Southern Worthersee is a near sacred weekend in May, when thousands of automotive enthusiasts gather between beautiful mountains and the Chattahoochee River, in a tiny town called Helen. Planning months in advance, booking rooms, prepping vehicles, mapping travel routes and saving pennies, we travel to this picturesque destination.
SoWo, to some, may seem just like any other car show. You show up with nice cars, hang out, hand out a few trophies, and then everyone goes home. This could not be more wrong. We get married here. We get engaged here. We form bonds with new friends that will last a lifetime here. This isn't a car show. This is a huge family vacation, and Helen is its home.
Maintainining an event as large as SoWo, in a city as small as Helen, will obviously create some problems for the city's infrastructure and police force. Recently, there have been multiple large and unreasonable increases in the value the city places on certain rental locations, that make it nearly impossible for the event coordinators to keep up.
Southern Worthersee is a non-for-profit event, yet the organizers and attendees are expected to foot the entire bill for all necessary maintenance costs and additional police presence. The City of Helen and White County, the county in which Helen is located, make more than enough money in the quite large additional tax revenues brought by the event, to cover the additional expenses for the show.
I am petitioning the City Council of Helen, Georgia to come to a realistic, mutually beneficial, and fair agreement with Southern Worthersee organizers. Please allow us to continue to hold the Southern Worthersee event in the City of Helen.
