Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival Wins Best Event Award

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The Cartersville Downtown Development Authority & Main Street Program received one of the first ever Awards of Association Excellence from the Historic High Country Travel Association.

Recognized for the work in planning and executing the second annual Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival held in October 2014, HHCTA President Tom Shinall announced earlier this month that the agency received the award for Best Event with Attendance of 2,500 or More.

Established in 2014 under former HHCTA President and Cartersville DDA Manager Tara Currier, the HHCTA Awards of Excellence are a way to recognize, honor and promote the outstanding achievements of efforts made in the hospitality and tourism industries in the northwest region of Georgia.

Candidates must be a member of Georgia’s Historic High Country Travel Association to be eligible for nomination.

All submissions were due at the end of 2014, and a selection committee reviewed and scored all nominations.

Shinall noted it was ”exciting” to present the inaugural award to the Cartersville DDA, adding the Bluegrass & Folk Festival was up agains several larger regional events.

“To come out as the winner shows that their hard work and dedication to the event did not go unnoticed,” he added. “This is a well-deserved award to a relatively new annual event in the Historic High Country Travel Association region.”

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The DDA submitted nominations for both the Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival for Best Event, and for the new downtown mobile app, for Best Marketing Effort.

DDA/Main Street Promotions Chair Lara Jeannerat said the festival started in 2013 after she and a few board members discussed the need to bring a festival of its kind to downtown Cartersville.

The first year went “well,” and the board was able to make improvements ahead of the 2014 event, which Jeannerat said attracted about 3,500 people.

The free event included two stages of entertainment, a large kid’s area, and numerous vendors. Planning for the event takes about 10 months, which she said includes recruiting sponsors for the event, establishing the marketing strategy, coordinating the logistics of setup and cleanup and arranging for volunteers to assist with the event.

“It is such an honor to have received the HHCTA Award for Association Excellence for the event in just its second year,” she added.

Planning is already underway for the third annual Cartersville Bluegrass & Folk Festival, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17.

New this year, a committee has been formed to help with the planning and implementation of the event. Organizers believe this year’s festival may attract the biggest crowds the event has seen in its three years.

In addition to establishing a Festival Zone to allow for the sale of beer and wine, the desire is to double the vendor area, and conclude the evening on the Main Stage, which will be on a brand new, covered pavilion which should be completed this summer.

Sponsors are currently being sought for the event, and more information can be found by visiting www.cartersvillebluegrass.com.

Photo: HHCTA President Tom Shinall and Lara Jeannerat. Credit: Cartersville DDA