Wednesday, February 19, 2025–9:35 a.m.
-Severo Avila, Rome News-Tribune-
This story is possible because of a news-sharing agreement with the Rome News-Tribune. More information can be found at northwestgeorgianews.com
After 60 years as a staple of Rome’s cultural calendar, Chiaha Harvest Fair is saying goodbye.
The event is iconic as the community’s premiere arts and crafts festival, bringing thousands of locals and visitors together in the fall to enjoy food, live music, arts, crafts and of course community fellowship.
However, organizers say they’ve had to bring it to an end for several reasons, not the least of which is the rising cost of putting on such a big event to the high standards the community has come to expect.
“We are heartbroken to have to make this decision,” said Chiaha co-director Monica Sheppard. “Our board has always been folks who have stayed on the board for a very long time. There are deep familial commitments to this festival. This isn’t a decision we take lightly.”
Sheppard has been at the helm of the festival for more than 20 years. Co-director Andi Beyer has been in that role for more than 30 years herself.
“We have faced multiple challenges over the last several years and a big part of that is that the art show culture is changing,” Sheppard said. “And it’s been difficult. We haven’t raised our gate price from $5 in over 30 years.”
She said one of the primary goals of Chiaha was always to raise money to put back into arts programs in the community. The other goal was to bring a rich arts and crafts experience to the community.
“We wanted people to be able to experience that at a low price,” Sheppard said. “But the cost of putting on the festival has increased dramatically over the years. We’re having a harder and harder time making that work.”
In addition, with more events and offerings around the same time, fall has become such a packed season and the Chiaha committee has found it increasingly difficult to make the event as successful as they need it to be.
“Chiaha has been this amazing tradition and we cannot continue to put it on in the way we would like,” Sheppard said. “It’s mostly about how much harder it has become to pull off the festival at the level of quality we’re accustomed to, in the manner we’re accustomed to, because of increased cost.”
On Tuesday, the Chiaha committee reached out to many of their longtime artists, informing them of the decision. That message, in part, reads:
“Due to a variety of challenges outside of our control, we have decided to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Chiaha Harvest Fair in a different way this year. This means that we will not hold the festival in its traditional form. We did not come to this decision lightly, and we are just as sad as you are. Please trust that our board and all the leadership who have preceded us have always had the heart and soul of Chiaha at the core of our planning, but the times have changed over the years in ways that make it difficult to continue to put the festival on in the way it was originally designed.”
And for Sheppard, the decision was deeply personal as well.
“I personally am heartbroken,” she said. “I’ve raised my daughter at Chiaha. And there are a lot of us who have raised our kids with Chiaha. Part of my role has been the marketing and storytelling of Chiaha. That has always just made me so happy to watch families come and enjoy the festival. People who have moved away and come back just to attend Chiaha let me know how folks felt about it. It’s just not possible in the current economy to continue this small scale folksy festival that it has been for all these years.”
Sheppard credits the hard work and dedication of the Chiaha board for so many years of a successful event.
“They knew their jobs and stepped up, making the running of the event very smooth,” she said. “It’s difficult to find someone who can take on those roles. We have had some of the most dedicated and upstanding leadership over the years, incredible people who have all had their hearts in the process. This has always been like family for us to put on this festival. It’s not a decision we have made lightly.”
There may still be one last hurrah to bring to a conclusion 60 years of Chiaha’s magic in the community. The committee is planning an event to honor and celebrate the 60th anniversary. Those details will be made available to the public soon.
