The Official Trout Festival of Georgia!

[Bwanabob]

House Speaker Ralston Leads State Resolution Declaring
the ‘Official Trout Festival of Georgia’ in Blue Ridge


(April 12, 2016/Blue Ridge, GA) When the Blue Ridge Trout Festival kicks off with the Trout Train fundraising ride on the rails on Friday, April 29, it does so with the added fever for being named the “Official Trout Festival of Georgia.” It resumes with fun, food and entertainment on Saturday, April 30, with the Breakout Marketplace public event in downtown City Park of Blue Ridge.

House Speaker David Ralston (representative, 7th District) on January 15 led the effort behind House Resolution 1039 that gave the Festival its official status when the declaration was passed by the Georgia Legislature.

“When I was told about the festival, I wanted to give support to the festival and Fannin County, which we’ve already designated as the ‘Trout Capital of Georgia.’ So, we drafted the resolution,” Ralston says. “And the festival is built around the fact that Fannin County has become a trout-fishing destination for fishermen from all over the nation.”

Working off the “Capital” trout-fishing designation, the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce (www.BlueRidgeMountains.com) /and Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited (www.BlueRidgeTU.com/chapter 696) presents the event in two stages:

• The Trout Train (on Facebook as “Trout Train of Blue Ridge”) opens the weekend on the evening of April 29, with a fundraising ride on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway (www.BRScenic.com). More than 500 reserved seats (book online or by phone) are available for the train ride along the scenic Toccoa River while passengers enjoy beers from Sweetwater Brewing Company (www.SweewaterBrew.com) and wines from Smoking Loon (www.smokingloon.com). Hearty appetizers from Harvest on Main (www.HarvestOnMain.com) restaurant in Blue Ridge complement the adult beverages served both on the train and at the silent auction event at trackside immediately following the train ride.

• The Breakout Marketplace follows the Trout Train event the next day, Saturday, April 30, from 9 am to 5 pm at the downtown City Park in Blue Ridge. More than 70 vendors and food trucks will gather in the park where visitors can enjoy a variety of foods while discovering Fannin County as a trout-fishing destination. Learn fishing secrets and get expert tips on the top tackle from local fishing experts. Shop for the latest in outdoor gear/apparel and fishing equipment. Take free fly-fishing lessons from the Atlanta Fly Fishing School (www.AtlantaFlyFishingSchool.com). Throw a cast (or more!) of your own on the casting pond. Learn to tie trout flies. Enjoy live music and cold beverages in the Beer Garden, sponsored by Sweetwater Brewing Company.

“The Blue Ridge Trout Festival and Outdoor Adventures has become larger and more popular than we ever imagined at the beginning,” says Lynn Brincks, festival planning committee chair. “A lot of hard work and long hours have gone into planning, coordinating and getting ready for this first ever festival. The sponsors, vendors, exhibitors and entertainment we have lined up will make the festival a memorable one that will lay the foundation for an even better event next year.”

While visiting with vendors and exhibitors – from the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians, to Casting For Recovery, to the fossil-fish artwork of Buzz Quintrell – the public is invited to share their Saturday in the City Park of historic Blue Ridge with fun and entertainment surrounding them. Test your fly-casting skills for shwag from Sweetwater Brewing. Discover the wide variety of quality lodging options in Fannin County. Enter the raffle to win a Yeti cooler from Georgia Women Fly Fishers. Plan a paddling trip with outfitters on the Toccoa River. And learn more about the wild environments of Fannin County – from our trout waters to mountain-bike trails to canoe trails – from the folks who promote and maintain these public recreational resources. Hear three great Georgia-born music shows!

“The inaugural Trout Fest involves experiences, education, and inspiration for all ages and outdoor interests and showcases the magnificence of a largely untapped outdoor resource: the Trout Capital of Georgia,” says Ralph Artigliere, education chairman for BRMTU. “Trout Fest will be good clean fun and raises funds and awareness for great local TU programs for veterans, kids, breast cancer survivors, and cold, clean trout water."

Whether it’s creeping through the untamed forest canopy over a sparking wild-trout stream, float-fishing for trout over gravel bottoms and granite ledges, tackling trophy trout on private waters, or casting soft baits to fresh-stocked trout, anglers of all kinds find Fannin County waters test trout fishing skills from beginners to experts.

“I’m often surprised by how many people don’t know about all the great fishing and other outdoor activities in Fannin County,” says Howard Winkler, BRMTU board member. “Working on the Trout Fest has given me a chance to help highlight these terrific resources both for full-time residents, weekenders and visitors … and how cool to be doing it in the form of a fun downtown event!”

The state resolution that recognizes the Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures event as the official trout festival of Georgia reinforces the fact that Blue Ridge is, indeed, the Trout Capital of Georgia.

For more information, visit the festival online at www.BlueRidgeTroutFest.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BlueRidgeTroutFestival.


