“Everyone East Lake Festival” celebrates East Lake

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – Today was a great day to get out and enjoy the annual “Everyone East Lake Festival.”

Hundreds of families piled into East Lake Park to enjoy live entertainment, food, art bike displays and games.

Event organizers say the festival is all about being inclusive to every ethnic background in Chattanooga.

Buddy Shirk organized the festival. “We wanted everyone from Chattanooga to come to Chattanooga’s first public park and where the zoo was first located. Most people don’t realize that about East Lake. We’re a community in transition. We don’t want to be gentrified. We want to remain who we are,” he says

City councilman Chris Anderson was also on hand to address residents about the state of the East Lake community.