Businesses, City Set to Love the Lake

The Acworth Business Association (ABA) is teaming up with the to host this year's Love the Lake Festival over Labor Day weekend.

“We want Acworth to be the prime staycation destination,” said Vince Bubolo, President of the ABA. According to Bubolo, with the current state of the economy it is not practical for many families to splurge on gas and go somewhere for a long weekend. This event is designed to not only showcase Acworth as the , but to give people a place to get away for a few days without having to go very far.

“We're all about bringing the strollers and babies back,” said Bubolo. The event aims to draw families to the city and generate exposure for local businesses. It is hoped that the families that come to visit one event will come back to patronize the litany of events the city hosts every year.

The event kicks off on Sep. 3 at 10 a.m. with a parade. From then until Sep. 4 at 6 p.m., downtown Acworth and Lake Acworth will be abuzz with activities such as an arts and crafts fair, live music, roughly 100 vendors of various wares, and great food from 40 restaurants. An added bonus this year is a waterski and jetski demonstration by the Atlanta Ski and Snowboard Club.

“For people who have been to this event before, expect these demonstrations to be something new that will blow you away,” said James Albright, Director of Parks and Recreation.

The Acworth Business Association was founded in 1979, and has been working hand in hand with the city to bring tourists to the city and promote the growth of businesses. The Love the Lake Festival, which took of in earnest relatively recently, has been an important part of this relationship.

“Our thrust is to drive more business to our local businesses,” said Bubolo. To that end, the ABA has set up a sponsorship scheme that allows its members to be featured on the event's welcoming banner and the opportunity to run a kiosk at the event.

Sponsorships run from $250 to $5,000 for businesses. $250 gets a business featured on the banner, while any sponsorship above $2,500 allows a business to operate a kiosk to feature their goods or services.

The festival is expected to draw around 15,000 people to the city over the weekend. These guests will be visiting not only downtown and the lake, but other areas where local businesses stand to reap the benefits.

“We expect a lot of traffic to go through 41 between Cedarcrest and Acworth Due West,” said Bubolo. “Even if they don't buy something over the weekend, our hope is that they will be back soon to do business with us.”

Patch will also be present during both days of the festival. Please stop by our Patch booth and pick up some Patch goodies.