Van Dykes, Guests, Break Ground at Future Site of Blue Willow Village

SOCIAL CIRCLE -- Owners of the internationally acclaimed Blue Willow Inn restaurant, Louis and Billie Van Dyke, along with a list of VIPs and friends, broke ground Tuesday on the Blue Willow Village, which will be home to a museum and nine unique retail shops located adjacent to the Blue Willow Inn.

The ceremony featured guest speakers, including Social Circle Mayor Jim Burgess; Georgia State Senator John Douglas; Georgia Dept. of Economic Development, Deputy Commissioner of Tourism, Charlie Gatlin; Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs, Director, Office of Economic Development, Joanie Perry; and Kevin Little, Chairman, Walton County Board of Commissioners.

The Blue Willow Village architecture will be early 20th century Victorian style with each of the shops housed in Victorian cottages. In addition, the village will include a strip building patterned after early 20th century downtowns complete with a museum and 1950s soda fountain.

"The Blue Willow Village is designed to transport us back to quieter, simpler times when you could take an afternoon to eat, shop and relax with family and friends," said Louis Van Dyke. "We have found that people tend to linger after eating at the Blue Willow Inn, so we think this is a wonderful extension of the restaurant and another reason to visit Social Circle."

The Georgia Department of Economic Development projects that the village will increase visitors to the area by 150,000 annually. Additionally, the Blue Willow Village is expected to generate as many as 90 new jobs in the five-county area with increased expenditures in tourism of $14,388,000.

The Blue Willow Inn and Village are located at 294 N. Cherokee Road (GA Hwy. 11), Social Circle, GA 30025 - just 45 minutes east of Atlanta. For more information, please contact Louis Van Dyke at 770.464.2131 or visit the website at www.bluewillowinn.com.