HARVEST HOMECOMING 2019
Harvest Ahead
HARVEST HOMECOMING’S CHAIRMAN OF THE
BOARD COURTNEY LEWIS OFFERS A SNEAK PEEK
OF THE UPCOMING FESTIVAL SEASON
PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN WATSON
HARVEST HOMECOMING 2019 is on the
horizon. So, we asked Courtney Lewis,
chairman of the board, for a bit of insight and
input as to what to expect.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A PART
OF THE HARVEST HOMECOMING
VOLUNTEER TEAM?
This year marks my 12th or 13th festival. At
some point all the fun runs together.
WHAT DOES HARVEST HOMECOMING
MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
For me, Harvest Homecoming really is
about family and friends. We all have a Harvest
Homecoming story. A great memory from our
childhood or the first time we got to go on the
(non-sanctioned) Beer Walk or meeting the love
of our lives (not me, but if Mr. Right is ready, I’ll
be in downtown New Albany for a couple weeks
in October) or taking our children to get their
first chicken and dumplings. It’s become a bit of a
tradition with my coworkers to spend that Friday
afternoon together. It’s like team building for us.
I will never forget (thanks to the pictures) those
moments. My nieces started volunteering last
year, and I couldn’t be more proud of them for
taking time out of their teenage lives to give back
to their community. They are setting an example,
knowingly or not, for their friends. Every place
in the world has their thing, but for anyone who
grew up here, Harvest Homecoming holds a very
special spot in our hearts.
WHY IS HARVEST HOMECOMING
BENEFICIAL TO OUR COMMUNITY?
Harvest Homecoming is such a great way to
showcase our city and really celebrate the beauty
of our neighbors. New Albany’s best assets lie in
the people in this community. It feels great to see
people come together and enjoy our city during the
most beautiful time of year in Indiana. Not only is
the economic impact beneficial to our businesses
and local non-profits, Harvest Homecoming is
able to give back to the younger members of our
community through our scholarship programs. As
an all-volunteer work force, Harvest Homecoming
is also able to continue a rich tradition of giving
back to our city and passing those values on to
the next generation of pumpkins.
WHAT CHANGES CAN THE COMMUNITY
EXPECT TO SEE FOR THIS YEAR’S
HARVEST HOMECOMING?
Harvest Homecoming is really evolving and
trying new things this year. Parade Day will look
different with a day full of family fun in downtown.
The Carnegie Center for Art & History will host
their annual #IAMPUBLICART event on Bank
Street at noon; the parade will kick-off at 3 p.m.
(new this year) from New Albany High School,
and then we’re going to park the floats around
Bicentennial Park so people can get up close and
personal with them while we partner with Mayor
Jeff Gahan and the City of New Albany for Harvest
Kickoff Karaoke in Bicentennial Park.
We’ve got some amazing new partners this
year like Samtec Cares, UPS, SoIN Tourism, the
Community Foundation of Floyd County and
so many more that we’re excited to welcome
to our Harvest Family. With the support of our
neighbors in the community, we’re able to take
our all of our kids’ events and riverfront concerts
to the next level.
We have a great team working on the new
Samtec Cares Family Stage in the First Financial
Parking Lot that is going to be huge for kids of
all ages. Vice President Amy Cummins and her
team are working with new partners at the Floyd
EXTOL : THE WEDDING ISSUE 2019
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