Ringgold, Ga., Mayor Joe Barger tosses candy from his seat in the 1890s Days Jamboree parade Saturday while Jan Jay drives.
Staff Photo by Tim Barber/Chattanooga Times Free PressRINGGOLD, Ga.-In the hot morning sun, Sara Gentry strolled along Nashville Street in downtown Ringgold, eating a frozen treat from a cup. The Fort Oglethorpe resident said she’s a regular visitor to the 1890s Day Jamboree, an annual festival now in its 36th year.
But Gentry was especially eager to attend the event this year, she said, because of the trauma the city has experienced since being hit by last month’s deadly tornadoes.
“To say we know what you are going through,” she said. “It’s a way to show support.”
Many of Saturday’s festivalgoers parked their cars in the Ringgold United Methodist Church parking lot, just a stone’s throw from an entrance to the event. They were greeted by the sounds of pounding hammers as men repaired the roof of the church, which was damaged in the storm.
“It’s not a normal situation,” church member Gary Knowles said, pointing out a contrast.