Politics & Government

Alpharetta, Roswell Mayors Ready to Battle in the Grocery Store

City leaders will compete on filling grocery carts at a local store in a benefit for North Fulton Community Charities.

CORRECTED DATE: The longstanding rivalry between Alpharetta and Roswell heads to a different venue–the grocery store. On Monday, May 23, mayors for the two cities will compete in the Mayor's Grocery Showdown.

Alpharetta's Arthur Letchas and Roswell's Jere Wood will race around the Kroger on East Crossville Road in Roswell, trying to fill shopping carts with $498 of non-perishable food items, according to Dotty Etris of the Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau and her Alpharetta counterpart, Janet Rodgers.

Though one mayor will win by getting the closest to $498 of groceries without going over, the real winner will be North Fulton Community Charities, which will get all the food the mayors put in their carts.

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The $498 was chosen based on state calculations that every Georgia household benefits from state and local tax savings of $498 because of the tourism industry. The Ga. Department of Economic Development’s Economic Impact Report for tourism shows that the tourism industry contributed more than $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue, using figures from the  U.S. Travel Association and Ga. Department of Economic Development.

This information led to "The Tourism Means A Healthy Economy Mayors’ Grocery Showdown" being sponsored by the Roswell Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau, to bring attention to the fact that tourism helps build healthy economies and contributes to the quality of life. 

Find out what's happening in Alpharetta-Miltonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Mayors Wood and Letchas will have 10 minutes to race through the Kroger located at 570 East Crossville Road in Roswell, and fill each of their shopping carts with $498 of non-perishable food items. The event begins at 11:30 A.M. with a red ribbon.

While the Mayors are racing, Kroger will make announcements over the sound system to keep the Mayors’ aware of the escaping time.

A special Grocery Bag Character will add a touch of whimsy and T-shirts wearers showcasing that Tourism Means a Healthy Economy will be in full force. Members of the City Councils, tourism boards, North Fulton Community Charities, and CVB staffs will be on hand to cheer their mayors on. The public is invited to come, watch and cheer.

Dotty Etris (Roswell CVB) and Janet Rodgers (Alpharetta CVB) are the coordinators of the event. They said Nancy and Ashley Diamond made them aware of a similar event in Texas.


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