Henry County is accustomed to its share of springtime festivities for the community to enjoy.
This year, however, recent events have resulted in changes to the local calendar.
The 43rd annual Geranium Festival is scheduled for September 19 from 9 a.m., to 5 p.m., in downtown McDonough. The event was originally slated for this weekend, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival, sponsored by the McDonough Lions Club, typically draws approximately 25,000 people to the streets of downtown McDonough. Club President Raye Reed said the club is forging ahead with plans for the occasion.
“We are accepting applications from art & crafts, community businesses, and food vendors,” said Reed. “The application is available on our website, www.geraniumfestival.com.”
Reed said city officials consulted with local merchants and festival vendors in deciding when to hold this year’s festival.
“All vendors were informed of the date change on April 7 and told they could request a refund of their booth fee through June 1, if they have a schedule conflict,” said Reed.
The Geranium Festival is one of several local events that were canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus. Reed said this year’s festival will feature an opportunity to raise money for A Friend’s House, a local children’s shelter.
“A Friend’s House plans to sell cookbooks at the festival as a fundraiser since they were not able to hold Taste of Henry this year,” she said.
For more information on the festival, e-mail info@geranium festival.com.
Another event which is undergoing changes as a result of the pandemic is the annual Haven House Hustle, a fundraiser for its namesake domestic-violence shelter. Katie Tucker, Haven House Executive Director said this year’s 5K is being replaced by a “Go the Extra Mile” fundraising campaign.
“Our thoughts are to run this campaign from summer to October, which is domestic violence awareness month,” said Tucker. “We will be releasing several promotional videos to highlight our needs and ask the community for their support.”
Haven House will release additional details about the campaign in the near future on social media, and online at www.henryhavenhouse.org.
