This year’s conflicting schedule of county events and the cancellation of the re-enactment of the Battle of Ringgold Gap emphasizes the need for better communication and cooperation among event planners, some county leaders say.

The commemoration of the Battle of Ringgold Gap scheduled for October was scrapped due to lack of support and coordination, according to Scott Smith, chairman of the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce.

Other planning problems this year include Fort Oglethorpe’s Christmas parade scheduled for Dec. 5 — the same night as Ringgold’s annual Down Home Christmas parade and festivities. Catoosa County’s 150th Birthday Celebration, originally scheduled to fall on the same night as the cities’ Christmas festivities, had to be rescheduled for Dec. 4 as part of the Chamber’s monthly luncheon.

Melydia Clewell, a publicist with the Ingram Group, said improved county event planning is in the works. The Chamber hired the Chattanooga-based public relations firm in August to promote Catoosa tourism.

“We’re putting a plan together to develop a countywide tourism initiative, which of course will have to include cooperation from both municipalities and the county,” Clewell said. “Right now, there’s not one person who’s keeping track of what’s on everybody’s calendar, and that’s one of the problems. I think everyone sees there’s an obvious need to be more organized and have a structure in place to prevent these kind of conflicts.”

“This is a problem that I think has been ongoing for a number of years,” County Manager Ed Vickrey said. “What I’d like to see is representatives from each of the governments sit down on a periodic basis and talk over plans and dates. When we plan independently, we have a tendency to get things too far along to change when we find out there’s a conflict.”

Clewell said the Ingram Group is developing a long term strategy for the Chamber, components of which will include preventing event conflicts, providing better event management, making the county more visitor friendly, having resources in place for positive visitor experiences and installing signs to make attractions and events easier to find.

She said the ultimate goal is to develop a visitor’s bureau or one-stop shop for tourism and events.

“If they want it done in six months, it can be done in six months, but everybody’s got to come to the table ready to participate and do what it takes to get it open,” Clewell said. “I think everybody wants it. Verbally, at least everybody is committed to making it work.”

Smith said the Ingram Group has already introduced plans for a county tourism council. Officials from Ringgold and Fort Oglethorpe, as well as several county leaders, have signed up to be a part of the council.

Chamber President Tammy Cole said a re-enactment of the Nov. 27, 1863, five-hour Battle of Ringgold Gap would have been great for the community, but the Chamber did not have the resources to take the lead in organizing the event.

Smith said the Chamber is mainly a promoter of events like the re-enactment and not an organizer, due to a limited staff of two employees and several volunteers.

Birthday celebration downsized?

Former Catoosa County Commissioner Pat Page, organizer of the county’s birthday celebration originally slated for Dec. 5, said that at the time plans were made more than a year ago for the event, she had no idea it would be held on the same day as the two city Christmas parades and festivities.

After discussing the conflict with Chamber officials and the county manager, it was decided the event would have a better turnout if integrated into the Chamber’s monthly luncheon Dec. 4 rather than going head-to-head with other county events, she said.

Smith said he does not believe the 150th celebration was downsized in any way by integrating it into the luncheon. He said the event will still be a worthy celebration of the county’s sesquicentennial anniversary. Smith said some highlights will include speeches from the county manager, as well as County Historian Bill Clark introducing his much anticipated new book “History in Catoosa County, Vol. II.” Additionally, the luncheon will also feature a presentation of The Catoosa County News’ 150th anniversary commemorative magazine, accompanied by comments from staff writer Randall Franks. Smith said there will also be an anniversary cake and, possibly, county historical items on display.

“We’re trying to promote positive coordination, communication and keep everything moving while being professional about it,” he said.

Two parades — one day

Lt. Doug Flury of Fort Oglethorpe Fire & Rescue, who coordinates the city’s annual Christmas parade, said the event has traditionally been scheduled for the first Friday in December — a tradition the city shares with Ringgold.

Flury said Fort Oglethorpe has pushed the starting time for its parade back in recent years from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. to make it easier for groups and organizations to participate in both parades if they choose.

“It seems like all the sidewalks on the parade route are packed,” he said. “I know Ringgold also has a good crowd for theirs. I think it works out pretty well for both cities in that they aren’t overwhelmed with the increase in population.”

Cindy Black, parade coordinator for Down Home Christmas and the 1890s Days Jamboree, said that when these annual Ringgold events were originally organized and the dates established, there were no conflicts with other events in the county. She said the two cities need to reach a compromise on dates that will allow both municipalities to have more participation from the community.

“Having the parades the same night causes problems because a lot of families have children and grandchildren in both parades,” she said. “I have had businesses say ‘We need to participate in both parades because we have customers in both cities.’”

Another scheduling conflict occurred May 24 when this year’s 1890s Days Jamboree competed with the return of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera’s Pops in the Park concert at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park.

Mike Fuller, owner of Independent Living Aids in Ringgold, led the effort to bring the Pops in the Park tradition back to North Georgia after a two-year absence. He said he and the event’s other organizers are willing to discuss rearranging dates with 1890s Days organizers.

Next year’s Pops concert is scheduled for Saturday, May 29. Ringgold’s 1890s Days Jamboree will be held May 28-29.

Fuller said the concert is scheduled a year in advance, and a lot of the planning revolves around the symphony and other participants’ schedules. Fuller’s company also sponsors 1890s Days, and he attends both events.

“We scheduled our (2003) event first,” he said. “There’s no intent for conflict. We want to work with everybody.”

Ringgold Mayor Joe Barger said there are no hard feelings between Ringgold event planners and other countywide organizations that have scheduled events that conflict with his city’s events.

He said he does not understand scheduling difficulties because 1890s Days Jamboree has been scheduled on Memorial Day weekend since it began in the mid-70s, and Down Home Christmas has been held on the first Friday in December for at least a decade