Sweetwater Festival in final planning stages

Alexander Cain
The Union-Recorder

October 08, 2008 10:37 pm

— There’s a big red circle around the number 25 on many calendars in the Milledgeville/Baldwin County area.
Carrie Jarrett, Heather Kennedy, Charles Cruey, Lindsey Hornsby...the names may not be familiar, but the event the names are helping to plan — the 2008 Sweetwater Festival on Saturday, Oct. 25 — should sound familiar to local residents.
In 16 days, as many as 13,000 or more festival attendees will crowd into what amounts to roughly a four-block area of downtown Milledgeville — not an easy image to picture if you think about it.
Thanks to creative and careful people such as Jarrett, Kennedy, Cruey, Hornsby and others, however, this year’s festival — celebrating five years as “Sweetwater Festival” — is slowly coming together, and the good news is very few glitches have been discovered thus far.
“Everything is coming along well. I’ve been in touch with Robert Randoph & The Family Band, who will be performing at the Bellamy Music Main Stage, and they seem excited to be coming to Milledgeville,” Jimmy Holder, 2008 Sweetwater Festival Committee Marketing co-chairman, said Wednesday. “Everything seems to be on schedule and everyone seems to have a positive attitude about being involved.”
The 2008 Sweetwater Festival Committee met for more than an hour Wednesday afternoon to discuss the typical logistics, arts & crafts, volunteers and other portions of the festival that are normally discussed as part of a Sweetwater Festival Committee meeting.
Jarrett has had her attention pointed this week in the direction of the opening of the new branch of the Twin Lakes Library System, which is scheduled to take place on Friday.
Still, Jarrett took time out of her busy schedule (“She has three cell phones,” Holder joked) to attend Wednesday’s committee meeting, of which she is overseeing the estimated 100 volunteers that will work in three shifts for the festival.
“We think we’re actually doing pretty good on volunteers right now,” Jarrett said.
This year the committee is trying something different as a volunteer kick-off event is scheduled for Oct. 22 inside Georgia College & State University’s Students Arts Center at 6 p.m.
Volunteers for this year’s event will be recognizable to festival attendees, a significant percentage of which will be visitors from out-of-state or out-of-town, using specially-ordered vests that will be worn while volunteers are on duty, according to Frank Pendergast, 2008 Sweetwater Committee Chairman.
“We will be appearing in front of the Milledgeville City Council next week to provide them with an update and additional information,” Pendergast said Wednesday.
During Wednesday’s meeting, which saw only about 1/3 of committee members present, the committee discussed the issue of manpower and money at entrance gates with Terry Kennedy of Exchange Bank, marketing issues with emcee and Z97 representative Philip Joiner, the placement of the community stage with committee member Heather Kennedy and logistics of the event itself, including security and fencing, with logistics chair Cruey.
“The only thing I’m worried about is the fencing, but we should be able to take care of all of that,” Cruey said.
The committee’s meeting comes as downtown merchants such as Hayward Jones, owner of Jones Barbershop on Hancock Street, begin making preparations for an event that can mean as much as several thousand additional dollars in regular sales.
“My business doesn’t do as well because of the crowd, but I’m willing to sacrifice that one day of the year to see so many people come to the downtown area,” Hayward said. “Most of them stop in to chat, and sometimes they take time out for a haircut. It’s a beautiful sight to see so many people downtown. I think everyone benefits from the Sweetwater Festival.”
For information on any events or activities related to the 2008 Sweetwater Festival visit www.sweetwaterfestival.com or call (478) 414-4014.

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