Lavonia Chamber of Commerce

Dec 1st, 2022

Working for our community; supporting Lavonia.
Sep 6th, 2021

Aug 3rd, 2014

LAVONIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FALL FESTIVAL!This year we attended the fall festival in Lavonia and one of the biggest draws was an advertised 45 minute train ride.  We were so excited that we arrived early to get our tickets only to discover that the posting had been in error.  Nooooooooooooooo!  We recovered and continued on. With small town festivals, you never really know what you are going to get.  Some of them surprise you because they pull out all the stops and show you a really great time, others just seem to "phone it in". Size does not matter, it is all about effort and a willingness to think outside of the box.On festival day, I like being able to arrive at least an hour early to get the lay of the land and to perhaps grab breakfast in one of the local restaurants.  I love being able to eat at one of the restaurants because it gives you a peek into small town culture.  You will see the regulars and may even catch wind of the local gossip.  Sometimes, the restaurants will close so that the workers can work the festival.  In an ideal situation, the restaurants will have a table at the festival and still remain open so that they don't miss an opportunity to serve different types of patrons.  While I very rarely eat festival food (mostly the kettlecorn with no added sodium), I will eat at one of the local restaurants or the bakery where I can actually smell items being freshly prepared.I love it when all of the businesses are open so that I can actually shop because we have attended festivals where some of the businesses were closed and I guess it was to avoid competing with festival dollars.  During this day, one of their larger stores was open and it was perfect because we were able to get in and get some shopping done while receiving great customer service.  I also love multiple stages/areas with various forms of entertainment to give attendees choices about what they prefer to see or hear.Here is what seemed a bit off at this festival:  As the festival got started, there was no live entertainment going just a radio station blasting canned music.  I prefer live music and I just appreciate a simple acoustic set early in the morning.  I like having things start on time.  If you say that the performers will be performing at 10am, they need to be ready to go that time or I will simply move on as I did on this day.  Also, their stage sits north and faces south, while the benches fast east and west.  See the problem?  Under these circumstances, it would probable be best for them to add portable tables  with umbrellas and chairs that actually face the chairs and provide protection from the sun.  When it came to desserts or special treats, there were a number of vendors selling home baked items (instead of items freshly prepared on site) and one funnel cake stand.  This was really disappointing as I always like something hot and delicious (mini donuts and kettlecorn), on festival day.  Although I purchased a cool memory bracelet for my daughter, I largely left feeling empty and wishing for a more enhanced experience.  For not updating their information regarding the train ride which was never even an option, (according to an official that I spoke with directly), this festival gets a very low rating.  You simply cannot advertise a train ride as the "highlight of the day" and not deliver. I admit that the only reason we wanted to attend this particular festival was because of the advertised train ride. For future festivals, I hope that they work on make sure that their on-line ads carry accurate information.  I would also like to see more varied vendors, live music, seating options and a greater effort toward highlighting the positive attributes of the town.
Oct 6th, 2017