Thank You, Culpeper!

Culpeper Star Exponent

Business Monday

June 9, 2014

Jim Charapich

Amazing Day. When the weather is good, it is really good. Last Thursday June 5th was by many accounts the best CulpeperFest yet. The atmosphere was vibrant with activities, outdoor highlights, and the traditional business displays under the big tents.

I had the opportunity to help a few of the businesses that had never been to CulpeperFest before, with their booth location. As we discussed CulpeperFest, I was able to share with them that we do not have a large convention center to host such events indoors. Rather, we celebrate our rural environment by hosting the event in the fields of Germanna Community College. I could see the light go off in their eyes as they replied “Cool.”

Indeed, the day was cool with temps in the low 80’s, light humidity, and a steady breeze. The crowd was close to record attendance with ticket sales soaring on Tuesday and Wednesday. We had tickets purchased on Wednesday for busloads of attendees from Richmond. Nice for a Thursday evening in Culpeper. They may have heard that we were serving the famous Shawn’s Smokehouse BBQ.

There is no better place for a business to be on a Thursday evening in June. Where else would one be able to connect with nearly 2000 prospects in four hours on a Thursday afternoon? Attendees were treated to the bright colored T-Shirts, water bottles, and beach balls given away to set the stage for summer fun. Most attendees left with large bags full of assorted treasures.

Our DJ - Mark Harman - Harmany DJs, accompanied by Sophie Hudson of Kash Design, and Ian Chini - I & L’s DJing, held hourly giveaways. We gave away more than 30 items by ticket drawings during the event. Giveaway items varied from Pro Sports tickets to Hi-Tech Gear. This drew special attention to the center tent where we had a special feature performance. This was further showcased by the first annual Running of the Mascots. Congratulations to Tech Box for crossing the finish line first. They will hold the coveted trophy for 2014.

Most importantly, we are ever thankful for the support of our sponsors and volunteers. They have been the signature of our success for the past 33 years. There are many civic groups, including the P.I.G. Legacy, The Red Hat Ladies, and Gladys Williams & The Senior Center, that were especially helpful in bringing large numbers of volunteers. The roadway and tents were outlined with banners recognizing the many generous sponsors. Thank you to Domino’s Pizza and Chick-Fil-A for taking care of the set up volunteers. A big Thanks also to Sheriff Jenkins and the Culpeper County Sheriff's Department for helping to make CulpeperFest the safe event that we all love. In addition, it was great to have the Culpeper Volunteer Fire Department show off the new ladder truck. What a great asset to the community.

Thank you Culpeper for your continued support for the vital mission of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce.