4/21/05

HollyFest Scheduled for Last Weekend in October
Local Leaders to Continue to Meet to Make Festival a Community Event

The annual weekend-long Holly Springs town festival has a new name, a new date and a new commitment to being even more community-centered. A group of local leaders – including representatives from civic groups, churches, the chamber of commerce, and Town staff – met this week and determined that the annual town festival will be known from now on as HollyFest: Celebrate Holly Springs. And, the festival permanently will be held the last weekend in October. This year's HollyFest will be Friday, Oct. 28-Sunday, Oct. 30.

“HollyFest is going to be a festival run by the community for the community,” said Town Manager Carl Dean.

Most recently held every September, several of the festival's last years had been dampened by rain or rescheduled due to an incoming hurricane. After a vote, the group of community leaders decided on the festival's new date, which will correspond with the annual Haunted Schoolhouse sponsored by the Holly Springs Kiwanis Club and Holly Spring Parks & Recreation. Because of the new month, the old festival name, SeptemberFest, was changed to HollyFest.

The group of local leaders also decided that the bulk of this year's festivities will be held on Womble Park 's spacious grounds that offer convenient parking, shady picnicking spots, a permanent stage for entertainment, and other amenities not as readily available downtown, where the festival was held last year.

“This group of community leaders is coming up with different ideas, and the possibilities for what this year's festival will include are wide open,” Dean said.

Possible new ideas include a Sunday communitywide worship service at the park. Instead of a barbecue cook-off, local merchants, churches and groups could sell food. On Friday night, a live band could entertain festival-goers at an off-site business after hours. The local diabetes walk could be held in conjunction with the festival.

Longtime festival favorites, including the children's rides in KidsZone, stage entertainment, fireworks, arts and crafts booths, the Business Expo and the 5k run still are planned for this year's celebration.

In the meantime, the group of community leaders will continue to meet monthly to plan the festival. For more information about HollyFest, contact Lois Ragsdale-Houck, executive assistant to the town manager at lois.ragsdale-houck@hollyspringsnc.us or (919) 557-3903.

Town of Holly Springs - PO Box 8 - 128 South Main Street - Holly Springs, NC 27540 - (919) 552-6221 - Holly.Springs@hollyspringsnc.us