05/17/2026
PUBLIC STATEMENT REGARDING CHICKAMAUGA DOWN HOME DAYS
To our vendors, community partners, and attendees:
First and foremost, Hearthara Culinary would like to sincerely apologize to any vendor impacted by the challenges surrounding Chickamauga Down Home Days.
Our company was originally brought into this event solely to coordinate food and beverage logistics. Merchandise vendor recruitment and management was initially handled by Vonzara Inc. Following circumstances that caused Vonzara Inc. to no longer feel comfortable continuing direct operational involvement with the City, vendor information and coordination responsibilities were transitioned behind the scenes, significantly expanding Hearthara Culinary’s role far beyond our original scope.
As this transition occurred, our company became responsible for coordinating approximately 200 vendors, many of whom we had never previously worked with, while also navigating evolving event logistics and venue changes that had not originally been communicated to us directly.
Prior to the event, both Hearthara Culinary and Vonzara Inc. repeatedly expressed concerns regarding vendor placement areas, specifically around accessibility, traffic flow, visibility, and operational logistics in certain sections of the venue. We were assured that accommodations, signage, attractions, and infrastructure would be in place to support vendor traffic and accessibility. Based on those assurances, we continued forward in good faith.
Unfortunately, upon ex*****on, multiple operational elements did not align with what had been communicated to us. This created significant challenges during vendor load-in and throughout event setup, including confusion regarding placement, traffic control, access points, vendor flow, and operational support.
It is important to be transparent that Hearthara Culinary is a small family-owned business. While we are highly experienced in festival production and vendor operations, the scale of responsibilities that ultimately fell to our team exceeded the role we originally agreed to fulfill.
During load-in, our team worked alongside city staff, public safety personnel, volunteers, and experienced vendors who stepped up to help problem-solve in real time under difficult circumstances. We want to specifically thank the city works team, public safety officers, and the vendor volunteers who worked hard under pressure to support fellow businesses.
We also want to be clear: frustration from vendors was understandable. Many businesses invest significant time, money, labor, inventory, staffing, and trust into participating in events. When operations do not unfold as expected, the impact is real.
Because Hearthara Culinary values our vendor community above all else, our team personally visited impacted vendors and offered complimentary placement at future Hearthara Culinary events for the 2026 season wherever possible in an effort to help offset lost opportunity.
While Hearthara Culinary only directly collected vendor fees from participating food vendors and a limited number of additional placements we personally secured, we still chose to absorb significant financial loss in order to prioritize vendor relationships and accountability.
We also independently invested additional marketing dollars once we became aware of attendance concerns, working to drive visibility for participating vendors and support the event’s success.
However, after careful consideration, Hearthara Culinary has determined that we can no longer continue participating in events under operational conditions where we cannot confidently protect vendor experience, business opportunity, and event safety standards consistent with our company values.
Effective immediately, Hearthara Culinary will no longer partner in future City of Chickamauga-produced events.
This decision was not made lightly.
For over two decades, our work has been built around supporting small businesses, food entrepreneurs, and community-centered events. Our vendors trust us with their livelihoods, and that trust matters deeply.
To any vendor who felt unsupported, overlooked, or negatively impacted—we are genuinely sorry.
We remain committed to transparency and are willing to communicate directly with affected vendors regarding their concerns.
Thank you to those who have supported Hearthara Culinary and the vendor community through difficult circumstances.
Chef Sara Turney
Owner, Hearthara Culinary
