Council gives in-principle OK for McIntosh 1890s Festival, grants organizers use of community center

The McIntosh Town Council voted unanimously Jan. 20 to approve in principle a McIntosh 1890s Festival planned for Oct. 16–17, 2026 and to permit organizers to use the community center while they finalize structure and leadership.

Supporters from the community urged the council to keep the long-running event alive. Melinda Jones read a letter from the Friends of McIntosh asking for support, and Holger Giese asked the council for permission to use town right-of-ways and the community center while a formal structure is set up. The council adopted a resolution in principle and later granted temporary use of the community center; both motions passed unanimously.

Mayor Scott urged the council to consider adopting the festival, saying the event has strong volunteer interest and legacy value. "This is a passion project for a lot of people," Mayor Scott said. Town Manager Gonzalez told the council that funding options could include creating a festival account and adjusting vendor payment schedules; "To answer the question about money — that would be up to the council," Gonzalez said.

Councilors expressed reservations about the town taking on festival administration. Councilor Deaderick cited concerns about recordkeeping and financial filings and warned of broader liabilities, including cybersecurity threats tied to event management. When asked whether a municipal festival would need a nonprofit status, Attorney Smith said it would not: "No, it is not needed as a government entity." Jonathan Ward noted a charter constraint, saying, "According to the charter, they cannot have non-town members," a point President Jones acknowledged.

The council did not resolve ownership or long-term staffing at the meeting but allowed organizers to continue preparations and to use town facilities in the near term. Council directions included asking for additional information about why the Friends group stopped hosting the event and how town staff workload would be managed. The town manager indicated staff would attempt to support the first year and that sponsors and volunteers would be sought.

Next steps: the council created a resolution to approve the festival in principle and granted immediate use of the community center; it requested further information on organizational structure, funding and staffing before any final adoption or operational commitments.