HARRIMAN, Tenn. — The Harriman community gathered on Labor Day for an annual festival celebrating the town and the people in it. Organizers said it included more than 130 vendors, bounce houses, pony rides, a carousel, a dunking booth and plenty more.
"When people talk about small-town America, that's exactly what Harriman is. You come down here, you see your friends and family, you meet new people," said Scott Mason, the Harriman City Manager. "All these buildings that used to be empty are now full. Harriman is growing by leaps and bounds."
The 36th annual Hooray for Harriman Labor Day Street Festival was also held this year to honor two brothers, who city leaders said helped revitalize the city by restoring old buildings and creating new businesses. Travis Kirkland and Blake Kirkland received keys to the city after buying and restoring property across Harriman, transforming them into new businesses.
One location was turned into "The Sweet Spot," a type of old-fashioned candy store. Travis said the brothers have a total of four businesses in Harriman including a pizza place, a taproom and an arcade. He also said he has lived in Harriman all his life.
"It was a booming town. We had all the mills — the hosiery mill, paper mill, steel mill. There were restaurants and jobs everywhere. People didn't have to leave Harriman to work. After those shut down, we lost a good chunk of our population and Harriman went down. But the last five, six, seven years, it's taken a step forward and we're growing," said Travis. "We've put a lot of hard work in over the last few years."