Matt Barrett drops a line in Lake Allatoona at Victoria Day Use Area near Woodstock, as his father, Ray, talks on the phone. Big crowds are expected at Allatoona for the Labor Day weekend, the last holiday of the season for the lake, which will likely see 6 million visitors this year.
Photo by Dayton P. Strickland
Photo by Dayton P. Strickland
The lake is on track to see 6 million visitors this year, about the same number counted last year, said Chief Ranger Chris Purvis of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which manages Allatoona.
The traffic at Allatoona will not be as busy as Memorial Day, despite the sunny weather forecast.
"With schools going back earlier, we have seen Labor Day decline a little bit. That doesn't mean we are not going to have a lot of people," he said, noting all of the campsites in Cherokee County are already full. "It is our last busy weekend."
Many county residents will likely be outdoors over the weekend, as the weather looks good, according to the National Weather Service.
Saturday will be partly cloudy with a high of 82 degrees. Sunday is expected to be sunny, with a high of 86 degrees, and Labor Day will also be sunny, with a high of 88 degrees.
AAA Auto Club South expects 854,985 people will travel by car in Georgia for the holiday weekend, a 7-percent increase from last year.
Jessica Brady, manager of public relations for AAA, said that's because it's the last chance for people to enjoy a long weekend this summer.
"Last year, a lot of people missed out on a summer vacation," she said. "Since they missed out last year, they are taking advantage of every weekend that they can get."
She said gas prices also are more affordable than expected, noting many feared they would see $3 gasoline at this time.
The state average for a gallon of unleaded gas was $2.53 on Wednesday, with an average price of $2.46 in Cherokee.
Traveling by car in Georgia should be less of a hassle this weekend.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has suspended construction-related lane closures beginning at 5 a.m. Friday and extending until 5 a.m. Tuesday.
Lt. Jay Baker, public information officer for the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, said the agency will be conducting road checks during the holiday weekend.
Checkpoints throughout the county will target impaired drivers as well as seat belt and license violations.
The Canton Police Department also will have extra patrols on the road, and the Woodstock Police Department will set up at least one checkpoint.
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