Tonya Chastain, Lawrence County Tourism director, said the economic impact of the festival on nonprofits is undeniable. Lawrence County icons: Five reasons why county is unique. 'It was not as heavy as what we were anticipating, but we had a steady flow at our concession stand, and buses were coming in steadily,' she said. To make up for the loss of funds in 2020, Tri Kappa set up a stand at ACE Hardware/Ben Franklin selling persimmon pudding and other items.Ĭhambers said last Saturday's Candlelight Tour brought in a 'decent' crowd. The group awards scholarships to Mitchell High School students, supports the Mitchell Opera House, Lawrence County Cancer Patient Services, LIFE Blessings and school art and music programs. More: Men's Warming Center spaghetti dinner is Saturday.Ĭarol Chambers, member of Tri Kappa and Persimmon Festival co-chair, said Tri Kappa annually gives back more than $10,000 to the community and much of that is raised at the Candlelight Tour. As organizers of the Candlelight Tour at Spring Mill State Park, tour proceeds from concessions allow it to support numerous causes. Mitchell Tri Kappa is another group that raises funds during the festival. The Kiwanis Club set out donation cans that brought in money and the club still managed to donate 12 bicycles to youth for improving their grades, but overall, the club was limited by not having the festival to sell ice cream. I think all the groups suffered because of the loss of the festival.” We put all our fundraising into one effort and that’s the festival. “The community is what suffered because there were no dollars for the nonprofits. “All of our money goes back to the community,” said Al Tolbert, club president. Related: After two-year wait, Persimmon Festival parade returns to Main Street. When the festival was canceled in 2020, nonprofits found themselves in a bind. Like many nonprofits with food stands at the festival, the Kiwanis Club counts on its ice cream fundraiser to provide the money for all its charitable projects the rest of the year. The club may sell 200 gallons of the sweetly tart treat during a typical week, although club members made just 160 gallons to sell for this year, anticipating smaller crowds due to COVID-19. MITCHELL - Since at least 1974, the Mitchell-Grissom Kiwanis Club has been making and selling persimmon ice cream each year at the Persimmon Festival.

How long ace 1974