Hometown Christmas Set for Downtown Cartersville

Two local organizations are encouraging community members to save the date for downtown Cartersville's first Hometown Christmas event.

Cartersville Downtown Development Authority and Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce teamed to spearhead the Saturday, Dec. 8, event scheduled for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meant to encourage community residents to shop locally, both organizations are working to schedule a variety of entertainment throughout the downtown district including dance demonstrations, photo opportunities with Santa, choral performances and more.

"With the Chamber’s commitment to encourage people to 'Buy Bartow,' we felt this was a great opportunity for the two organizations to partner together to promote the importance of purchasing holiday gift items locally both from the perspective that it supports the downtown merchants, and also because of the positive tax implications for the county," DDA Manager Tara Currier said in a release. "There is such an array of great product offerings in the downtown district from home goods and children’s toys, to clothing and baked treats, we want people to think locally when it comes time for holiday shopping and consider patronizing these downtown businesses before opting to drive down the interstate to another county."

Will you attend Hometown Christmas and Buy Bartow? Why or why not? Tell us in the comments below.

To help educate students in the Cartersville City and Bartow County school systems, a coloring contest, sponsored in part by Lara J Designs, and essay contest have been implemented in each of the 14 public elementary and five middle schools.

Students in grades kindergarten through fifth may enter the coloring contest, which features either the Adairsville or Cartersville train depot or Euharlee Covered Bridge, depending on location of the school, and middle schools students may submit an essay on why they plan to Buy Bartow this holiday season. 

Winners for the contests will receive great prizes and be announced at noon in Friendship Plaza during the Hometown Christmas event.

"We thought it was important to educate the youth in our community about why they should Buy Bartow and exactly what it means for our county," Chamber President & CEO Joe Frank Harris Jr. said in the release. "Our hope is that these contests will be fun for the students, and it will also help explain to both the students and their parents about what the importance of purchasing items locally.

"When people spend their money in Cartersville-Bartow County, part of the total tax amount paid STAYS in Bartow County which goes to support funding for schools, local roads and public parks. When opting to shop at a locally-owned business, that is a non-franchise, $68 out of every $100 spent stays in Bartow County.

"In addition to helping fund the items aforementioned, money spent at locally owned and operated businesses provides salaries for the employees—for them to turn around and spend locally—and also the overall operation costs, such as water, power and gas, all of which help support our local economy."

The Chamber and DDA hope that by working to educate the community on the importance of purchasing items locally, as well as providing fun activities for the entire family to enjoy, Hometown Christmas would become an annual event that families look forward to attending year after year.

So mark your calendars now for a fun-filled day of shopping and dining in downtown Cartersville, as well as a variety of entertainment the entire family can enjoy. For additional details about Hometown Christmas, call the DDA office at 770-607-3480 or the Chamber of Commerce at 770-382-1466.

Tell us what you think in the comments, share your photos and videos, and don’t miss any of the local news you care about—subscribe to Cartersville Patch's newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.