CRANBERRY TWP —The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau celebrated its 10th anniversary Thursday by awarding 12 $2,450 grants to bureau members.

The bureau had a dinner at the Pittsburgh Marriott North to mark the occasion.

This is the first time the grants have been given by the bureau. A total of 29 members submitted applications and 12 received money.

The bureau had $30,000 for these grants.

The recepients are:

• Harmony and Venture Outdoors who partnered for the Connoquenessing Valley Heritage Trail, where the groups will create a 9-mile hiking trail encircling Zelienople and Harmony that will pass nine historical sites. They hope to eventually expand the trail to 25 miles, connecting to Hereford Manor Lake.

• Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council, supported by the Butler Parks and Recreation Department and Butler Downtown, to build a chimney swift kiosk for the trailhead at Father Marinaro Park, which will shelter birds and have informative panels with trail, Butler and historical details.

• Family Bowlaway will buy an automatic external defibrillator.

• Holiday Inn Express will construct a display board for trade shows.

• Washington’s Trail 1753 will develop a self-guided cell phone tour to provide interpretive information along the route.

• Slippery Rock University’s Old Stone House will improve marketing efforts, redesign its website and create a professional brochure.

• Moraine Preservation Fund is building a cedar sign for the group’s gift shop and information building.

• The Maridon Museum is working to establish an endowment fund with a three-year goal to raise $2.5 million. Grant funds will be used to expand exhibits, programming, and visitor experiences.

• Slippery Rock University Office of Conference Services will revamp its marketing efforts, create a video, a miniwebsite and e-blast to market a new building that features state-of-the-art banquet rooms, meeting spaces for smaller groups and a movie theater. Associations, youth groups and other targeted audiences will be the recipients of the new materials.

• North Washington Volunteer Fire Department is going to build handicap access ramps for its rodeo grounds.

• Butler Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the redevelopment authority of the city to build a new pitcher’s mound at Pullman Park.

• Butler Downtown will buy removable bollards to block vehiclular traffic on the West New Castle Street Pedestrian Plaza, as well as street furniture, a stage, sound system, lighting, planters and a mural.

• The recipients were selected by a subcommittee of tourism bureau board members.