HIAWASSEE – People from across the mountains and beyond celebrated the arrival of the New Year at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, with free music and beautiful fireworks helping hundreds of families to ring in 2025 with the best view around the night of Dec. 31.
“We’ve got more people than I thought we were going to have,” Fairgrounds General Manager Hilda Thomason said early in the evening. “A lot of places canceled the celebrations they were going to have due to the high winds, so we’ve got a huge crowd, and they’re still coming in.
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“We’ll be shooting fireworks off down at the ballfield. We have several sponsors who help, and we’re asking for donations to help offset the cost of the fireworks, but we’re holding our celebration as planned.
“We’re looking for a great 2025! We’ve got a lot of shows already booked and a lot of special events planned. We plan to entertain even bigger (in the New Year). We’ve added some new events.
“We’ve got the Scottish Festival that’s been in Blairsville for the last 20 years coming to Hiawassee this year. We’re starting a new event called the Mimosa Festival that will be here Labor Day Weekend.
“We’ll be doing the Acoustic Sunsets again, and of course, the Rhododendron Festival. We just keep adding things all the time.”
Of the many people in attendance, Kirsten Teems and her family drove over from Blue Ridge to enjoy the fireworks display.
“Our friends invited us out and we decided to join them and do something different,” Teems said. “Usually, we just stay in the house. This is really nice. We’ve really enjoyed it. Our hope for the new year is that everyone be happy and healthy.”
As far as resolutions, attendee Jorge Gomez said he will be aiming for more “vacation time” in 2025: “Going places and seeing things like this. This is beautiful. It’s our first time. We’re from West Palm Beach.”
Others shared similar sentiments, like guest Leo Gonzalez, who wants “great health and more family time” this year.
Likewise, Lisa Phillips hopes for a healthy grandbaby, and her husband Brian is looking for more time off as well. And donuts. The donuts on offer during the fairgrounds’ festivities smelled delicious and were a big hit.
Steven Newell from Jupiter, Florida, said he hoped to see a better version of himself this year, announcing his intention “to become a firefighter like my dad.”
“My goal in 2025 is to finish high school and go to the plants and make money,” Nate Kumfer shared. “Me and my family are on a family vacation to see mountains. I’m from Louisiana, and it’s pretty flat there.”
“I live in Jasper, Georgia, but I used to live in Hayesville, and my goal is to get back here,” Michael Mason said. “I’m a landscaper, and I love it up here.”
Michael Rodriguez from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said he was feeling very optimistic about 2025.
“We have a new man in office, and we will be seeing more positive things happening around the country this year,” he said. “I think people are really feeling up right now. I’m hoping for business to explode like it should and to have success in my growing family – make a good living for my family.”
Every new year is a new beginning, a chance for a fresh start and an opportunity to add new pages to a life story. And that seemed to be exactly what the people celebrating at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds were thinking in the run-up to 2025.
