Chamber cancels Taste of Ellijay

News

The Gilmer Chamber has confirmed cancellation of the May “Taste of Ellijay” event this week after an email was sent out with information on the decision.

According to the Chamber, “This was not a quick or easy decision to make. Taste of Ellijay is a favorite event for locals, visitors, and restaurants alike.”

Statewide staffing issues and problems in labor have attributed to major issues across the state with numerous reports on the COVID crisis, unemployment, and other issues as contributing factors.

The Chamber said that they have tried to make the event work in many ways, pursuing efforts across the county and with individual business owners.

They said, “ We spoke with, emailed, and visited several restaurants to see what assistance the Chamber could offer in helping make their participation possible and one theme was clear: the current staffing crisis has hit our restaurants especially hard.”

It is because of this that the official cancellation came saying, “We cannot in good conscience hold Taste of Ellijay knowing that less than a quarter of the regular vendors would be able to participate, nor can we ask our restaurants to stretch themselves even thinner.”

Citizens are not happy with the cancellation, voicing opinions on the current situation. Citizens like Eric Ward who said it is a “sad state we’re in,” when speaking on staffing crisis and the effects it has.

Messages of support for both the Chamber and Gilmer restaurants are also coming as some are referencing the shutdown and saying the community will adjust again.

President and CEO of the Chamber, Jennifer Grimmer just started her position this year in February and has already taken on challenges from events planning and cancellation, severe storm damage to the Chamber building, and economic and developmental shortcomings in the economy.

In early April, the successes and efforts paid off with the announcement and permit approval for the Taste of Ellijay event. Grimmer said in a Board of Commissioners meeting that Taste of Ellijay, along with the Apple Festival, would be making their anticipated return this year after suffering cancellations from the COVID-19 outbreak last year.

Now, another crisis arises, another roadblock in the path of returning to life as it was.

This has not stopped the Chamber from its job, however. They offered another comment in their statement. Supporting a community is part of what a Chamber does and their statement continues that saying, “If you love events like Taste of Ellijay, we ask that you show that love to our local restaurants. Please extend our servers, chefs, restaurant owners and support staff kindness next time you go out to eat and remember that they are facing staffing shortages, supply chain shortages, and other challenges as we approach our busy Summer season.”

City Council returns to open events in city with approvals

News
Council

JASPER, Ga. – Plans are now in motion in the city council to return to Fourth of July celebrations in Jasper this year. While last year the city didn’t hold fireworks and had other issues due to COVID restrictions, the council is looking to return this year with a two day event on Saturday, July 3, and Sunday July 4.

According to the presentation by Leslie Miller and discussion in the May meeting of the city council, the plan was set to hold events, the parade, bingo, and celebrations in the afternoon while holding the fireworks display on Sunday along with a band playing at Lee Newton Park.

The parade will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m. this year to coincide and “kick off” the celebration with the major parts beginning around 230 p.m. City Manager Brandon Douglas said the process began months ago with planning and looking ahead. He noted that “signature events” like the Fourth of July show great partnerships between the city and other entities. He noted that there would be costs involved including staff time, stage rental, and other needs from departments like the police who help make the event work.

With that, approval for the event came unanimously with the addition for the City Manager to spend what he feels appropriate “in his limit.”

The council also approve an event in September, furthering their return to general activities and public events. This event, to be held on September 2-5, 2021, is a special event for camping at Lee Newton Park. According to the city, North Georgia Family Partners is reserving the park similar to how they have in the past in order to “accommodate camping for Jeep Fest participants to raise money for the children and families in their program.”

According to the event website, for those who don’t know, “JeepFest raises money for a variety of charities that share one thing in common….they take care of kids. Since the event is hosted by the Sheriff’s Foundation, a non-profit organization, the Board of Directors works each year to identify needs in local, state, and national youth needs to support. Some of the charities that we help include the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Homes, the Joy House, Special Olympics for Pickens County, the Boys and Girls Club, the Jasper Youth Sports Association and much more!”

As campers start showing up on Thursday, those getting ready for the event would have places to set up for the whole weekend and using facilities at the training center. The city will not be handling the security for the area, but the motion only approved permission for the usage.

Gilmer will cancel the 2020 Apple Festival

Arts & Entertainment
Festival

EAST ELLIJAY, Ga. – An email has gone out today with an official statement from the Georgia Apple Festival Board of Directors cancelling the October event for this year, 2020.

Confirming that they will allow vendor fees to rollover to next year’s event or offer refunds upon request, the Festival will be skipped in light of CDC Guidelines and rising numbers in Coronavirus cases. Though they do say they had considered holding the event under those guidelines, the extra costs and restrictions would be too much.

Read the Board of Directors’ full statement as follows:

It is with a heavy heart that the Georgia Apple Festival board of directors announces that the 49th annual Georgia Apple Festival Arts & Crafts show has been cancelled for October 2020. The difficult decision was made following the guidance of the local healthcare community, after consultation with local officials, and with extensive feedback from vendors, volunteers, and local citizens.

The health and well being of all concerned including our volunteers, vendors, and guests was paramount in the decision process. The board also weighed the additional costs and undertaking of trying to produce the event under the current CDC guidelines. It is our belief that the integrity and spirit of the event would suffer and not be profitable for vendors nor provide the type of experience that our guests have come to expect.

