Record Crowd Seen at Townsend Fall Festival
9/25/2011
Record Crowd Seen at Townsend Fall Festival
Survey results show visitors stay overnight in Blount County
Maryville, Tenn. - They came and they came and they just kept coming. The line of cars on Highway 321 leading to the Townsend Fall Festival, a project of the Blount Partnership, at the Visitor's Center was long as the facility saw a record-crowd of 8,777 attend the two-day event of music, food and crafts, Sept. 23-24. But once inside, excitement and fun was had by all.
"The weather was awesome and as a result, we saw a huge outpouring of visitors and vendors who really made the Fall Festival the best it's ever been, "said Bryan Daniels, President/CEO of the Blount Partnership. "We had great support from our volunteers who made the event run smoothly and with the results of our survey, we plan on making it better in years to come."
As part of an ongoing effort to enhance the event, a survey was conducted with the visitors in regards to where they came from, where lodging and the number of nights.
The results were astounding as more than 40 percent of the respondents stayed in Blount County at a hotel, cabin or campground with more than 75 percent staying at least three nights. Most of the visitors to the Festival hailed from Tennessee, with 38 percent coming from out of state. Not only were accommodations busy, Townsend and other area attractions saw their traffic increase as well.
"Townsend was as busiest as I've ever seen it and we experienced heavy traffic in Trillium Cove," said Chad Rochelle, owner of Dogwood Cabins (www.dogwoodcabins.com). "It's great exposure for our area, any way you look at it."
Rochelle, who has followed the growth of the Festival for the past 15 years, also noted that he direct markets to his former guests about the dates and special events associated with both the Spring and Fall Festivals. The effects of those record numbers at the event were felt by local businesses as well.
"These events certainly helped us be successful our first year and will help us survive the winter," said Don Curry, first year owner of Mountaineer Campground (www.mountaineercampground.net). "I am grateful to the Blount Partnership for their work and encourage continuation of these activities." Events like the Townsend Spring and Fall Festivals, held in May and September, respectively, to go along with the Pottery and Winter Heritage Festivals, signal that the benefits are considerable for businesses in the surrounding area.
About Blount Partnership
The Blount Partnership is the key economic development agency for Blount County. It represents four advancement entities for the community: Blount Chamber of Commerce, Blount County Economic Development Board, Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitor's Bureau and the Blount Chamber Foundation. The Partnership operates two facilities in Maryville and Townsend, Tenn., which are led by a CEO and supporting staff to accomplish all the programming needs for each agency's board of directors. With 45 years of service, the Blount Partnership is used by the State of Tennessee as a benchmark for combining community resources and programming to support a shared economic development goal.