| 12th Annual Deer Dash Information |
| Entertainment/Agenda for the Deer Festival |
| Vendor Applications |
| Parade Application |
(Monticello, Georgia), September 04, 2009 - Plans are under way for the 43rd Annual Monticello-Jasper County Deer Festival sponsored by The Monticello – Jasper County Chamber of Commerce. The festival, which is held on the Square in downtown Monticello, will take place on Saturday, November 7th, 2009.
The Deer Festival will kick off at 7:30 a.m. with the 12th Annual Deer Dash, a one-mile fun run and at 8:00 am with the 5K run/walk. This year’s race has been relocated to the Historic District of Monticello with amendments to the race course. The race will begin from the Square of Monticello and end on Funderburg Drive in front of the Monticello Police Department. Copies of the route and applications for the race can be found at the Chamber of Commerce office on the Square or a downloadable form from the Chamber website. Both children and adults are encouraged to participate with awards given in each race by age group.
Pre- registration fees are 15.00 per entrant, a Family Rate for 4 or more is $10.00 each and a Group Rate will also be available for purchase. Pre-registration deadline is October 23, 2009, 5:00 pm. Race day registration begins at 6:30 am and entry fees will be $20.00. This year’s Deer Dash Sponsors are AT&T, Central GA EMC, Bank of Monticello, McIntosh State Bank, Jasper Memorial Hospital, Century 21 Heart Land Realty, Dairy Queen of Monticello, Jasper County Lumber Company, McGinnis Realty & Appraisal, SSS Printing Services, PermaTherm, Hooper Trailer Sales and United States Census 2010.
The festival will officially kick off at 9:00 am with the announcement of the Deer Dash Winners!
There are still vendor spots available for arts, crafts and informational booths. Fiber artists, wood carvers, potters, weavers and painters as well as non-profit entities are encouraged to participate in the festival. Contact the Chamber for pricing information on these booth spaces. Deadline for applications is October 23, 2009, 5:00 pm.
All of the food vendor spots are close to being filled, providing a wide variety of concessions. A sampling of some of the foods that will be available at the festival includes grilled and barbequed chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, barbeque pork, curly fries, hand dipped corndogs, Italian ice, old fashioned ice cream, funnel cakes, blooming onions, smoked turkey legs, desserts and sweets of all kinds! And…It wouldn’t be a Deer Festival without some venison to eat! Don’t forget to contact the Kiwanis Club of Monticello if you would like to try your hand at the Venison Cook-Off!
There will also be a host of children’s rides and activities to keep the little ones enthralled! Pony rides, the whirly bird, spider mountain and inflatable slides will be all around the area as well as a few other exciting additions to this year’s festival! Live entertainment is schedule for the day, with a variety of venues performing. Other activities planned for the day will be the crowning of the Deer Festival Queen at 2:00 pm, a host of contests including the longest beard, biggest buck shot in 2008 and the Deer Stand Derby!
This year’s parade will be held at 3:00 pm. Applications to participate in this year’s parade are available at the Chamber of Commerce office and will also be made available for download (Application). This year the parade will be staged from the Civic Center parking lot and down the side streets on Westview, Connor and Greene. All schools and groups who want to make or enter a float in this year’s parade are encouraged to do so. Now is the time to start formulating your ideas!
As a reminder, vendors for the festival (food, craft and informational) must be registered with the Chamber of Commerce to ensure that everyone has the proper permits required by the City of Monticello and the Georgia Department of Revenue.
We look forward to having a great Deer Festival this year and associated activities planned around it!
For more information on any of these activities associated with the Deer Festival, please contact Nancy Arnold Wood at the Chamber of Commerce office at 706-468-8994 or email jasperchamber@bellsouth.net and Sage Edwards with the Better Hometown Program, 706.468.1995 or email betterhometown@bellsouth.net .