Editor:

On behalf of the board of directors of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, I would like to thank all of the volunteers that made the 57th Annual Arts & Crafts Festival in Fairhope, a resounding success. Our festival committee Chairpersons Elizabeth Stone and Lee Teumer, did an unbelievable job! The volunteers that work on this festival are many, but I would like to thank the committee by name: Barbara Haas, Lee Rivenbark, Verna Johnson, Jackie and Larry Pate, Jessica Zdyb, Susan Pearce, Mel and Bobby Armstrong, Elaine Diehl, Ricky Lewis, Robert Graham, Sabrina Sheppard, Ken Cooper, Randy Lee, Linda Scott, Clara Smith, Louie and Barbara Blaze, Brian Snyder, Christina Stankoski, Diane Douglas, Leslie Costigan, Diane Herzog, Jim Horner, Jennifer Fidler, Kenny Graves, Jaca and Mac McLaren, Fran Slade, Andrea Klumpp, Jude Mansur, Alodia Wimpee, Pam Rhea, Lauren Dango, Mary Greg, Debbie Floyd, Beverly Bradford, Charlotte Rivenbark, Lindsay Burroughs, Donna Holmes, Janis Gilmore, David Tacon, Steve Carey and Christina Adair. The hours and love that our committee devotes to this festival is overwhelming.

We also would like to thank our major sponsors because with out them we could not create an event of this magnitude: Our Platinum Sponsors were: Buffalo Rock Pepsi, Regions Bank, Power Productions, Verizon Wireless; Silver Sponsor was Thomas Hospital and our Bronzes were: Bank Trust, Brown & McCool Gynecology, California Dreaming, Golden Living Center-Fairhope, Jubilee Paint & Body Shop, Pen Air Federal Credit Union, SunTrust Mortgage, University of South Alabama -Baldwin County, Vision Bank and Walmart-Fairhope, Artist Dinner Sponsor Seger Aero Corp. and our Media Sponsors: Mediacom, AL.com, 95 KSJ, LiteMix 99.9, and WABF. Special thanks as well to the Mobile Press Register, the Baldwin Register and the Gulf Coast Newspapers for all their support. There are over 100 local businesses and individuals who contributed services, time materials and much more to make this festival a success. The board would like to offer them a heartfelt thank you as well.

This festival cannot possibly be held without the efforts and cooperation of the city of Fairhope, the enthusiasm of the city employees of Fairhope and the businesses all along the Eastern Shore, especially the businesses in downtown Fairhope. The Fairhope Downtown Merchants Association members adopted a record number of artists and shared with them some true southern hospitality, which will stay in their memories for a long time. Our young ambassadors from many Eastern Shore service clubs and schools added a special touch to the festival. These youth work many hours and they always receive many compliments from the artists.

As you can see by the lists above that it is definitely a community effort to put an event of this size on. It truly touches the hearts of the artists and the festival committee to participate in such teamwork that benefits us all. Teamwork includes the staff, and I would like to thank the staff for all their support of this event. I would like to especially commend Jay Hasting, our director of Tourism and Kathie Barton our communications manager for all their hard work.

The best compliment the chamber can receive, beside comments on our Southern hospitality, is that the festival has benefited the businesses in the area. There was a fantastic attendance of over 200,000 visitors and residents this year, and the revenue that flowed into the economy not only through taxes paid, but through hotel reservations, meals, items bought in the stores and even through wages paid to employees is impressive.

The festival money raised contributes to the day to day operation of both Eastern Shore Chamber offices promoting the Eastern Shore. Local residents and tourists who need information about the area utilize both offices. Last year we averaged over 50,000 people signing in at both offices. This does not include the estimated 8,500 phone calls we answer a month. The money also helps us with supporting the many worthwhile committees and projects that the membership works on such as: educating; promoting and aiding our local businesses; our environmental award; training community leaders and our Youth Leadership Program.

Again, I would like to thank the many, many people involved in this festival, which helps us make the Eastern Shore a better place to live, conduct business and play. And thank you to all of our neighbors from both sides of the bay who attend every year and support our artists and local businesses.

ESCOC president