As things gear up for the 46th annual Prater’s Mill Country Fair, Foundation President Greg Bruner has announced changes within the organization.
Mikey Sims has been named fair director following the resignation of Sherry Sexton last fall. Mr. Sims, a graphic designer by trade, also serves as the creative director and secretary for the foundation. A longtime volunteer with the fair, he has previously helped with all aspects of the annual event which serves as the major fundraiser for the foundation.
“Mikey’s knowledge and experience make him a great choice to step into the leadership position,” says Mr. Bruner.
The Sims family has a long history with the fair. His paternal grandfather Pete Sims was an exhibitor doing wood carving at the first fairs, and his maternal grandmother Ruth Thompson was also an exhibitor making Barbie doll clothes.
Mr. Sims can be reached at fair@pratersmill.org.
Mr. Bruner also announced that Elaine Watkins has accepted a position of executive director for the foundation. With more than 25 years of business experience, she most recently served as manager of the Georgia Visitor Information Center with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and previously as deputy director of the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Her business knowledge and contacts make her a valuable asset for guiding the foundation into the future,” said Ms. Bruner.
The foundation is in the process of implementing a strategic long-term plan for the historic 1855 grist mill and site. Ms. Watkins will be helping officers and directors of the foundation move forward as founder and past president Judy Alderman steps away from daily duties. Ms. Alderman says she wants to be “just a volunteer” and enjoy the fruit of years of labor she has donated to the foundation. Mr. Bruner says the foundation will be forever grateful for the work she has done to save the site.
Named Prater’s Mill Heritage Park in memory of Jim and Kenneth Boring, the site was donated to Whitfield County in 2010. The 15-acre park is leased to the Prater’s Mill Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization to manage, operate and maintain and whose mission is “to protect, preserve and present the heritage of the Prater’s Mill site for future generations.”
For more information or to join Friends of Prater’s Mill, please visit the website at www.pratersmill.org, contact by email at info@pratersmill.org, or call 706.694-MILL.
The Prater’s Mill Country Fair focuses on mountain music, Southern foods, living history exhibits and the handmade crafts and original art of 185 talented artists and artisans. Craft demonstrations include blacksmithing, spinning, quilting, rug hooking, woodcarving and hand tufting, a cottage industry that evolved into the tufted carpet industry centered in Dalton, Ga.
This year’s event will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 9, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Prater’s Mill, 5845 Hwy. 2, Dalton.