As part of its annual major community give-back, the Blairsville Sorghum Festival Club recently made a sizable donation to the Union County Fire Department that enabled purchases that will ultimately benefit both organizations.
Club Member Lisa Kane was uncomfortable sharing the exact dollar amount publicly because it sounded “braggy.”
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“(In 2024), they were gracious enough to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to donate you some money to the Fire Department to buy some equipment,’” said Fire Chief David Dyer on Dec. 19 when representatives from both groups met at Meeks Park to take a look at the new equipment.
That included a new vehicle – specifically a Polaris off-roader – along with six tents, 100 traffic cones and a trailer. A small portion of those helpful items were parked in Sorghum Field near the syrup-cooking pan for a commemorative photo.
Dyer revealed that the items had been on the department’s “wish list,” but there hadn’t been an opportunity to purchase them until the generous donation made that possible.
On the one hand, the items will be helpful in search and rescue operations and Fire Department events. On the other, they benefit the Sorghum Festival and other Meeks Park festivals, whether that means better transport or organization for things like parking.
The Fire Department has worked with the Sorghum Festival for years, directing traffic and ensuring visitors stay safe while enjoying a county staple founded on history and heritage.
For its part, the nonprofit Blairsville Sorghum Festival, while serving as the name of the event itself, has also come to represent its organizers – known years ago as the Jaycees.
“All the money we make on the festival goes back into the community … with the exception of (2024),” Kane said. “We did send $15,000 that Angie did with donations and T-shirt sales to our friends (recovering from Hurricane Helene) in North Carolina.”
Angie Dills, another important hand in making sure the festival goes off without a hitch, said the funds that go back into the community help locals in need. That typically looks like covering power or maintenance bills, buying food or handling medical bills.
Still, for all the good the Sorghum Festival organizers do, Kane and Dills agreed that the group wouldn’t be able to pull it off without the help of the Fire Department. That’s why they made their donation for the equipment in the first place.
“They do the parking of the vendors, the parking of the customers – I mean, they do the whole (thing). If they did not do that, there’d be no way that this festival could go. The traffic would be unreal,” Kane stated, with Dills concurring, “They’re pretty good fellers.”
Dyer laughed at that and is fully on board with helping out at the next festival, always the second and third weekends in October.