All vendors and other stakeholders will receive direct communication from the festival management in the coming days. We ask your patience and understanding as we proceed. Moving forward the board will explore various opportunities to celebrate the fall apple season and that safely enhance and promote Georgia’s apple capital.

We understand the far-reaching impact that this decision will have on the economic well being of our artists, our local businesses and community at large. The impact will also be felt by the two sponsoring agencies, the Ellijay Lions Club and the Gilmer Chamber. The Georgia Apple Festival is the largest fundraiser for both entities and the loss of revenue will be felt deeply by both in their effort to meet the charitable needs of the community supported by the Ellijay Lions Club and the needs of the Gilmer County business community supported by the Gilmer Chamber.

It is our deepest desire that the current health crisis facing our county, state, nation and world will be behind us and that you will make plans to join us October 2021 as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary Georgia Apple Festival.

 

 

 

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Gilmer Chamber refuses to “cancel” Taste of Ellijay

Fetching Featured, Tastebuds

Not canceled, but not the same. It seems to be a trending theme in the last two months of events like Taste of Ellijay are being amended to work around the viral outbreak, quarantines, and distancing.

Gilmer County’s Chamber President and CEO Paige Green released a video on social media three days ago speaking about Taste of Ellijay Week. Instead of one day downtown, 2020 will see a whole week of social media posts, updates, highlights, and photos of the flavors and foods that Ellijay provides.

Chamber Communications Manager Caitlin Neal said that the Chamber did not want to completely cancel many people’s favorite event of the year. Most events like this have planned “rainout days” to reschedule the event if needed, but with the sheltering and quarantining, even that day was unsure of viability. Neal said they wanted to find some option to make the event still accessible. “We just didn’t want to not have a Taste of Ellijay,” she said.

With many restaurants doing curbside, delivery, or take options. But some are also having to work off limited menus due to the situation. A natural response is to connect citizens with the event to those restaurants who are struggling through this virus or others who are just reopening.

Neal took it a step further, however, as she said the Chamber is taking all the stress out of finding a restaurant as well. Instead of the common argument asking ‘where do you want to eat?’ Neal said the Chamber has made a Facebook and Instagram filter for randomizing Ellijay’s Tastes. The Taste of Ellijay filter will get you started into the week easily, randomizing and deciding for you on where to go.

With testing a beta testing, the filter is already been viewed 11,900 times and captured close to 1,400. With the event not starting until tomorrow, these statistics are all from preview testing and beta runs.

But filters, social media, and online efforts are still not enough for our Chamber as Neal expressed plans for more outside of restaurants like chalking information on the sidewalk in addition to other ideas. The entire campaign is not only helping a favored event to survive, but also to rally citizens to support local businesses amid the Coronavirus outbreak.

As the week continues and we follow up with the event, the Chamber will be hosting and resharing posts of their own as they curate the mostly online campaign for Ellijay. Follow the #TasteOfEllijay on social media outlets for more as well.

Chamber creates new “Chalk Ellijay” event amid isolations

Fetching Featured

ELLIJAY, Ga. – Building, coordinating, and energizing a social function can be quite difficult, but doing one amid widespread quarantines and self imposed isolation is a completely different order, such as “Chalk Ellijay.”

Gilmer County’s Chamber of Commerce has taken on exactly that task as they began a new event over the weekend. After an earlier video post from President/CEO Paige Green promising to help coordinate resources and business in the time of need. But, the video ended on a very different note.

Green said the Chamber’s two locations, the Downtown Welcome Center on the Square in Ellijay and the main office just off 515 in East Ellijay, now have baskets of chalk. What they are pushing to do with this chalk is building community and a neighborhood feeling by using the chalk to “Chalk Ellijay.”

A later post offered more details stating,

“(We get by with a little help from our friends.) In an effort to help lift our community’s spirit, we invite you to chalk your sidewalk or driveway with an encouraging message, snap a picture, and post it using #ThisIsEllijay so the community can see! Need chalk? Visit the downtown welcome center or Chamber office! We have chalk inside buckets for you. (Please only take one or two and leave some for your neighbor!) want to go the extra mile? Leave an encouraging message in the driveway of an at-risk/elderly/immune compromised friend and give them a call afterwards to let them know you’ve been by. (Let’s maintain social distancing 💪🏻) We will get through this together in heart.”

Chalk EllijayThe idea of the chalk use is simple, but social media has been flooded over the last week from across the country with stories and videos of people do small things to build greater feeling and community.

From a man playing music in the common garden of an apartment complex for people to list to from their balconies to signs and gifts of people visiting elderly relatives outside the windows of their homes and apartments.

The local step is incorporating far more than just a few select groups though. The Chamber said, “We are here to support our community and lift the spirits of those around us… We have always said that the Gilmer Chamber is a family and now it is time to show our community what this family is all about!”

People are starting to take to social media, posting their own chalk art and messages, with even a few local businesses and restaurants joining in, too.

Chalk Ellijay

Don’t miss the 13th Annual Taste of Blue Ridge

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