New Earth Festival less than a week away . . .
The population of Atlanta is approximately 750, but this coming weekend this little northern Hamilton County town will see 80,000 to 100,000 visitors at the 45th Annual Atlanta New Earth Festival.
The Reporter had the opportunity to speak with event organizers Robyn Cook and Jennifer Farley about what visitors can expect at the longest running and largest festival in Hamilton County.
Cook
While Cook is largely seen as the face of the festival, she called Farley, “The glue that holds the festival together,” and said it would not have been possible for the last several years without her.
Now that the Nickel Plate Express is officially up and running, you can see and ride the train at the festival.
There will be over 600 vendors lining Atlanta’s streets. “The town has three different areas it rents: Main Street, Dolles Park and Broadway Street, but homeowners also get involved,” Farley told The Reporter. “So around 600 vendors is the estimate throughout the whole town.”
One example of homeowners getting involved is the historic Roads Hotel, owned by the Lost Limbs Foundation. The Roads hotel has been called one of the most haunted location in Indiana and hosts several private and public events throughout the year. Mike Couch told The Reporter he will be offering $5 tours of the hotel during the New Earth Festival.
It should be noted that official participation in the New Earth festival will involve all vendors and events taking place up to the south side of 296th Street.
“For the last 20 years we have seen at least this many vendors, but over the last several years the types of vendors has been slowly changing,” Cook said.
According to Farley, Main Street will be reserved for vendors offering handmade items.
Farley
“On Broadway Street you will find antiques, collectibles, crafters, stuff for pets, honey, candles and while there will be handmade things there, not everything is focused specifically on that,” Farley said.
There will also be a farmer’s market on Broadway.
“A big thing the last few couple has been the woman’s boutique clothing,” Farley said. “We have several vendors coming with that. Then the vintage a repurposed items are also very big right now.”
Vendors have consistently told Cook this is the event that puts them in the black for the year, the festival also helps the Town of Atlanta in many ways.
“It is a kickoff to Christmas shopping for many people,” Cook said. “But it helps us too. Our general fund budget is not that large, so this festival helps us fund things that we otherwise could not do.”
Trimming trees, the purchase and removal of abandoned properties, help with fire department funding and other local projects are paid for with funds from the festival.
According to Cook, a popular new feature should be this year’s exhibit by the Indiana Historical Society.
History on Wheels is rolling in to Atlanta for the New Earth Festival. The 53-foot double expandable semi-trailer and traveling exhibit will be free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23. History on Wheel, sponsored by Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt, will be located at Dolles Park.
If all that seems a little overwhelming, have no fear, the Boy Scouts are always prepared to help. There will be an information booth on Main Street, manned by local Boy Scouts, will help you find your way around. You can find fliers, maps, programs, T-shirts and more at their booth.
Cook wanted to emphasize the importance of the sponsors and volunteers who make this festival happen every year.
Some of the main sponsors include Christine Altman’s public safety and health awareness area, Mark Heirbrandt’s Indiana History on Wheels, Endeavor Communications’ kids zone, Guardian Towing LLC’s entertainment stage, Hamilton County Tourism, Nickel Plate Express and Mr. Muffins Trains.
A big draw for Hamilton County visitors is the live entertainment. That is made possible by the sponsorship of Guardian Towing.
“The entertainment sponsorship started at our 40th anniversary,” Cook said. “We decided we wanted to do something new and we wanted to do it right. In order to fund that we started a sponsorship program. Guardian Towing is a local towing company that started about three years ago. They support other events and school programs in the in the community as well. The way he looks at it is that his business touches people all over Hamilton County and he can give back to the community by sponsoring the Guardian Towing Stage.”
Once again the festival is also partnering with Good Samaritan Network on a festival food drive.
Cook told The Reporter the Good Samaritan Network (GSN) is a project begun by Nancy Chance to unite several charitable organizations in one place. All the resources that are available for charitable and outreach projects are reachable in one location. Thus, the network can connect people with the right organization for their individual needs.
According to their website, gsnlive.org, GSN is a collaborative/network of non-profits in Hamilton County. GSN utilizes two serving approaches, direct and indirect services, and in part is designed to ensure efficiency and communication among the different agencies, social services, non-profits, local government, pantries and businesses, as together those serve the needs of Hamilton County residents who are at-risk or underserved.
When asked about the name and history of the festival, Cook told The Reporter, “The festival started on Main Street in 1974. One of the business that helped start it was called ‘A Touch of Earth.’ Everything at the first festival was handmade. Originally it was the first week in October, but in time it was moved the fourth weekend in September.”
This weekend, the 45th Annual Atlanta New Earth Festival has plenty to offer. Visit atlantaindiana.com for more information.
Reporter file photos