Toccoa Christmas Fest 2011

Toccoa, GA, November 28, 2011 – The city of Toccoa will be welcoming in the Christmas season on December 2 – 3, 2011 in the Historic Downtown area. The fourth annual Christmas fest will begin at 5:30 p.m. until 8:30.

Take in the sounds of the holiday season during this special evening. This year there will be Victorian Carolers who will stroll down the streets and in the stores throughout the evening, serenading the shoppers. A beautiful carriage will take you through the town’s historic district to see the beautifully lit streets. The carriage rides are $1 for children and $3 per adult and begin on Doyle St near the Toccoa Record.

The live nativity will allow the children to enter into the stall, pet the animals and experience what it may have been like on the first Christmas.

Santa will be located on Doyle St for visits and pictures and to take the children’s letters. Also for the children, Santa’s Express train will take the little riders around the town. Rides are $3.00 per person.

The Festival of Trees will be in the Stephens County Historic Courthouse from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Friday and noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. With ten beautifully decorated trees, visitors will be able to vote for their favorite. Entrance is free but it is $1.00 per vote. Proceeds of the contest will go to the charity or nonprofit organization represented. The winning tree will receive a grand prize sponsored by local businesses. Classic guitarist, John Oliverus will perform throughout the evening in the courtroom.

Special entertainment will be performed at the stage located in front of the city Christmas Tree on the courthouse lawn. The Rhythm Academy Dance School will perform at 6:00 p.m. followed by the local group, Ray of Hope.

At 7:30 p.m. City Commissioner Bob Troup will count down from 10 to 1 and the city tree will be lit for the 2011 Christmas season. This year the tree will be on Sage St across from the Whistle Stop caboose.

For more information go to www.mainstreet.com or call 706-282-3309.

2011 Festival of Trees

Local businesses and civic groups are invited to help their favorite non-profit organization by sponsoring a Christmas tree at the Festival of Trees. “This is a great way for our local businesses to give back to the community through helping our local non-profits,” stated Sharon Crosby, Special Events Coordinator for Toccoa.

Participants must provide a decorated tree, with lights, that will be on display in the Historic Stephens County Courthouse from Friday, Dec. 2 through Saturday, Dec. 3. The group will be responsible to take down the tree by Dec. 5.

The decorated trees will be on display in the Courthouse in conjunction with the 2011 Toccoa ChristmasFest, held the evening of December 2 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm and Saturday December 3 from 12 noon to 4pm.

The public will then cast a vote for their favorite Christmas tree, for a cost of $1 per vote. Each non-profit organization will keep their proceeds. The tree receiving the most votes will win the “grand prize.”

For more information or for an application, please call the Main Street office at 706-282-3309 or go to www.mainstreettoccoa.com.

Main Street Historic Plaques Program

The Toccoa Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has begun a historic plaques program to highlight ten historic buildings in downtown Toccoa. The plaques will be placed at the ten historic buildings over the next ten months. Each one will be unveiled at a ceremony the first Thursday of the month at 5 PM. The ten properties were selected by the DDA as they reflect the interesting and diverse history of downtown Toccoa. The City of Toccoa has funds set aside in the Main Street budget for the cost of the plaques, which are provided to the downtown businesses at no charge.

The history of these ten buildings will be highlighted in a walking tour that will feature the plaques. The history of these buildings will also be discussed in a podcast to accompany the walking tour. Main Street has developed the historic plaques program to create more interest in downtown and its history with local residents and visitors. Main Street Information and Graphics Specialist, Katy Sides said “the historic plaques program will be a great way to create awareness and excitement about the interesting history of downtown Toccoa.”

The first historic plaque was unveiled Thursday, November 3, 2011 at The Studio in downtown. The plaque at the Studio was the first plaque unveiled, as this is the oldest building in downtown Toccoa, and dates to when Toccoa was still part of Habersham County. The building, circa 1857, was best known as the Acree Mitchell Grocery Store. It was originally a free-standing building and a popular gathering place for early Toccoa residents. Since then, the building has been a Masonic Lodge and is currently an art gallery. The bricks used in its construction are hand-made and you can still see horsehair in some of the bricks. The building also features wide plank wood floors upstairs.

The next plaque will be dedicated at The Toccoa Record on December 1 at 5 PM. Everyone is invited to attend the plaque dedication. Please contact the Main Street Office staff for further information.

Downtown Restrooms Updates

The public restrooms in downtown Toccoa will be receiving a facelift, courtesy of Global Partitions on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. Global Partitions will be installing new partitions in both the men’s and women’s restrooms, as well as new toilet paper dispensers. They will also be providing hand driers and soap dispensers to update the restrooms as well.

Global Partitions are providing these products at no cost to the City of Toccoa, to the benefit of all who use the downtown public restrooms. The installation process will be used as a training session for Global Partition customer service employees.

The public restrooms will be closed Monday, October 24 through 27, 2011 to allow for these improvements and other repairs. The restrooms will be reopened Friday, October 28.

Main Street Toccoa and the City of Toccoa would like to thank Global Partitions for these generous gifts. The public restrooms will be outfitted, which will create a welcoming environment for visitors and residents who frequent these facilities. Please contact the Main Street Office staff for further information at 706-282-3269 or Global Partitions at 706-827-2700.

Harvest Festival October 29-30

It’s the time of year when the cooler northern winds blow through the Northeast Georgia mountains and the trees begin to change their leaves into brilliant shades of gold and red. It is also the time for the 35th Annual Toccoa Harvest Festival. This year it will be held October 29 - 30, 2011, in historic downtown Toccoa. Enjoy music and dancing while taking in the aromatic bouquet of fall mingling with roasting peanuts, mulling spices, and regional and international foods! There will be more than 175 craft and food vendors. All crafts will be "homemade, home baked, or home grown", featuring jewelry, wind chimes, candles, soaps, hand crocheted items, wreaths, wooden birdhouses and much more. There will be a wide range of mouth-watering foods including homemade cakes and fried pies, funnel cakes, peanuts, Asian, Greek, and Cajun style entrees, Bar-B-Q and almost anything else your tastebuds desire!

New this year is the arrival of an excursion train hosted by The North Carolina Transportation Museum Foundation and the Watauga Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 12:00. The visitors will debark at the Historic Train Depot and enjoy all that the festival offers. One of the passenger cars and the souvenir car will be open to the public during their stay. Admission is free.

This year the Harvest Festival is pleased to welcome again the Plainsmen, an American Indian drum and dance group. The group often presents dances that are not even performed often at powwows, which makes this a once in a lifetime opportunity for Toccoa residents! The Plainsmen specialize in the hoop dance and eagle dance. Audience members will even be asked to participate in some of the dances! These dances are not difficult and are sure to be fun for all that take part.

The Plainsmen will perform on Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30. Their dancing will be something you will not want to miss, so make plans to be in downtown Toccoa for the Harvest Festival and Plainsmen performance!

Browse the downtown antique market as well as an eclectic array of shops including antiques, gifts, art, collectibles, clothing, sportswear, and home accessories. See the Currahee Artist Guild show and sale on West Doyle Street. For children the festival will offer face painting, Atlanta Puppet, train rides, and pony rides. Other children and youth activities include a rock-climbing wall, inflatables, a petting zoo, and remote controlled race cars. Take the whole family on a free wagon ride.

The Toccoa Harvest Festival is from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and opens at 10:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Don't miss the fall fun at Toccoa Harvest Festival! For more information call the Toccoa Main Street office at 706-282-3309.