By: Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County TimesWe may still be a few weeks away from autumn, but the Olive Hill Chamber of Commerce has already been gearing up for their annual fall festival. The It’s Fall, Y’all! Vendor and Craft Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Chamber president Lisa Messer Conley explained to the chamber that they are taking precautions to keep the event as safe as possible, by encouraging folks to respect personal space, wear masks and take other appropriate precautions. They’ve also set safety requirements for all vendors. These include requiring vendors to provide hand sanitizer with at least a 70 percent alcohol content for public use and requiring them to wear masks when interacting with customers.
Instead of long, tight lines at food trucks the festival is encouraging folks to adhere to social distancing by requiring food be served from under a canopy – though it can still be prepared in a food truck. In addition they are requiring food service personnel to change gloves regularly, to provide individual condiment packaging, and forbidding self-serve condiment stations.
In addition to these requirements they are encouraging more vendors to accept debit and credit card payment for the safety and convenience of visitors.
“We are taking great measures to put on a safe festival,” Conley said.
The festival will also feature a look at the ten-year anniversary of the historic, back-to-back, 500 year floods of 2010. The event will celebrate the community’s perseverance in overcoming the effects of those tragic natural disasters.
She said the chamber is also still seeking sponsors and volunteers for musical entertainment and other events.
Sponsorships are available at four different levels, from bronze to platinum. At the $50 bronze level and $75 silver level sponsors will get their name on the Fall Y’all banner in different sizes of text. The $100 gold sponsorship or event sponsorship levels includes the sponsorship of one of the Fall Y’all events with the name displayed on a sign at the event site or on the event banner in large letters. The $500 platinum level is sponsorship of a musical act and includes an individual banner, with business logo if applicable. All sponsorship levels include mentions on social media, in the newspaper, and online.
If you can’t help sponsor the event financially the chamber still needs volunteers for the event. Their next organizational meeting is this Thursday, September 10, at 6 p.m. outside Conley’s camper the Carter County Shrine Park. For more information you can check the Chamber’s Facebook page or email Conley at olivehillchamberofcommerce@outlook.com
The next regular Chamber of Commerce meeting is the following Thursday, September 17, at 5:30 p.m. at the Upper Shrine Building at the Shrine Park, or via Go To Meeting. Email for more details.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