Contact:
Bob Borgwat, event communications
Lynn Brincks, event chair
Email to: info@BlueRidgeTroutFest.com
Phone: 706-374-2390

 

[Bwanabob]

Everything "trout" and food, fun and music! MUSIC!

Georgia Musicians Hook Visitors with Deep Songwriting
at the ‘Official Trout Festival of Georgia’ in Blue Ridge


(April 26, 2016/Blue Ridge, GA) Georgia trout anglers who share their passion for fishing with an appetite for solid music and crisp, cold beer can quench all their thirsts at the first Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures event, April 30, in Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Three Georgia-borne music acts will inspire and entertain festival visitors for more than four hours when Blue Blood, featuring Hunter Morris, The Dave Anderson Band and Thomas Fountain take the stage at the festival Beer Garden, sponsored by Sweetwater Brewing Company, in downtown City Park. Melodies will ring out classic country music, Indie roots rock, Americana folk songs, alt-country rhythms and classic rock riffs, while vendors and exhibitors – from the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians, to Casting For Recovery, to the local guided fishing services – fill downtown City Park with fun, shopping, education and entertainment focused on trout fishing in Fannin County, the Trout Capital of Georgia.

The state recently named 2016 as the “Year of Georgia Music,”’ and the trout festival planners have joined the party that Governor Nathan Deal unveiled when he presented in March the cover of the official 2016 state travel guide that celebrates Georgia music. The full-color, magazine-sized guide spotlights the state’s rich music heritage, world-class venues and unique festivals.

“Georgia musicians laid the foundations for many of the music genres that visitors from around the world now recognize as distinctly American music,” said deputy commissioner for tourism Kevin Langston of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “The Year of Georgia Music allows us to shine a spotlight on these artists and on the places that inspired them to create their unique sounds – and also the places where travelers and locals alike can discover tomorrow’s breakout artists performing today.”

From 11:30 am to 1 pm Blue Blood opens the Beer Garden Stage with a collection of songs that tip toward guitar-oriented indie rock, rustic melodies amid roots-country and folk produced with updated methods. What began as a solo project for songwriter Hunter Morris of Athens, the process of making demos in solitude and trying to find a new voice for his songs led him to send his songs to Hank Sullivant, a founding member of The Whigs (Athens). Sullivant immediately assumed a more involved producer/instrumentalist role. Morris and Sullivant recruited J.J. Bower to play the drums, as well as keyboardist Dave Spivey, and will release on April 28 the debut Blue Blood LP, This Is The Life, on the This Is American Music label.

From 1:30 to 3 pm the Dave Anderson Band delivers a sound reminiscent of the old Southern blues men injected with a modern, songwriting feel. This combination makes Dave and his band an outstanding live act that mixes blues, funk, soul, rock, and Americana in a truly unique way. Born and raised in Gainesville, Dave’s roots sink deep into Georgia red clay. Whether he’s pickin' in the Mississippi Delta or headlining on Beale Street in Memphis, Dave says his style grows from “influences that have always been hard to put in a category. I just try to have fun on stage and not over-think it.” Words that come to mind when speaking of Dave's music are artist, songwriter, Southern and lefty.

From 3:30 to 5 pm Thomas Fountain closes the stage while creating country music at its core. His soulful delivery with a vintage feel puts you in his story that is reflected in every song he writes. Born and raised in the mountains of North Georgia, Fountain has been entertaining audiences for several years but decided in 2013 to take a different direction with his music. It paid off as he was named 2014 Georgia Country Male Artist of the Year and 2014 Georgia Overall Artist of the Year. Influenced by songwriters such as Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and Mo Pitney, Fountain chose to go against the grain to create lyrics that are honest and relatable. His most recent EP, Just Like You, and his new direction for his songwriting skills have quickly garnered the attention of many in the industry, allowing him the opportunity to open for such acts as Chris Stapleton, Trace Adkins and Joe Diffe. Fountain’s goal is growing his fan base nationwide and interacting with as many of his fans as possible. He is already a local favorite, and he says he can't wait to take his music across the country to the people who support his music, his story and his journey through the music he loves.

“The music lineup for the Breakout Marketplace of the Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures event may very well become one of the most popular segments of the festival in future years,” says festival entertainment manager Rob Kaser. “First, we’re aiming to keep the tradition alive that leads trout fishermen toward outstanding music and songwriting. Second, we plan to do it with Georgia musicians who carry their heritage deep inside their being and deep into their craft.”

The Year of Georgia Music is featured on multiple marketing platforms including the ExploreGeorgia.org website, social media channels, marketing materials, advertising opportunities and special events.

For more information about the Blue Ridge Trout Festival & Outdoor Adventures, visit the festival online at www.BlueRidgeTroutFest.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BlueRidgeTroutFestival.

Contact/Info:
• Bob Borgwat, event communications
• Lynn Brincks, event chair
• Email: info@BlueRidgeTroutFest.com