On Friday May 4th, “First Fridays” had it’s initial promotion at historic downtown Ellijay. “First Fridays” is a group effort between the Gilmber Chamber of Commerce (GCC), Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association (GAHA), and Better Home Town (BHT) to help promote business in the downtown area. The event includes music, artists, food, and shopping for guests. The GCC, GAHA, and BHT will host a “First Fridays” every first Friday of the month with a different theme for each month, and the effort will be seasonal with the last “First Friday” being in December.

With hundreds of people showing up, May’s “First Friday” theme was “Hats off to Ellijay” where every “First Friday” visitor was expected to wear their favorite hat and featured music from local musicians Joy Hice and Dannie Wilson. The event also included artwork from local artists and food from local vendors.

Karleen Ferguson, the tourism and special events coordinator for the GCC, said of the event, “We tried to come up with this event so we could bring people downtown, and have the merchants stay open late for the working folks and locals that can’t get down here so they can have an opportunity to shop. We have kid’s activities, live music, food, and it’s just lots of fun to try and promote our downtown.”

Many of the downtown areas local merchants are already excited about the effort. “The whole concept of ‘First Fridays’ when it has been tried anywhere else has been a tremendous success and a tremendous boost for every business that has participated. If this first Friday is all about getting the word out, then the second Friday ought to be a really good one!”, said Art Carlson, part owner and resident potter of Whistle Tree Pottery.

Also, when asked if she thought “First Fridays” would benefit her business and community, Wanda Allen of Boone’s Art and Antiques said, “Absolutely, we have had numerous people come into the store.”

The next “First Friday” event will have a “Country Western” theme and is scheduled to be on June 1st. Each of the “First Friday” efforts will last from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.