How Morganton cleared 8 tons of trash overnight

If you drove through downtown early Sunday morning, you might never have guessed that eight or so hours before, thousands of people were swarming the area, partying it up at the 44th annual Morganton Festival.Officials said city crews and volunteers worked all night last Saturday, hauling off eight tons of garbage to return downtown to its relatively pristine state.

Mackenzie McGinnis, Main Street Morganton manager and Morganton Festival Assistant Director, said the monumental cleanup process began even before the festival ended.

“Staff from the Recreation and Public Works departments begin gathering signage, taking down tents and removing cattle fencing even before the final festival concert concludes on Saturday evening,” she said.

When the show is over, festival staff remove all signage, umbrellas and other items from the area before leaving for the night.

Street crews then work throughout the night picking up trash and cleaning the streets, she said.

Morganton Public Works Director Michael Chapman, who also serves on the festival logistics team, said his city crews worked “before, during and after the event, including working into the early morning hours both nights to get downtown cleaned up and ready for the next day.”

“Everyone stepped up, worked together and did whatever needed to be done,” he said.

Chapman also credited the other city staff and festival volunteers with the speedy cleanup.

“One thing I think we do really well as a city is work together and help each other get things done,” he said. “There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that most people never see. Each festival staff member has an area they are responsible for, but when something needs to be done, everyone jumps in and helps.”

All that work has a price tag, though the lion’s share is covered by sponsorships and fees, officials said.

McGinnis said the festival is funded through HMF Inc., a Main Street-run nonprofit that also provides for The Farmers Market and TGIF Summer Concert Series.

According to McGinnis, the festival costs roughly $225,000, with $100,000 coming from local business sponsorships and other fees like ride tickets, merchandise sales, vendor fees and beer, wine and food sales helping cover the cost.

McGinnis said the city “hasn’t fully recosted the event in several years,” but she estimated the city’s investment is in the $40,000 to $50,000 range.

“This covers Public Works and Recreation services, sanitation services throughout the weekend, any utility work and accounted volunteer hours,” she said. “Because of this investment and the significant community benefit derived from the area’s largest regional event, the city effectively acts as the festival’s largest partner.”

Official attendance numbers were not yet finalized late in the week, but McGinnis said Friday drew a “very large crowd.” While Saturday had strong early turnouts, the threat of rain in the evening “kept some visitors away,” she said.

The festival also drew 250 vendors, including nonprofits, local businesses and 30 food and drink sellers.

McGinnis called the event an “overall success.”

“The festival ran smoothly with a strong turnout, and we plan to continue building on this momentum in future years, made possible by festival staff, volunteers, sponsorships and city support,” she said.

For workers on the ground over the weekend, that “strong turnout” resulted in about 16,000 pounds of trash, according to Chapman.

“This was a city-wide effort,” he said. “Every department involved played a big role.”

McGinnis said the city “holds itself to a high standard.”

The aim is to “leave the area looking better than it was found to ensure downtown business are not negatively impacted on Sunday or the following week,” she said.

Chapman said he and city staff were happy to help with the effort.

“It takes everyone working together,” he said, “and I’m proud to be a part of that team.”