People of all ages crowd inside of the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center in Dalton, Ga., for Winter Ramp Friday. Several thousand people sang and praised together with the band Higher during the annual youth event put together by Karen Wheaton Ministries of Alabama.About 6,000 young people gathered in Dalton, Ga., this weekend for a conference expected to bring more than $1 million in estimated economic impact.
Those dollars are important in Whitfield County, which has struggled to recoup sales tax dollars lost since 2008.
“This is one of, if not the, biggest event for our community this year,” Rebecca Bolton, director of sales and marketing for the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center, wrote in an email. “Our team has worked to bring this event here for over a year.”
The 10th annual Winter Ramp, produced by Karen Wheaton Ministries of Hamilton, Ala., provides three days of Christian worship, ministry through dance and drama and preaching to youth from all over the United States and Canada, according to Joe Reeser, a staff member of the ministry.
The conference began in Whitfield County on Thursday evening and continued with several sessions held Friday and today.