Official Application for Festival Market

2025 Homegrown Community Market & Expo

Saturday, February 22, 2025 - 12pm - 6pm
Downtown Franklin, GA

WHAT IS HOMEGROWN GRAVEL ADVENTURE

Homegrown is a three-day gravel cycling event centered around our big Saturday race, where we offer a 30-mile fun ride and competitive 62- and 100-mile routes through Heard and Randolph counties. We're expecting 600 riders from across the United States, with participants already signed up from 20 states and three countries—and the numbers keep growing! With some of the nation's top cycling pros joining, our 100-mile race, featuring a $10,000 prize purse, is set to become the South's premier gravel event.

The rides kick off early in the morning, with the first participants crossing the finish line around 12:30 PM and the last riders expected by 5:00 PM—all eager to refuel and enjoy an afternoon of food, live music, and festival activities. We warmly invite the community to come out, cheer on the riders, listen to the music, and take part in all the fun. Most riders return around 1:00 and stay for several hours after on the average. 

All proceeds from the event will support the Heard County Food Pantry and MTB Atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated to building and maintaining cycling trails throughout Georgia. It will be an unforgettable day, and we'd love for you to be part of it!

Who will be at the event?
Homegrown’s diverse mix of attendees includes parents and family members of traveling participants (a captive audience with plenty of downtime between races), avid cycling fans from all over the country and locals from the Newnan, LaGrange, Carrolton triangle, on the hunt for an enjoyable weekend venue and something pleasant to do. Not surprisingly, we find that the more high-quality activities and vendors we provide, the more time and money our attendees spend at Homegrown, and the more fun they seem to have. As such, some artists have been able to do very well at past events, and each year we continue to improve and enhance our festival atmosphere to lead to more and better vendor experiences. For example, this year we are including two live bands and tripling our vendor footprint

Featured Highlights include:
Three different start times for the events (8:00am/8:15/9:30/11:00)
Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s races
Event DJ and Music
Live Music
Community Market & Expo
Great Food & Beer
Games & More

The deadline for entry is February 12, 2025 

COST IS FREE, however, we require a $100 deposit to reserve the space and ensure the event has real value to you. See note below. 

If you would like to be at the event for the starts as well, we can arrange to make that happen, please email us to talk further. wayne@independentravel.com

To ensure your payment goes through properly, please use the address on your credit card statement that you plan to use for payment. Payments will not process otherwise. This will be the card we will be the card we refund the deposit to the day of the event.

RULES & STANDARDS:

1. Please carefully read and complete and sign the application – incomplete applications may be rejected.
2. Artist - All artwork must be original and completed by the artist registering for the booth.
3. Please no buy-sell. Such as resell tshirts, socks or similar. Pre-packaged food or drink. Trinkets / Tchotchkes
4. Art vendors can only sell artwork. No food or drink
5. Food/Produce Vendors:
   1. All vendors must display all appropriate licences and/or certificates.
   2. Must have certificate of liability insurance (edible products only)
   3. Vegetables grown by the seller from seeds, seedlings, or sets
   4. Fruits, berries, or nuts grown on trees, bushes, or vines on the seller’s farm
   5. Potted plants or live plant starts grown by the seller from seed, seedling, or transplant
   6. Eggs produced by the seller’s poultry
   7. Honey produced by the seller’s bees
   8. Fresh baked goods and prepared food items must be made from scratch by the seller.
   9. Fresh cut flowers
   10. Meat products must be produced from animals raised on the seller’s farm
   11. Pet food and treats made from scratch by the seller using regionally sourced, sustainable ingredients
6. We will NOT ACCEPT the following products:
   1. Carnival-like foods that do not utilize some local or regional ingredients: (i.e. cotton candy, candy apples, candied nuts, kettle corn, toffee, and taffy) - unsure - please email us first
   2. Beverages not produced by vendor business (i.e. cans of soda, bottled water, energy drinks) unless specifically formulated for cycling/endurance events. 
   3. Dairy products
   4. Products containing THC/Delta 8 or Delta 9
7. All Vendors must check-in at the festival parking/staging area before entering the festival area to set up. We will email you with clear instructions for load in and load out. 
8. You may NOT begin dismantling your booths until 6:00PM
9. You must supply your own tent with proper weights to hold it down, tables, and chairs. All booths must be self-contained
10. There will be no rain date for inclement weather. If the event is canceled due to inclement weather, your deposit will be refunded in full.
11. This is an outdoor event, for which you will be renting a 10’ X 10’ space only, and tents are not supplied.
12. All booth spaces are assigned. If you request that your booth be located next to another vendor, we will try our best to accommodate, but we will not guarantee it.
13. Independent Gravel LLC, The East Point Track Club, MTB Atlanta, Homegrown Gravel Adventure organizers, volunteer staff and personnel of the City of Franklin, cannot and will not assume liability for loss, damage, or injury to anyone participating in the Homegrown Market & Expo, nor for loss of any property. If insurance is desired, it must be secured by the participating vendor.
14. Booth space costs are free, but there is a $100 deposit payable at the time of the application, reimburseable the day of the event if paying vendor attends the event. No show = No reimbursement
15. I understand that this is a currated market and that the Homegrown orgainizers have the right to reject and refund any vendor that they do not feel meets the standards set in place or if they start to get too many of one medium.
16. I understand that a decision will be made on my acceptance as soon as possible, but no later than 7 working days after I submit my appication. Your $100 deposit will be refunded immediately if not selected.
17. By signing and registering, you understand that you are not officially part of the event until you receive a welcome email from the Spin the District Vendor Committee.
18. Mailed entry forms: No longer available
19. No power will be provided for the booths unless you bring a generator. Whisper quite generators preferred.
20. Sales Tax: Vendors are responsible for collecting and reporting Sales Tax.
21. Set up will be on the day of the event from 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM. ALL VEHICLES MUST BE OUT OF THE FESTIVAL AREA NO LATER THAN 12:15PM. Once unloaded, easily accessible parking is available. No Vehicles will be allowed in the festival area between the hours of 12:00M - 6:00PM.

Questions, please email Wayne Whitesides - wayne@independentgravel.com

I have read, and understand and agree to abide by the rules and eligibility requirements in the cover letter and application to participate in the Spin the District Artist Market.

After clicking submit you will be prompted to pay via Paypal, Debit Card or Credit Card. PLEASE NOTE YOU MAY NEED TO NOT HAVE YOUR BROWSER CONTENT BLOCKER TURNED OFF - Look under settings > Content Blocker > Off