“With the support that we received last time, we were able to do everything we intended, weather not withstanding, and we would certainly welcome further support in addition to the other fundraising and sponsorships we would have to gain to pull this off successfully,” he said.

In 2022, the Steering Committee requested $25,000 of American Rescue Plan Act money to fund planning, music acts and vendors for Showcase. Now, the proposal asks for $10,000 less than the previous request for the next two festivals to show “greater self-sufficiency” and use the contacts and fundraising methods employed for the previous event. Select Board Member Carol Constants said she attended the most recent steering committee meeting, where she learned Mount Holyoke College will offer space and resources for the event.

While Select Board Chair Andrea Miles and Nicole Casolari both agreed they want to allocate funds for Showcase, the board put off a decision until its next meeting when members will receive a full presentation on the remaining ARPA funds and project proposals overlooked in the first round of allocations on Sept. 25. Since Showcase is requesting ARPA funds, the board wants to see what money is left before giving it out.

“I just want to make sure, because we do also have record of other ARPA projects that weren’t funded,” Miles said. “I just want to make sure we’re doing our due diligence with the ARPA funds themselves, and then decide if we need to allocate other money from another source.”

Select Board Member Jeff Cyr added that the Steering Committee can use this extra time to decide if they require more money from the town, considering they cannot come back to request more money for another two years.

“Based on what Lisa (Town Administrator Lisa Wong) and everybody is saying here, I think the board is committed to funding this beyond 2025 and if there’s more needed for the subsequent year, whatever the timeline is, by 2026, maybe that’s something to consider,” he said.