Festival Awards 2007

The Carolina in the Fall Festival has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year for excellence in the festival industry. The North Carolina Association of Festivals and Events announced the winners for the 2007 calendar year at the 2008 ShowFest Conference held at the Embassy Suites & the Marriott in Winston-Salem, NC. The conference was attended by more than two hundred festival and event planners and supporting members throughout North Carolina who competed in various award categories. The excellence awards program honors and recognizes excellence within the industry.

The Carolina in the Fall Festival, held on the Shepherd Farm off of Armory Road in North Wilkesboro, October 19-20, 2007 was the winner of four statewide awards!

Best Event Photo for a photo representation of the festival called "Young and Old." Festival Photographers, AJ Rhodes Photography, expertly captured festival attendees and performers as they were obviously enjoying the event. Two photos were formed the dichotomy that secured the title Best Event Photo: one photo was a small girl playing her violin and the other photo was of denim-overall clad friends Robert Shepherd and Clint Howard enjoying a conversation about the music. Placed side-by-side, these photos easily illustrate the caption - Young and Old, all enjoyed Carolina in the Fall.

Best Press Kit which includes Press Releases, all festival printed materials, and communication with various Media Representatives for promotional articles and/or interviews.

Sponsor of the Year for Dr. and Mrs. TR Bryan. An excerpt from the award recognition follows: Dr. and Mrs. T. R. Bryan are well-known as local music enthusiasts. Dr. Bryan possesses an ever-growing knowledge of the musical industry and the community of musicians that spans multiple generations and genres. When Carolina in the Fall was just an idea, Dr. and Mrs. Bryan emphatically encouraged the festival organizers to proceed with plans for the event as a way to bring more music to our town and county. Their love of music has led them to become founding Sponsors of the Carolina in the Fall music festival. They were excited about the opportunity to be a part of the festival from the very beginning. Every year since the inaugural festival, Dr. and Mrs. T. R. Bryan's financial support of the festival has been unwavering. While some may expect Dr. and Mrs. T. R. Bryan to be somewhat reserved and unable to endure the length of the festival, the reality is the exact opposite! Each year, Dr. and Mrs. Bryan eagerly anticipate the opening ceremonies of the festival and are often some of the last audience members to leave the festival site. In the cool of the fall evenings at the outdoor event, Dr. and Mrs. Bryan can be found, wrapped in blankets, wearing ski gloves and ski masks, cradling cups of hot coffee or hot chocolate, tapping their toes and singing along to each song. The unwavering support of Dr. and Mrs. T. R. Bryan is genuine, both financially and wholeheartedly. They proudly wear their Carolina in the Fall logo attire as another way of advertising their favorite festival. Based on their continued sponsorship since the first Carolina in the Fall Festival five years ago, Dr. and Mrs. Bryan truly deserve to be named as Sponsor of the Year. Carolina in the Fall is eternally grateful for their consistent and steadfast sponsorship and support.

Best Associate Member Entry for Party Time Rentals in Charlotte, NC. An excerpt from the award recognition follows: Party Time Rentals, Inc provides an invaluable service to the festival industry. Party Time Rentals Inc has earned a reputation as a high-quality rental company with a tremendous inventory and experienced event planners for Charlotte and the Carolinas. Dan Eller, owner, has such expansive expertise in preparing festival grounds because Party Time Rentals, Inc is contracted to work at many venues including race tracks, stadiums, convention centers, downtown streets, parks, and, particularly, festivals. His outstanding knowledge of planning venues greatly influenced festival logistics for Carolina in the Fall such as planning for the increasing flow of pedestrian traffic, vendor area set-up, children's area layout, and the main stage and sound engineering control area.