Small Town, Big Festival

By: Betsy Reason

Over the past weekend, a sleepy little town of about 750 residents came to life, filled with craft and food vendors, musical acts and several thousands of visitors.

And it was a beautiful weekend for a festival, kicking off the first day of fall on Saturday.

The 50th annual Atlanta New Earth Festival was on Saturday and Sunday in Atlanta, Ind., Hamilton County’s northernmost town, on Indiana 19, about 20 minutes north of Noblesville. In fact, an official green and white county-line sign, “Leave Hamilton County, Enter Tipton County,” is displayed permanently in the middle of town, on this weekend amidst vendor booths, nestled next to Snow’s Old Fashioned Beef Jerky vendor.

Arriving into the town, vehicles were parked in yards and along the roads. As we got closer, handwritten parking signs advertised deals on parking, $2, then $3, then $5 parking in front yards. I kept driving, trying to get close as we could to the festival, now driving south on Indiana Street, where we found a $5 parking sign in the front yard of a house, where a woman, likely the homeowner, directed us into an empty yard, where we parked at the front, so it was easy to leave later. That was at about 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The streets of Atlanta, which were all blocked off in the festival area, where vendors set up along both sides of the streets, were just starting to get busy with folks walking and shopping at the vendor booths. At this time, few food booths were busy. So it would have been a good time to get in line for a late breakfast or early lunch. (Note to self for next year.)

Also, Kiwanians were serving breakfast of pancakes, biscuits and gravy, from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Atlanta Community Building. Being that I saw the sign at about 10:30 a.m., I had hoped that the breakfast had been busy, because Kiwanis always fixes a good breakfast and raises money for good causes.

I walked up and down the streets, every street, taking in the array of vendors and shopping opportunities in downtown Atlanta. I could could find about any food that I wanted, although at one point, in mid-afternoon, I was looking for ice cream and could not find it. I could find every other food or drink, except for ice cream.

The annual festival began in 1974 as a way to revive the town’s business district. Many of the buildings downtown, which hadn’t held shops since the 1930s, were restored to make room for future businesses. (For instance, Noblesville’s Steve and Shannon Plumer, in recent years, renovated an old building on Main Street in downtown Atlanta and turned the space into a boutique wedding venue and event center called Earthly Endearments.)

The first Atlanta New Earth Festival took place the first weekend in October. Members of the Atlanta Women’s League served coffee from the doorway of Atlanta Town Hall, and they made and sold items at a craft bazaar and flea market inside Atlanta’s old Post Office. Atlanta Servall Club had a fish fry in the town’s shelter house. Arts and crafts people displayed their wares, from candles and hand-blown glass to macrame and pottery. There were antiques, paintings and handmade wooden items. And there was live music.

Over the past weekend, the little town was expecting 80,000 to 100,000 visitors, an annual estimate from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.

About 600 vendors sold arts, crafts and collectables, set up along Main Street and along the railroad tracks just south to the town’s park.

The Nickel Plate Express was sold out on both days for rides to the festival. The Atlanta New Earth Festival Express sounded the whistle as the train chugged into Atlanta, stopping at the south end of town. Passengers boarded the train from Hobbs Station at Noblesville’s Forest Park for the 45-minute ride to Atlanta, and each trip gave passengers two hours in Atlanta before returning to Noblesville. While the train was stopped, many folks took advantage of photo opportunities in front of the train.

At the park, an array of musical acts performed Saturday beginning with Branded Bluegrass band, followed by the Hamilton County Four-Leaf Clover Cloggers (that’s how my daughter learned to clog in 4-H during elementary school years) and Cook & Belle, Greg Rhodes, Remedy Band and Groove Smash, all on Saturday; and then Washed White, 45 RPM and Living Proof on Sunday.

The entertainment was wonderful, and I especially loved Branded Bluegrass because I love bluegrass music.

The bands performed all weekend on an outdoor stage sponsored by Hamilton County Commissioner Mark Heirbrandt. Courtesy folding chairs under shade trees and a hospitality tent with tables and chairs from other sponsors were nearby and offered festival goers a place to rest, eat and watch the awesome entertainment.

The only thing that could have made the entertainment experience better would have been signage that would have posted each day’s stage entertainment and show times. (Please forgive me if the signage was there, but I saw no signs) I also couldn’t find an entertainment list and show times on social media. Although, at the end of the weekend, I was able to find a very nicely designed orange trifold brochure, listing the entertainment schedule, free Kids Zone info, details of a public safety health awareness area sponsored by County Commissioner Christine Altman, and instructions on how to donate nonperishable food to The Good Samaritan Network, on the atlantaindiana.com website. I’m not sure why this brochure wasn’t posted on any social media that I could find.

Also, for next year, may I suggest that Heirbrandt, in addition to sponsoring the stage, sponsor signage, with his sponsor name on it, with a list of the live entertainment for each day and the show times, placed near the stage, and a second similar sign, with directional arrows, placed on Main Street near the railroad tracks. This signage would not only benefit the festival-goers but also the entertainment and the sponsor.

On Saturday night, in celebration of Atlanta New Earth Festival’s 50th anniversary, a concert featuring Groove Smash top-40 cover band followed by fireworks, sponsored by Duke Energy, was visible from the park and stage area. This special celebration info was published at atlantaindiana.com, but I didn’t see any other publicity announcing the special concert and fireworks extending the day’s activities.

Overall, the festival is a really great one, and well worth attending. It was well supported by lots of generous sponsors. In addition, there are also lots of volunteers and work that goes into this festival by the town’s employees.

Several years ago, I remember visiting with Town officials as they readied for visitors.

Atlanta’s deputy clerk Jennifer Farley told me how much work goes into organizing the festival. She sends out the vendor applications each February with a May 1 deadline for returning vendors who want the same spot.

She also told me how much the festival has a happy place in her heart. She and husband of about 40 years, Fred Farley, had their first date at the festival in 1976, then in its third year.

On that visit, I also met Atlanta Utilities superintendent Andy Emmert, who lays out vendor spots, hooks up electrical services, and builds more than 300 trash boxes just days before the festival, then he made sure vendors got to their correct spots when they arrived.

Emmert told me that he has attended the festival since he was a kid, growing up here. “It was exciting. When I was a kid, there were 25 businesses in town; we had an O’Malia’s here. The first festival was 20 vendors; now there are 600,” Emmert had said.

He had said, jokingly, “There are almost as many vendors here as there are people in town.”

-Betsy Reason writes about people, places and things in Hamilton County. Contact The Times Editor Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.