This summer has offered a lot of fun opportunities in our community. In addition to the usual boating, rafting, fishing and hiking opportunities in our great outdoors, there have been other fun opportunities right here in downtown Elizabethton, and this weekend will be no exception as it is packed with a whole bunch of fun.
The Go Betsy Festival will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Covered Bridge Park and will feature craft vendors, kayaking, food trucks, archery, an air-soft trailer, military exhibit, and community service booth. In addition, there will be music beginning at 5:30 p.m., featuring Boozy Creek Grass, JP Mathes II & Fiddling Leona, and Tennessee Champagne after which there will be an outdoor movie.
Also, the fun continues in the byways as trout fishing for kids will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Roan Mountain Community Park, and it will be free for kids, ages two to 12.
There’s much to come over the rest of the summer and into the fall, with high school football kicking off this Friday evening and college football the next weekend.
Carter County and Elizabethton offer a rich variety of opportunities to enjoy community spirit and add to the local tourism economy.
If you have driven or walked through downtown Elizabethton on Saturday evening, you might have noticed the Covered Bridge Park alive with the sound of music and merriment. Each Saturday evening there have been Covered Bridge Jams in the park from 7 to 9 p.m. They have been well-received by the community. Farther up the street is the downtown car show, which is held every Saturday from April through October. Folks gather to show off their classy cars and to just enjoy one another’s company. Many of the stores stay open, offering some great places to eat.
There’s a sense that a new spirit has come to Elizabethton — not just because the Second Friday Night Events of each month is new, but because a group of business owners and stakeholders are enthused about what downtown has to offer.
Our downtown business owners have proven that Elizabethton has much to offer. They have reached down deep into their small business budgets, and found a way to make their American Dream work in Elizabethton.
This dedicated and hardworking group of folks is doing their darnedest to make sure the city has new events like Saturday’s to help attract visitors to our little slice of paradise.
Events such as the Go Betsy Festival and the Second Friday Night events are essential to keeping our downtown vibrant and alive.
Also, any event downtown that makes use of the Covered Bridge Park is a good one. Perhaps one day, residents can take a walk downtown and find a quaint event or market every weekend of the year.