The 2015 LaVista Park Fall Festival was held last Saturday, October 17 and was, by all accounts, a great success and a fun afternoon. We were once again blessed with a beautiful fall afternoon and a strong turnout. Nearly 150 participants actually signed in at the welcome tables, and the committee estimates another 100 or so visited the event without signing in. After a two year absence, it was great to see the Fall Festival rebound stronger than ever!
As you might guess, events like these don’t just happen on their own, and they don’t just come to life with two or three meetings the week before the event. A group of dedicated volunteers, many of whom were volunteering for LaVista Park for the first time, met first bi-weekly and then weekly for three months, and dedicated many hours to round-up sponsorships from 73 individuals and businesses to make this event successful. All of them will tell you they had a fun time working with and getting to know their neighbors and area merchants. I attended the debriefing meeting a few days after the Festival where the committee discussed what worked well, what challenges were encountered , and what they would like to see at future LaVista Park Fall Festivals. There was great enthusiasm for this year’s Festival and for next year and beyond.
There are many to thank for the success of last Saturday’s Fall Festival, but it has to start with the Fall Festival Committee, chaired by Tom Woodward. Tom is a long time LaVista Park resident (Brook Forest) who took on the challenge of reviving the Fall Festival last held in 2012. Tom’s enthusiasm and organizational skills were key to leading his all-volunteer committee. While some LVPCA Board members served on the Fall Festival Committee and others volunteered “day of,” the Fall Festival Committee operated completely independently of the Board and is responsible for the success of the Festival. Listed below are the individuals and business that supported the Festival one way or another. Any exclusions were accidental – please don’t get mad, just send an email to president@lavistpark.org letting us know. Finally, please patronize these businesses as they have taken an interest in LaVista Park.
The Board would also like to say “thanks” to the following volunteers and participants:
Grill meisters: Steve Patrick & Curtis Reese
Cars: Doug Neal, Lisa Hill, Mark Good
Security: Capt. Braun and the LaVista Park Patrol
Event volunteers: Carol Kilgore, Chad Isbell, Claire Janas, Dana Williams, Donna Herbster, Ed Patterson, Jimmy Parson, Rock Nelson, Steve Richards, Roman Szlam, Ron White, Stan Jennings, Sue Hartman, Wendy Yang
Mentors: Past festival committee members: Dave Lushbaugh, Donna Newman
DeKalb County: Debbie Schneider (Jeff Rader Assistant)
Planning/pre-event – The Fall Festival Committee:
Bonnie Jackson, Chad “DJ, start the music!” Prosser, Juli and Lauren St. George, Julie Donovan, Lisa Rhodes, Neil Heronime, Shana Sinkoe, Tom Woodward (Chair)
Additionally, we would like to thank the sponsors of the 2015 Fall Festival –
Ameer’s Mediterranean Grill
Anne Carley
Athletic Club Northeast
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Auto-Glo Hand Car Wash
Avril’s Car Wash
barre3 Druid Hills
Bill Golden Homes
Briarcliff Frame Shop
Broadway Café
Buckhead Custom Frames
Center for Puppetry Arts
Citadel-LaVista Park Garden Club
Dance 101
DeKalb County Library
DeKalb County Public Safety
DJ Marc J Cubs
Dog Days Midtown
El Torrero
Farmer D Organics
Feet Press Spa
Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Science Center
Francine Davis, Zumba
Fresh Market
Great Clips
Grub Burger
HippoHopp
Jackson Bass Homes
Jiffy Lube
Johnny’s Pizza
Juli St. George, KW Realtor
K&M Auto Repair
Kroger Sage Hill
Kroger Toco Hills
LaVista Park Shade Tree Project
Lisa Rhodes
Marco’s Pizza – Provided 18 Pizza!!
Martha & Eddie Krenson
Mary Zeman Art
Mellow Mushroom
Midtown Family Chiropractic & Wellness Center
Mr. Magic!
New Baby Products
Nick Park – Nick and Keoki provided the music!
Nino’s Cucina Italiana
Original Pancake House
Patch Foster & Kevin Rowland
Pharr Road Animal Hospital
Pig-N-Chik BBQ
Pita Palace
Plant Communications
Private Bank of Buckhead and Decatur
Rain Thai & Sushi – Provided delicious sushi and Thai food
Rhodes Bakery
Rich Vision
Rocky’s Beverage – Provided ALL cold beverages and ice
Roxx Tavern
Shiloh Funhouse
Small Cakes
South Fork Conservancy
Sport Clips
Starbucks Briarcliff Road
Steve Patrick & Curtis Reece – Provided the burgers and dogs AND cooked them!!
Sunny’s Cleaners
Taqueria Del Sol Cheshire Bridge
Thai Chili
The Pet Set
Two Minit Car Wash
United Artists Tara Theatre
Ursula’s Cooking School
Wanda Yang Temko
Yoga Roots
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