By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The Grayson Tourism Commission met in regular session last Thursday (August 8) and took action on items such as approving the minutes for both the June and July meetings, discussed upcoming events, and heard the treasurer’s report. The report was presented to the commission by interim treasurer Daniel White but was prepared by the previous treasurer. The Commission is currently in a transition period, and White is filling in until a permanent treasurer is decided upon. The report included sports park revenue and hotel tax revenue.
A report from the sports park was sent by park manager Grant Harper, who could not be present at the meeting. The report stated the Fall Schedule was released the week of August 5, and that the park was booked all weekends through November 9, 2024. The Toys for Tots Softball Tournament was scheduled for November 30, three cross country meets have been scheduled, and KCU Softball begins August 26. Fall Little League begins at the end of August, as well as the local adult slow pitch softball league.
Eastern Elite Soccer will be renting the park two days per week, and the organizing of local soccer leagues is in the works. Community Movie Night hosted by Foundation Church will be on August 16, and Labor Day Weekend will be the last day for operation of the Sports Park Splash Pad. The Sports park is also working on estimates and budgets for 2025 capital projects which include a sensory garden and the amphitheater cover.
Tourism Director Lana Axtell presented her report to the commission and informed them that five events had been successfully planned and executed since the month of May.
“One of the takeaways I have gotten from this is that we should form our own vendors market,” Axtell told the commission.
Axtell also informed the commission that the first meeting of the Octoberfest committee went well.
“A couple of the things we have added are that we are going to do a Halloween Parade, a Paint and Sip using the Senior Citizen building, and we are adding a pageant to Octoberfest.”
Axtell said there is a possibility of having a haunted tunnel fundraiser in one section of the Blue Goose building. Along those lines, Axtell said there will also be ghost hunting and the possibility of ghost walks including the haunted history of the city. Axtell told the commission that she hopes for a trifecta of events for Octoberfest.
“On Friday we will have a Halloween Party at the Art Gallery, on Saturday there will be all the other events, and then on Sunday the Blue Knights are going to do a Poker Run/Scavenger Hunt,” Axtell said.
Tourism Commission member Shadow Skaggs suggested the inclusion of a hayride style transportation for the ghost walk to facilitate covering more ground and allowing participants to visit locations such as the old jail, cemetery, and other locations within the city that have been rumored through local legends to have ghostly activity.
“I think making a stop then talking to the trailer load of people at each of the stops would be the coolest thing ever,” Skaggs said.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
