Local Festivals Serve As Tourism Tools -- But Must Be Supported

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working the City of Elizabethton/Elizabethton Twins booth at the Covered Bridge Festival. I have worked our booth for the past three years and I must say, this year, the crowds really came out! The booth is a great opportunity to meet with you, our citizens, and find out what your needs and desires are for the future of Elizabethton.

This year, as I talked with passing festival goers, I came across ten different families and couples that were from out of state. It was great talking with them, finding out where they were from, and inviting them back to visit our little city. They came from states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, New York, and Kentucky. With them being from out of state, I took the opportunity to get their opinion about our community and the festival. Comments like, “The mountain are so beautiful!” and, “You have the most quaint downtown.” and, “The festival is great, but I wish it were bigger.” abounded.

Talking with others outside our city, county, and even the region, gives us locals a better idea of what our biggest assets are! Often times, driving by the same mountain, gorge, or downtown everyday desensitizes us to the real uniqueness of those features – the festival included! How many cities have a covered bridge in the middle of their city and, furthermore, have a festival centered around it? While many of the visitors were not staying in Elizabethton or Carter County, they took some time to find out about the festival and come and visit us for a few hours. One couple staying in Bristol even commented, “We’ve been coming to Bristol for years and had no idea this place even existed! We will definitely be staying closer to Elizabethton next year.”

While this small festival doesn’t draw large crowds from outside the area, it does serve as just one more tourism asset for our community and county. Yes, it may have its downfalls and negative aspects, but none-the-less it’s something that this community and county need to continue to support. Think of the snowball effect, the more support our community gives this festival, the more it will grow and develop and the more others will want to attend. It’s easy to complain that it’s no Blue Plum (or what Blue Plum used to be) or substitute any other large festival, but we must support it anyway or it will never become the festival we envision. Purchase a drink from a food vendor, but a small, inexpensive product from a craft vendor, and volunteer to help with the festival next year. It’s important to remember, at one-time Blue Plum was in the same position as the Covered Bridge Festival is today. The difference is, the community supported it. Let’s talk about it!