Recent word that a new sponsor has stepped up for this year’s Sweetwater Festival Music Mainstage is certainly good news for area music lovers and festival supporters — and for Milledgeville and Baldwin County.

The Atlanta-based development firm Bellamy Student Apartments, a student-marketed housing venture under construction near South Irwin Street, has pledged $21,000 for this year’s festival, slated for Oct. 25.

This is certainly good news in light of news from earlier in the year that the Georgia College & State University Student Government Association denied funding for the 2008 festival due to a budget shortfall, spawning questions regarding the status of this year’s event. Bellamy’s pledge, however, helps solidify the festival for another year in keeping with Sweetwater’s mission of highlighting musical talent and delivering it to our area.

Sweetwater, which attracts an estimated 15,000 people to the downtown area for nearly two days, is certainly a welcomed financial draw for the area, particularly this year, when city and county governments everywhere are looking for any economic boost they can get.

The 15,000 festival fans bring money into our local economy and to local businesses — eating establishments, hotels and merchandisers among others — not to mention the local and regional vendors and artists who take part in the festival each year. Festival-goers bring their wallets with them, which equals dollars spent right here in town, benefiting for our local economy.

Additionally, Sweetwater is another great way to sell Milledgeville and Baldwin County as a tourist attraction. For nearly two days, our area is on display to thousands of visitors, and we certainly hope they like what they see. Just as early explorers were drawn by the Oconee’s sweet water when Milledgeville was formed as the new state capital, here’s hoping this year’s festival-goers will feel drawn to return to the area not only next year for Sweetwater, but sometime before then.

Here’s also hoping they’ll bring friends and help share insight about our great community through word of mouth. Hopefully, it will all add up to a win-win for our community.

For the past few years, the Sweetwater Festival has served as a celebration of our rich history and culture and a link between our community’s past and present.

Kudos to Bellamy Student Apartments for its pledge to this year’s festival, and for becoming another welcomed business addition in our community. We urge others to step up to deliver with added sponsorships for this year’s festival as well. The newest Sweetwater pledge helps to solidify the annual festival’s mission, and it is certainly music to our ears.