Tomball's tourism advisory committee approved funding for a number of new city-sponsored events at its Jan. 23 meeting, including a honky tonk music festival and a two-day crawfish festival. The next step is to get the events approved by City Council at its Feb. 6 meeting, according to Tomball Marketing Director Mike Baxter.

"We hope that all these new creative events that have been developed for approval this spring will establish Tomball as a center for fun, family-oriented festivals and events and will draw tourists as well as locals into the city."

Once City Council approves funding, which would come out of the city's hotel occupancy tax funds, further details will be planned and released. The seven-member tourism advisory committee makes recommendations to City Council on how hotel occupancy tax should be used, with the Council making the final decision on funding. Baxter also received approval from the tourism committee to develop an official city mascota train engineer representing the city's founding through the railroad and its namesake Tom Ball. Tom Ball was an attorney for the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railroad, who convinced the railroad to run its line right through Tomball in 1906.

"We hope to take the character and have educational materials developed, like coloring books with stories about the city's history," Baxter said.

One of Baxter's proposed events includes a spring art walk, similar to the Art Walk, Tomball! events which debuted in September 2011 and were attended by hundreds of locals and outside visitors.

"We want the events to draw people from outside the city to come and stay in a hotel, eat in a restaurant and shop at one of our local businesses," Baxter said.