Hogback Mountain Day set to return on Sept. 8

LANDRUM — The Landrum Area Business Association is calling for volunteers to help bring back Hogback Mountain Day.

The festival will be on Sept. 8 and will include activities for the whole family.

In the Tuesday meeting, LABA President Diana Winkler said they are anticipating 40 to 50 vendor booths along North Trade Street.

“LABA members will get first choice,” Winkler said. “The fee for members is only $35 and nonmembers is $75.”

Winkler said the vendors will include everything from food to art.

“Vendor booths are 10 feet by 10 feet,” she said.  “We will try to have a variety so we don’t have all people who make jewelry or potholders.”

Landrum Mayor Robert Briggs said he remembered the Hogback Mountain Day festival from years ago.

“It was good art,” he said.

The LABA is partnering with the Well Church in Landrum to hold the event.

LABA Vice President Tricia Taber said the Well would have their events staged near the fire department and would be giving out free hot dogs. She added that the festival would not just be vendors, but would include a lot of heritage stuff such as corn hole and horseshoe games, tractor displays and other activities for kids.

The event will begin with the farmers market at 8 a.m. and finish with “Music at the Tracks” at 7 p.m. After the music, the LABA will hold a fireworks display.

Winkler said they were hoping to find a business that would sponsor the fireworks display.

“The cost is $1,500,” she said.

During the reports section of the meeting, Landrum Police Chief T. E. Edgens said they were getting more and more complaints about large trucks parking in the median on Rutherford Street to unload.

“More people are coming into Landrum, and we expect a whole lot more,” Edgens said. “We’re also trying to promote foot and bicycle traffic.”

Edgens explained that not only does truck parking on Rutherford Street add to traffic problems in general, it makes it extremely difficult for the fire trucks to get through safely. He said that UPS and FedEx trucks are parking near PJ’s Fashions, but said they were not so much of the issue because they only stayed a few minutes at most.

“I’m talking about a long stay 18-wheeler unloading stuff on Main Street,” he said. “We need to come up with some kind of solution.”

Edgens said Landrum has back alleys that are there for trucks to use for unloading. He asked that business owners pass this on to delivery drivers to use the alleys and side roads.

Landrum City Administrator Rich Caplan said they were moving forward with plans for the rail car museum. He said the interim museum board would meet again Tuesday night, and they are working to get the platform built so the car can be delivered.

Winkler said the board had reviewed the results of the discussions about the LABA mission statement and determined that the top three ideas from the mission statement were welcoming new businesses, sponsoring events and advocating for city and area improvements.

She asked for ideas about how to advocate for improvements and what needed to be addressed at that time.