Light Up Blue Ridge brings Christmas to downtown
Community, Downtown Blue Ridge November 28, 2021
FANNIN, Ga. — Light Up Blue Ridge drew a large crowd to the heart of downtown for the Lighting of the Great Tree on Nov. 27. After a parade made its way through the city, attendees gathered around the tree to take part in the annual tradition, considered by many to be the start of the Christmas season.
With just a walk through downtown it is clear the community is preparing for December, and ultimately Christmas. In the days after Thanksgiving, the city of Blue Ridge was already adorned with Christmas lights and decorations.
The Blue Ridge train was decorated for the Christmas event.
After the parade culminated in the heart of downtown, those in attendance enjoyed performances from various musicians and community members. Mayor Donna Whitener spoke at the event, and introduced Brandon Lofton who led the countdown, “We really appreciate all he does for our community.”
Mayor Whitener spoke to the crowd during the event.
Before starting the countdown, Lofton spoke briefly about his love for Blue Ridge. He asked the crowd, “Are you proud to live here?” and was met with applause. Lofton then began the countdown, and the attendees followed along. The crowd cheered once again as the tree was lit and “Jingle Bell Rock” played.
City Council approves employee bonuses of up to $3,000
City Council, Downtown Blue Ridge November 17, 2021
FANNIN, Ga. — The Blue Ridge City Council experienced heated debate over a proposed condominium during their Nov. 16 meeting. However, the council also took action on several other issues, including up to three thousand dollar bonuses for city employees.
The American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, took effect in March of 2021. Since then, the city council had used that money for improvements to the city. Specifically, $300,000 for a Mineral Springs sewer line and $100,000 for work at Mountain Tops. Donna Whitener proposed that the City of Blue Ridge follows the lead of surrounding municipalities, like Gilmer and Fannin County, and use the remaining $145,582 in ARPA funds to provide bonuses to city employees.
The council approved pre-tax bonuses of $3,000 for all full time employees and $500 for all part time employees, a total amount of $133,486. The bonuses from ARPA funds will replace city employees’ Christmas bonus which, as the council pointed out, are based on seniority with a maximum of five hundred dollars.
Water & Wastewater Utilities Director Rebecca Harkins spoke to the council about current efforts to improve the city’s sewer system, saying, “As you all know, we’re currently rehabbing our sewer lift stations … We’re gonna pump everything … right up Industrial Park Rd. … which has really taken a load off the sewer distribution system.” She then explained that a developer was requesting to tie in to the Industrial Park Rd. lift station, which was near capacity. Harkins says she spoke to Plant Supervisor James Weaver about installing a grinder at the pump, “That’s gonna reduce the load on that pump and make it more efficient so that it could handle that extra capacity. The grinder is something that the city would have purchased in that upgrade [anyways].” The developer, Harkins noted, has offered to pay in full for the grinder and its installation. At an estimated total cost of $97,000, including a ten percent contingency, the developer is willing to pay 50 percent upfront, 25 percent when construction begins, and a final 25 percent at completion. “So the city gets their grinder basically for free,” Harkins emphasized, and the council approved.
Also brought up at the meeting, was an upcoming Christmas tradition. Light Up Blue Ridge takes place Nov. 27, 2021, as noted by DDA Chairman Cesar Martinez, “There’s a lot of stuff going on, from elementary school Christmas trees on the boardwalk, to food vendors and people singing and ‘falala-ing’ all around the city. So, hope you all get out there for light up.” The Light Up Blue Ridge Parade begins at 5:30 p.m. At E. Main St and is immediately followed by the lighting of the Great Tree at around 7:00 p.m.
All Special Events Canceled for City of Blue Ridge
City Council, Community, Downtown Blue Ridge, Festivals, News October 21, 2020
Blue Ridge, Ga. – In an unanimous vote the Blue Ridge City Council decided that any special events within the city limits will be canceled until further notice. This includes the cancelation of Blue Ridge’s Halloween SafeZone and Light Up Blue Ridge.
Discussion of canceling future events for the remainder of the year had previously taken place among council but no official vote had been made on the matter.
Blue Ridge Halloween SafeZone 2019
“We need to make it official,” Council member Rhonda Haight spoke, referencing that since their previous discussion special events had been permitted to take place: “I felt like we should have voted last time.”
Mayor Donna Whitener expressed that she didn’t fully agree with the idea of canceling all events with no exceptions and pointed out that the recent prayer vigil held for Blue Ridge Chief of Police Johnny Scearce would technically fall under the special event category.
Haight made the motion of “no more events allowed until further notice”, which carried without opposition.
Although the Halloween SafeZone has been canceled an alternative has been set up according to Cesar Martinez, President of the Blue Ridge Business Association (BRBA).
“We get 5,000 or 6,000 people downtown and we just can’t do it this year,” Martinez said and noted that state guidelines would just not make it feasible for the city to accommodate.
The BRBA will be partnering with Blue Ridge United Methodist Church to offer a drive thru option for families to enjoy. Booths will be set up along this route, where participants can hand out candy.
Lighting of the Tree – Photo courtesy of Light Up Blue Ridge Facebook Page
Other locations that are offering Halloween festivities include Dairy Queen, Home Depot, and Kevin Panter Insurance Agency.
Light Up Blue Ridge will also not take place in an official manner. Festivities of the weekend that draw a large crowd in close proximity have been called off. This includes the annual parade and the lighting of the tree.
Even with these changes, Blue Ridge plans to make the city Christmas ready for those visiting the weekend following Thanksgiving.
The tree will be lit in the park but without the lighting ceremony and Santa can still be found at the park’s gazebo but with safety precautions made due to the ongoing Covid-19 risk.
“We are suggesting that the city close East Main Street for the two days after Thanksgiving,” Martinez recommended to the council stating that this would give more room for the large crowds to social distance that weekend.
No official plans were made on how to handle the influx of visitors for the weekend following Thanksgiving, but discussions are expected to continue in future meetings.
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