by Samantha Sinclair
White County News
First, it was rain.
Then, a tornado watch.
And then came the flooding and power outages.
It became a situation where the Business Block Party couldn’t go on as scheduled.
At just after 9 a.m. on Thursday, the White County Chamber of Commerce shared the decision to postpone the Business Block Party to today, May 16.
The festival, showcasing local businesses, is from 2-8 p.m. in Freedom Park in Cleveland. The event includes food vendors, lawn games, a sidewalk chalk area and a concert.
Parking is available at Cleveland First Methodist Church, the White County Courthouse, Cleveland Square, the lot beside United Community bank and at the the White County Chamber of Commerce parking lot.
Streets beside the park, Quillian and Brooks, will be closed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the event.
Investor Engagement Director Kayla Ellis said fortunately the date is biggest change — the band, Obe and Amber, will still perform at 7 p.m., and only participant has had to drop out.
“It’s literally a miracle,” Ellis said.
The event will have one addition — there will now be a blood drive taking place behind the stage throughout the morning and early afternoon.
Ellis said the decision was not made lightly.
Just the day prior, chamber staff met with the county’s emergency management department and determined all would be well for the block party, with the storm moving out in time.
By morning, the forecast and conditions had changed.
The decision to postpone the event involved not only the chamber’s board of directors, but also input from Habersham EMC and the county’s emergency management. And, so they could get out the word on new date while sharing that the event was postponed, they needed to coordinate with the county and the city to determine if the event could be held the following week.
“There was a lot happening between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. that no one saw because we wanted to make the right decision,” Ellis said.