Jackson County names new event center for community leader Charles Elders; 'Day Out with Thomas' set for site

Jackson County officials and partners on the stage in Whittier on Saturday dedicated a newly renovated event space as the Charles Elders Event Center, saying the facility will expand the county’s economic footprint and host local farmers, public events and family attractions.

A Jackson County official said the center will keep events local and provide a resource for farmers and the public, calling the naming an acknowledgment of Elders’s long impact on the area: "This is bringing it back home," the official said.

The vice president and general manager of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad described plans to bring family-focused attractions to the site, announcing an eight-day "Day Out with Thomas" event that will run over two weekends with a Thursday opening. "We are bringing Thomas the Tank Engine into the town of Whittier and at this location for families to enjoy a day out with Thomas," the railroad official said, adding that the partnership could lead to future concerts and themed attractions such as a Hogwarts Express event.

A family member of Charles Elders called the naming "a great honor," saying Elders "did a lot" for the county and that he would have been pleased to see the project completed. County staff recalled early public-input meetings held in Whittier in 2012 at Smoky Mountain Elementary School and said those conversations helped shape the project’s direction.

Officials described the project as the result of long-term, generational planning and local leadership. No formal votes or motions were recorded in the remarks provided. Organizers said the first event is intended as the start of ongoing use of the site for community and regional programming.

The ceremony concluded with family reflections on Elders’s years of service and gratitude to the community and partners who helped bring the center to fruition.