The Centennial Celebration was held at the Helendorf River Inn Conference Center in downtown Helen. During the evening several speakers talked about the development of the city of Helen from a small sleepy town to a major tourist attraction in the state.
One of the speakers for the evening was artist John Kollock, who provided the development design for the Alpine Village. "I take credit for the design, but Pete Hodkinson gets credit for getting it done," Kollock said. Most of the speakers credited Hodkinson as the motivating force behind the Alpine Village and promotion of the city as a tourist destination. He also started the Helen to the Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race.
The birthday celebration was hosted by the Helen Arts and Heritage Center. Paula Ash with the center said they had planned many activities to celebrate the city's centennial. "This is the biggest one that tells the story and it's the closest to the actual birthday."
Other events includes, Helen's first ever MUSICFEST, Saturday August 24th at The Festhall, a Floating River Parade, Saturday and the city's largest fireworks display on August 31st.
The official birthday cake (Photo: Dean Dyer)
Former Mayor Bob Fowler (Photo: Dean Dyer)
Artist John Kollock (Photo: Dean Dyer)
http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/8/264518