Yes Bright Side Readers, for all of us who have missed Festivals, Special Events, being out doors, the Superior Plumbing’s Big Shanty Festival is this weekend, Saturday and Sunday – April 17 and April 18.
45th ANNUAL SUPERIOR PLUMBING KENNESAW/BIG SHANTY FESTIVAL
The Kennesaw Business Association in cooperation with the City of Kennesaw along with the Title Sponsor: Superior Plumbing and Presenting Sponsor: LGE Community Credit Union will host the 45th Annual Superior Plumbing Kenneaw/Big Shanty Festival on Saturday April 17 and Sunday April 18 in downtown Kennesaw.
The Superior Plumbing Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival features over 200 Arts & Crafts booths, 25 food booths, one entertainment stage, as well as live acoustic music in the new Food Court throughout the weekend. Something for the entire family!
The health and safety of those who visit the Superior Plumbing Big Shanty Festival is our top priority. We have taken enhanced health and safety measures for you, our visitors, and our staff. Here’s what we are doing to keep you safe: Event staff members required to utilize appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times. Event staff members to wash hands prior to starting their shift and at frequent intervals in between tasks. Event staff members to undergo screening, including a temperature check, upon arrival to event facility. Food to be handled with plastic utensils to minimize touch points by staff members. Multiple hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the festival. Superior Plumbing Big Shanty Festival will follow all social distancing guidelines provided by local & state officials.
FREE SHUTTLES
Because of the need to continue to social distance, we will not have a parade this year. Admission is free. However, the Festival is providing FREE SHUTTLES to and from the downtown area. Two 14 passenger busses will be running shuttles from Swift-Cantrell Park to festival grounds during event hours – both Saturday & Sunday. Parking: Available at Adams Park & Swift-Cantrell
The Festival is sponsored by the Kennesaw Business Association in cooperation with the City of Kennesaw. Superior Plumbing is the title sponsor and LGE is the presenting sponsor. For more information call 770-423-1330 or email jonathanjenkins@jrmmanagement.com. See you there!
THE KENNESAW BUSINESS ASSOCIATION BOOTH
As a reminder the city allows Main Street to be closed for the Festival. This provides a much safer environment for folks to get back and forth between city hall and the depot/museum area. The Kennesaw Business Association will host an information tent, right in the middle of Main St., So if you are looking for a particular booth, someone at the Information tent will be able to tell you which section they are in.
If you have questions, stop by and see the KBA booth . Parents you might want to suggest to your kids, that if you get separated during the festival to meet each other at the Information booth. Let your child have your cell phone number, and someone from the booth can call and tell you that your child is there.
For forty five years the Kennesaw Business Association and the City of Kennesaw have worked together to make this Festival a success and fun for everyone. The Kennesaw Business Association takes this time to publicly thank everyone at the City, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, the Police Department, the elected officials for their support and their help.
Street Closings
The following streets will be closed starting Friday, April 16 at 6:00 pm until Sunday April 18 at 8:00pm. Watts Drive from Little General Way to Main St., J O Stephenson Ave. (runs in front of city hall and Cherokee Street in front of the museum. Starting Saturday , April 17 6:00 am until Sunday April 18 at 8:00pm. Main Street will be closed from Cemetery St. to Moon Station Rd. Watts Drive and Lewis will be closed between Dallas and Main Streets.
DON’T MISS PETER HART
Peter Hart With Atlanta Puppet will be back with the Big Shanty Festival, performing every hour on the hour.
Peter has long been regarded as one of the finest and skillful professional puppeteers in the South. His exceptional talents have received praises from audiences at Walt Disney World / Epcot, the Georgia Governor’s Mansion, Six Flags Over Georgia, Centennial Park, the 1996 Olympics, and in Europe. He has performed as Head Puppeteer in over 70 different professional puppetry productions that have won 4 International Awards from UNIMA.
BIG SHANTY FESTIVAL HISTORY
In 1975, merchants in the downtown area of Kennesaw created a business organization that would promote and preserve the historical heritage of the downtown area of Kennesaw and encourage people to patronize their businesses. Thus the Kennesaw Business Association was chartered. Town Center wasn’t even a gleam in anyone’s eye then — the area was still being farmed. I-75 stopped in Marietta and resumed in Cartersville, and Highway 41 (now Cobb Parkway) was dotted with Stuckey’s, quilts, and boiled peanuts.
The idea started with Gayle DeSpain, Lynda Spence, Carol Thompson and Jean Guess, all local business women and members of the KBA. In discussing ways to bring new people and business into Kennesaw, they planned a spring outdoor sale in an open area between their shops on Main Street, in the hopes of attracting customers with a colorful display of antiques and craft items.”
Dr. Frank Boone, President in 1975, suggested that their plans be sponsored on a larger scale by the Kennesaw Business Association and supported by the City of Kennesaw (he was a Councilman too). Thus the first Festival was born. Originally known as Trade Days, that first Spring, 36 booth spaces were set up. In 1977, Festival Chairman, Dent Myers, added a civil war battle reenactment and over 10,000 people attended the Spring event.
The rest is history, with the sponsorship of the KBA and the active support of the City of Kennesaw, the Festival has spread from the front lawn of By-Gone Treasures to encompass the lawn of the Museum, the Depot Parking lot, line the streets of J. O. Stephenson Ave and Main St.. and fill the parking areas at City Hall. Over 250 booths have been sold for this year’s festival — I don’t think any of us who were involved in the planning of the first event ever envisioned how large and successful it would grow..