CLARKESVILLE — Leaders from across Habersham County sat down this week to begin planning for the county's bicentennial.
The Habersham County Archway Partnership Bicentennial 1818-2018 Issue Work Group met Thursday in Clarkesville to discuss ways the county and its cities might celebrate Habersham's 200th birthday.
The county, named for Col. Joseph Habersham, was created on Dec. 15, 1818. Born in Savannah in 1751, Habersham played many roles, including serving in the Georgia convention that ratified the 1787 U.S. Constitution. He was appointed postmaster general in 1795 by President George Washington.
Habersham County Commission Chairman Victor Anderson suggested four areas of focus:
- Branding/theme/logo;
- Calendar/scheduling;
- Finance/budget; and
- Historical perspective.
Cheryl Smith, senior tourism manager - Northeast Georgia Mountains for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, attended the meeting in an advisory capacity and suggested adding a fifth area for marketing and promotions.
Demorest Mayor Rick Austin suggested since there are five county commissioners that each commissioner take one of the suggested focus area committees.
"Seriously, and cities could fall into those areas and assist in those particular areas," Austin said.
Anderson and Vice Chairman Ed Nichols said they would step up and would ask the other three commissioners to do so as well.
The group discussed numerous ideas for involving school and college students and other area groups and businesses, and for spreading the celebration out over the course of the year, and incorporating it into both annual and special events.
"There's a number of things that we can do," Austin said. "When you're talking about the calendar, we've got a number of events that occur annually in Habersham County. They're usually municipality specific or county specific. You've got the Mountain Laurel, the Big Red Apple Festival, the Glorious Fourth. Next year ought to be a really big focus for each one of those groups to really say that we're celebrating not only our history as a municipality but our history as a county -- and those events could be big, with that logo, with that marketing, with those kinds of things. It's mostly budgeted as well."
In addition to county representatives, Thursday night's meeting was attended by representatives from City of Clarkesville, City of Demorest, Town of Mt. Airy, Habersham Chamber of Commerce, Habersham County 4-H Program, Habersham County Libraries, Piedmont College, Tallulah Falls School, local history groups and local media outlets.
The committee's next gathering will be a lunchtime meeting on Feb. 9.
