Small Business Saturday BINGO

Main Street Toccoa will sponsor an event on November 29, Small Business Saturday, in historic downtown Toccoa.  The event will be a Small Business Saturday BINGO game.  As customers shop, they get their BINGO card stamped when they browse in a store or make a purchase (no purchase necessary).  Once a row is completed (it can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal), the customer fills out the contact information and leaves the card with any participating merchant.  Main Street will pick up the completed cards after the event.  The Winner will be chosen at random from the pool of completed cards and announced on Friday, December 5 at the Lighting of the Tree Ceremony at 8:00 p.m. in front of Stephens Federal Bank.  First prize is a $150 gift certificate, second prize is a $100 gift certificate, and third prize is a $50 gift certificate to the downtown store of the winner’s choice from the participating stores.

Many of the participating stores will be having special sales for the event.  The participating stores are:

• {ash-ling} Bookstore
• BJ’s Restaurant
•  CK Morgan & Company
• Downtown Flowers
• Feral
• Flip-Flop
• Just Sew Pretty
• Sew Fabulous
• Spa & Salon Anastasia
• The Studio
• Threads
• Troup’s Studio & Hallmark
• Victoria’s Sweet Treats
• Whistlestop Antique Market
• X-Factor Grill & Cornerstone Restaurant

In 2010, American Express founded Small Business Saturday to help businesses with their most pressing need — getting more customers. The day encourages people to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The single day has grown into a powerful movement, and more people are taking part than ever before.

Customers can pick up a BINGO card at the Main Street office any time before the event or on the day of the event at any participating business.  For more information, please contact Weslie Clark at 706-282-3232.

Festival of Trees

Local businesses and civic groups are already busy planning their entries in the 2014 Festival of Trees. This year will be the 7^th year that businesses and civic groups have helped local charities through decorating a Christmas tree during 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.

The decorated trees will be on display in the Courthouse in conjunction with the 2014 Toccoa ChristmasFest, held the evening of December 5 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturday, December 6 from 12 noon to 4pm.

Participants must provide a decorated tree, with lights, that will be on display in the Historic Stephens County Courthouse from Friday, December 5 through Saturday December 6. 

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” of $500.

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

Costume Parade

The Toccoa Main Street program will host the 24^th  annual children's Costume Parade, Friday, October 31, 2014. Children will begin lining up promptly at 9:45 a.m. as the parade begins at 10:00 a.m. Preschool age children between the ages of two and five are invited to attend.  Area preschools will also be participating.

The parade route will go down Doyle Street through the center of the downtown. The children will assemble on West Doyle Street, in front of The Toccoa Record, and continue to form the line along the sidewalk at West Doyle Street.  The children will walk down West Doyle and cross the street at Sage Street, and then continue down Doyle Street to Family Eye Care. They will then cross over to the other side and continue down the sidewalk to Sage Street.  Merchants will meet the children along the way and give them goodies. Refreshments will be served at the corner of Sage St. and Doyle St. and the awards given out.  Prizes will be awarded in various categories for ages 2, 3, and 4.  The parade events should be over by approximately 11:30 a.m.  Each child should have their name and age clearly marked on a nametag to help the judges make their choices. Prizes will be awarded in several categories, and refreshments will be served after the event.

Parents and grandparents are invited to watch the parade or join their children in the parade. Volunteers will direct the participants along the route and policemen will help with street crossings. 

The Main Street Department invites all eligible children to come and enjoy this safe alternative. A fun time is anticipated for all. For more information, call the Main Street office at 706-282-3309.

Toccoa Celebrates Currahee Military Weekend

Toccoa is getting ready to welcome returning WWII veterans, their families and friends, and hundreds of visitors during the Currahee Military Weekend, Oct. 2 – Oct. 6, 2014.  The mission of this weekend celebration is to honor the courageous men who trained at Camp Toccoa, to teach WWII history to our young people, and to celebrate our military’s commitment to America. 

Many of the weekend events will be held in the downtown Toccoa. Thursday, October 2, there will be a showing of the first episode of the HBO mini-series “The Band of Brothers.” The movie will be shown in the historic Schaefer Center at 7:00 P.M. Cost is $1.00. Friday, October 3, registration will begin at the Currahee Military Museum at 10:00 a.m. in the Mitchell Allen Memorial Hall.  Then from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. there will be a book signing with WWII veteran authors at the same venue. The popular Hanger Dance will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Toccoa Airport. Tickets are $10.00 at the Chamber of Commerce or $15.00 at the door.

Saturday, October 5, the day will begin with the Special Forces Association Parachute Jump Team who will jump over Boyd Field at the start of the Veteran’s Parade around 10:50. They will jump with their spectacular signature 20ft by 30ft American Flag. The Veterans parade will start at 11:00 a.m. and will begin on Doyle St and Pond St, go down Doyle St, turn on Sage St, and then go down Foreacre St to the Historic Depot. This year’s parade will be the biggest yet with the returning veterans, several large military vehicles, the SC High School band, as well as the SCHS JR ROTC and CAP.

The opening ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the Blue Ridge Rifles team from North Georgia College and State University at the historic depot.

Throughout the day, visitors can witness the living history displays on the courthouse lawn and see what the living conditions were for the soldiers during the war. There will also be a Memorabilia Show and Sale in the historic courthouse. The show will have memorabilia from WWI, WWII, and other foreign wars. It will be open from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon.

Also, during this year’s celebration, there will be a special photographic exhibit in the Mitchell Allen room of the Currahee Military Museum. This special exhibit, “Private Presidential Pathways” will feature photographs taken by New York Times photographer, George Tames, of several United States presidents.

Throughout the day there will be special events at the Tocoa Airport including helicopter rides.

Named in 2012 as the Best Downtown Event in Georgia by the Georgia Downtown Association and in 2014 Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeastern Tourism Society, Currahee Military Weekend is expected in bring in visitors from all over the country as well as international visitors. According to Brenda Carlan, Director of the Currahee Military Museum, “This will be a great weekend and we encourage our community to come out.”

Scarecrow Contest

Main Street Toccoa will be hosting its fifth annual Scarecrow Contest from October 1 thru the Toccoa Harvest Festival, November 1 & 2. All of Stephens County is included in the contest.

The scarecrows will be up to welcome the city’s guests during Currahee Military Weekend (Oct. 2 - 5) and the Toccoa Harvest Festival (Nov. 1 - 2).  Businesses/schools/churches/families are being asked to consider designing a scarecrow to place on the outside of their building or home.  The scarecrows could be dressed in a way that would spotlight the business or organization.  Participants must register if they would like to be listed in the contest. They will then be given a sign to be placed with the scarecrow display and will be listed on the list of participants. There is no registration fee but the deadline for registering is Sept. 30. There is a $250 first prize, a $150 second prize, and a $100 third prize for the top three. Winners will be announced on WNEG Radio on November 4 at 8:00 a.m. Voting will be online or at various local businesses.  Each sign will have a QR code located on it for easy voting.

Last year’s winners were - Third Place – Wilbanks Smile Center, Second Place – Toccoa Elementary School, and First Place – The Clinic Pharmacy.

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