ANNOUNCEMENT

MULLINS FOR MAYOR
April 8, 2025

ATWOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL SECURES ITS FUTURE:

A NEW ERA, A STRONGER FOUNDATION, AND A COMMUNITY UNITED

The 2025 Atwood Music Festival is officially set to return to its rightful home at Atwood Water Park this Memorial Day Weekend. But this year, we have even more to celebrate: the festival is entering a new era with a stronger, more sustainable foundation and continued community-wide support.

Over the past few weeks, all of us on the Atwood Committee have worked closely with the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and members of the Board of Aldermen to take a fresh look at how the festival is structured and supported. Together, we’ve secured a path forward that honors its 50-year legacy and positions it for continued growth.

As part of that effort, oversight of the festival is set to transition after this year to Experience Pearl River — a newly formed nonprofit created to focus exclusively on events, tourism, and cultural development in Monticello and Lawrence County. This dedicated home ensures that Atwood can continue to grow while maintaining its deep local roots. The Chamber, which has played a major role in the festival’s success for decades, will transition to focus its good work on broader regional priorities. The Board of Aldermen has expressed its ongoing support for the festival’s new direction.

This is a win for Monticello, for Atwood, and for everyone who believes in the power of community traditions. We didn’t just preserve Atwood — we strengthened it.

Behind the scenes, my team and I worked with the Chamber and the Board to ensure the festival’s smooth transition, financial stability, and continued access to the park that has long been its home. As part of that planning, we secured an arrangement that allows the festival to continue without incurring the Town’s newly introduced $50,000 fee to rent the entire park — a cost that could have threatened the festival’s location or limited its offerings. Instead, we found a solution that keeps Atwood thriving in its rightful home.

We came together, we planned, and we delivered. Thanks to steady leadership and a united community, Atwood will open its gates this Memorial Day Weekend — just like it always has, and just like it will for the next fifty years.

With new energy and a reinforced foundation, the Atwood Music Festival continues to represent the best of Monticello — celebrating music, heritage, and togetherness for generations to come.

We protected our traditions. We built something stronger. And I’ll never back down from fighting for Monticello.

"THANK YOU!" to all involved,

JUSTIN MULLINS
President, Atwood Committee
Your Candidate for Mayor of Monticello