Spring in the Valley 2021 Made a Difference in Rome

The success of Spring in the Valley Festival 2021 made a difference in Rome, Georgia’s community and helped paved the way for our second annual event. Are you ready for SIV 2022l? So are we! We are so excited to be returning this year to an even bigger and better event than before! For those of you who were at SIV last year, you’re probably wondering, how is that even possible? SIV 2021 was awesome! Although we completely agree with you – it was awesome – we have some BIG things in store for you this year. Before we get into that, let’s look back on last year’s event.

It was a warm, sunny day in the middle of May.

Adorable petting zoo animals were basking in the sun, upon their mounds of hay.

In every direction, the smell of local goodness permeated the air.

For a moment, you might think you were at the local fair.

The sound of children’s laughter produced beautiful musical notes.

Oh wait, maybe that was just the goats…

Kind souls flooded the place,

You may have even spotted some with a painted face.

People came from all over with curious minds eager to see…

What was all the fuss about at SIV?

What did you think of my poet skills? Don’t worry, I will stick to my day job. Moving along… Spring in the Valley is first and foremost a fundraiser; it is not your typical fundraiser though. At SIV, we gather together to play games, listen to live music, shop local vendors, enjoy delicious food, and be entertained by Howie the cow as he showcases his juggling skills (ok, maybe that didn’t happen – but this year, who knows?). The best part about our communities coming together for SIV is the gifting wishes we are making a reality for our future SGF Gifted Families.

How spring in the valley 2021 made a difference

Last year’s event was such a huge success! Did you know that we were able to gift TWO families?! Thanks to everyone who showed up and supported SIV, Jaley’s family and Parker’s family became part of SGF’s Gifted Families. Did you also know both of these deserving families are from Rome, Georgia? Rome is the hometown of Co-Founder Macey Price. Being able to give back to her community in such a special way is part of the reason this is one of her favorite SGF Events.

For those of you that were there, I hope you were able to grab an event t-shirt. They were so cute! Our very own SGF kiddo, Jaxon Rosson, designed the t-shirt for the event. We told him to draw/write whatever he wanted! I may be biased, but I think he did a phenomenal job on this task! What do you think?

Be the song others need to hear!

This year’s t-shirt design task has been assigned to Miss Jaley! Jaley was actually gifted from last year’s Spring in the Valley event – you can read her story here. We cannot wait to see what she comes up with.

Our wonderful founders of SGF made it their mission to ensure everyone could enjoy themselves at SIV last year. We had a cornhole tournament, petting zoo animals, bouncy houses, face painting, creative balloons, live music, and even a special appearance by Sparky from the Rome Fire Department. If you didn’t want to be a tiger with a sword balloon, running around smelling like zoo animals, and sweaty from bouncing… We had a wonderful collection of local business vendors for you to shop to your heart’s content. Although we, personally, have nothing against the “shop ‘til you drop” life – we didn’t need bodies piling up throughout the fairground. Therefore, we made sure everyone had plenty of food trucks and beverages to keep them vertical and hydrated. As you can see, regardless of age or interests, there was entertainment and/or activities available for all.

Let's take a look back at SIV 2021

Now that I’ve reminded you all how grand our first annual event was, we can move on to this year’s event. Spring in the Valley is coming in hot this year – by hot, I mean hot wheels. My corny jokes aside, this year’s event will feature a Car & Bike Show sponsored by Automax. We are so excited for this addition! If you missed us at Christmas on the Coosa in 2021 (featured in V3 Magazine), then you missed the car show benefiting SGF. We had so much fun with this event, so we decided we needed to have a car show of our own. Who better to host this car and bike show than Automax?! If you are subscribed to our newsletter, you know just how awesome Automax is. If you just signed up for our newsletter, you can read Russell’s story to find out how generous this beloved sponsor is.

Speaking of sponsors… We have TWO new sponsors for our second annual event. Partnering with us for this year’s Spring in the Valley Festival is LEO Takedown and James Frost. They have decided to lock arms with SGF so YOU can all enjoy an even more fun-filled experience at SIV 2022!

if we want this year's spring in the valley to make a greater difference - this is what we need to do

Have you reserved your tickets yet? If you’re a procrastinator, like me, take this as your sign and get your tickets here (or here). You do NOT want to miss this year’s event – trust me! I heard Howie the cow has been practicing those juggling skills, but you will have to come see for yourself. He may join the circus before SIV III, so I highly recommend that you take advantage of this opportunity while you can.

Do you have a business that you would like to bring to SIV? We would love to have you show up and show off your business! Our Vendor Form can be found here! Did you know that 100% of ticket sales and vendor fees go directly to SGF? That’s right; you can showcase your business, while helping SGF’s list of Gifted Families list continue to grow! We are avid believers that supporting small brings BIG benefits.

Are you interested in becoming a sponsor? Have a boss you think would like to support a local non-profit event like SIV? We have different sponsorship levels to choose from, so there is something for everyone. When you partner with SGF, we all win. Businesses are able to give back to their community, get tickets for employees, t-shirts, marketing for their business, and so much more! Sponsorship is not just for businesses though. Let’s say you (as an individual) are looking for a way to be part of SIV and show your support for the cause… Supporting Sponsor or Community Partner has your name on it! I told you – we have something for everyone. Still don’t believe me? Check for yourself here!

Now that you’ve bought your tickets, submitted your vendor forms, and chose to become a SIV sponsor… I must say, I am quite proud of everything we’ve accomplished in this one blog. We truly appreciate everything our community has done to help SGF become what it is today. Our future is bright, and my heart is full just thinking about all of the Gifted Families that will benefit from everyone’s hard work. SGF’s mission to serve and support families who care for children with disabilities is made possible by events like Spring in the Valley. Before I get teary-eyed thinking about these sweet families… Let’s review the amazing sponsors and vendors, as well talented musicians that made SIV 2021 such a hoot!