Despite rain, Buggy Days an anniversary gem

By Walter GeigerThe 40th annual Barnesville Buggy Days dealt with a soggy Saturday but still was roundly applauded as a success.’I was very pleased. Even with the rain, we had the best crowds of the last several years,’ chamber of commerce president Emily Rowland said. At least two vendors, one with duck calls and another selling monogrammed bags, sold out Sunday when the weather and the crowds improved.The Old Fashioned Games, which were conducted in a steady rain Saturday night, drew 1,500 attendees and was worked by 84 volunteers. ‘We couldn’t do it without our volunteers. All these people come together to work to highlight Barnesville-Lamar County because they love it here,’ noted event chairman Missy Kendrick.Friday night’s street dance, which featured Tyler Hammond of Thomaston and Lady Creech and the Main Street Band from Barnesville, enjoyed superb weather and benefitted from the Lamar County Trojans being off for the night.’The gate was good. Our sales were good. I don’t have the actual numbers but it was a big success. We welcome the opportunity to showcase local musicians,’ event chairman T.J. Imberger said.Buggy Days chairman Tim Turner noted he and his team of committee members and volunteers were exhausted but remained busy Monday counting money and doing after event reports and analysis.’We are always looking for ways to improve and we welcome comments,’ Turner said. He also reported he had dozens of people come up to him to share memories of his grandfather, Troy Turner, who was featured in last week’s Buggy Days edition of The Herald Gazette.’We would be remiss if we did not thank all the agencies who came together to support us. We could not make this happen without them,’ Rowland added.Among those she listed were the police department, sheriff’s department, ambulance service, fire department, city employees and county employees.’I probably missed somebody but we appreciate them all. Most people don’t see it but an awful lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make Buggy Days happen,’ she concluded.