Over the weekend on Saturday night, I thought it would be a good thing to cover the only Christmas event the Spirit of Anniston was putting on this year. A Christmas Evening On Noble I thought was supposed to be an evening where Noble Street would be closed down, and there would be many great events going on. Boy, I was proven wrong. And it left me, and many other people disappointed. For starters, Noble Street was left open during the entire event! And some drivers shown some rage and was turning around into oncoming traffic because the horse-drawn carriage was stopped on the street letting people on and off.
And, a person had to walk alongside the horse-drawn carriage and run into an intersection to stop cars who had a green light to let the horse-drawn carriage through. Yep, this person had to also stop traffic to let the carriage make the left-handed turn onto 10th Street.
And even better, one of the businesses, Still Midtown Ceramics, was supposed to let kids decorate Christmas ornaments. Instead, people saw a closed sign.
And some of the acts, like the Cheaha Arts violin students, never shown up. At least the Cobb Elementary School choir shown up. And yes, I got one of their songs on video! I wanted to at least give the kids some exposure!
Yes, there were a few characters roaming the streets.
And Santa Claus and Ms. Claus was at State Farm.
And Elsa from Frozen was in Growing Trends.
But, that was about it! Last year, the Spirit of Anniston held several great and awesome Christmas events that I covered. And this year, everything fell flat! I can’t believe we can’t bring in rides, or bring in the ice carver who does a great job! Or we can’t bring in other great attractions for families to enjoy! Did the Spirit of Anniston blow their budget holding those fourth Friday events that have not done too well?
As I was walking around downtown on a bad event, I noticed other businesses also closed for the night. And for businesses that should be packed on a Saturday night, like Cheaha Brewing Company, their parking lot was almost empty.
And sorry to the people who are against Damn Yankees (including me), they were packed on Saturday night!
And what’s better than promoting an event in front of a business that is closing down!
After I left downtown, I thought to myself about why Anniston and it’s downtown area is in deep trouble. I was hearing conversations from other people at the event, and they were wondering why Noble Street was not closed down, or why more businesses were not open, and why there was not more things to do! So, why was this event a massive failure Spirit of Anniston?
Is it because Anniston was ranked as the most dangerous city in Alabama? Is it because the Anniston / Oxford area is one of the worst performing metro areas in America? Is it because you don’t care about putting on good events? Is it because you don’t care about the future of downtown Anniston? Or is it because city officials wants to keep the Anniston and the Oxford areas in the dump? Which is it?
Some have asked me why I have not been hired in the Anniston / Oxford metro area, and I tell them this. This metro area is filled with people who have anger issues, people who take advantage of others, people who wants to keep all the power, people who wants to keep the “good ole boy politics” in play, and people who are greedy. This is why the Anniston / Oxford metro area is one of the worst metro areas in America. Oh, don’t believe me? Take a look at my presentation below!
This is why I will have to move out of the Anniston / Oxford metro and Calhoun County if I want to succeed. I have volunteered and helped out many others in this area who have turned around and stabbed me in the back. And this latest failed event from the Spirit of Anniston almost felted like everyone who attended was stabbed in the back. Grow up Anniston / Oxford, or be destroyed, the choice is yours!
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Nathan,
You always have a great talent for seeing and stating the obvious. You cover so many events for no pay, which gives you a neutral viewpoint on the reality of things and the ability to speak freely. You did a fantastic job on this piece and have become a voice for our city, stating the good and the bad, which I hope will help bring positive change. Following last year’s successes downtown, I too do not understand why this year things digressed. Events should grow and prosper upon their past successes with the introduction of new, fun and creative ideas that will attract a regional audience on top of the repetition of things from the past that attracted a local crowd. You make me proud for having the courage to walk miles in all types of weather in search of showcasing the events and the resources in our area, and in doing so, sadly you are oftentimes disappointed in the process. Keep up the good work though …I …along with your fans enjoy your posts!