Labor Day at the Post will not take place this year on the grassy expanse of Fort Oglethorpe’s former polo field/parade ground.
Declining attendance and increasing financial losses led the Fort Oglethorpe Tourism Association to cancel what had been an annual event for most of the town’s history.
Dave Patel, president of the tourism association, explained why the event is being scrapped in a letter to Mayor Lynn Long, saying,
“The members had a long, hard discussion about Labor Day at The Post, the decline in attendance and the lack of support from the community to sponsor the event. Both Catoosa and Walker County Schools will not start their school year until the day after Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2012. With the decline in attendance, no financial sponsorship for the event and the reality that many parents will use their last three-day weekend before school starts for family get-togethers, the members voted unanimously not to organize or sponsor Labor Day at The Post.”
During last week’s City Council meeting, Chris McKeever, executive director of the 6th Cavalry Museum and member of the tourism association, said the event has become a financial drain on the association’s limited budget.