2006 Moonshine Festival
Dawsonville

It’s that time of the year in the mountains and valleys of north Georgia – the time of year that I enjoy so much.  We are now well into the fall season – students are approaching fall break, football season is in full swing, and our gorgeous mountain skyline is turning orange, red, yellow and gold with majestic fall leaves.  It is also festival season, which is something I always look forward to, as we celebrate our great heritage with fall festivals such as the Apple, Marble, Sorghum, Gold Rush and Moonshine Festivals.   

There’s nothing like attending festivals in the fall with the produce, arts and crafts, the prize-winning pumpkins, homemade sweaters, aprons and quilts and my favorite part – the food!  Peach pies, apple pies, cotton candy, funnel cakes, corndogs, homemade jellies & preserves, kettle corn, candy apples, barbecue, hamburgers, chili dogs and boiled peanuts.  These festivals not only bring our community together for fun and fellowship, they also have a tremendous economic impact on Georgia’s tourism industry.  Our community festivals and celebrations draw crowds from around the Southeast, bringing tourism dollars in the forms of lodging, dining, shopping and other travel expenditures.  In addition, research shows that visitors to cultural events like community festivals tend to spend more per visit than the average tourist, making them a key target in our state’s tourism marketing strategy. 

North Georgia’s great fall festivals remind us of where we come from.  They take us back to our ancestry – the people who founded this nation.  These festivals remind us of days gone by, when friends and neighbors got together and told stories, carved pumpkins, sold homemade goods and shared cakes, pies and cookies.  Times were certainly much simpler then, as we didn’t have cell phones, computers and text messages.  You could sit out on your front porch and read the evening paper or just relax in a big rocking chair.  Attending a fall festival or fair is a great way to celebrate our local heritage with your family and friends.  Let’s take a quick look at some of the upcoming fall festivals in our area. 

Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay (October 13, 14, 20 and 21, 2007).  Introduced to the area in the early 20th century, the apple saved Gilmer County from the devastation of the boll weevil.  The Georgia Apple Festival centers on the apple, of course, and it’s held annually during the second and third weekends of October at the Ellijay Lions Club Fairground.  They’ve got apple fritters, fried pies and many other apple treats.  There are hundreds of booths featuring Ellijay craftsmen, along with artists and craftsmen from throughout the southeastern U.S.  The festival includes music, dancing, a parade and many activities for children and adults to enjoy. 

Georgia Sorghum Festival in Blairsville (October 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28, 2007).  The Sorghum Festival is held during the second, third and fourth weekends of October in Blairsville.  Fort Sorghum is the centerpiece of this festival.  Here, batches of sorghum syrup are produced and used to make sorghum-sweetened products that can be purchased.  A parade that begins this three-week extravaganza is the most popular event, and this year’s festival features a car show and a biscuit-eating contest. 

Georgia Marble Festival in Jasper (October 6-7, 2007).  During the first full weekend in October, Jasper, and the entire Marble Valley of Pickens County host the annual Georgia Marble Festival.  This weekend of celebration begins with the Marble Festival Road Race, followed by a parade down Main Street.  After the parade, the entire family can enjoy arts and crafts booths, a fine arts competition exhibition, live music, clogging and dancing, a motorcycle show and a children’s area.  There are also guided tours of the world’s largest open pit marble quarry. 

Gold Rush Days Festival in Dahlonega (October 20-21, 2007).  With over 300 vendors, Gold Rush Days claims the prize as northeast Georgia’s largest fair.  The two-day event includes a parade, children’s activities, a fashion show, gold panning contest, wheelbarrow race, King and Queen Coronation, hog calling, buck dancing contest, gospel singing and other live entertainment. 

Oktoberfest in Helen (September 14-November 4, 2007).  Every year since 1970, Georgia’s most famous Oktoberfest transforms tranquil Helen into a fun festival atmosphere.  Visitors can polka with dancers in native costume, eat Bavarian food and enjoy the festival’s great mountain traditions.  Visitors will also enjoy Helen’s unique appearance as that of a town in the Bavarian Alps. 

Moonshine Festival in Dawsonville (October 27-28, 2007).  The Moonshine Festival explores Dawson County’s history during the prohibition era when liquor was illegal, and the Great Depression of the 1930s when running moonshine through the foothills of the northeast Georgia Mountains was a way of life.  Thousands of tourists also flock to the birthplace of NASCAR racing to hear about storied race legends.  The festival includes a parade, crafts, foods, live entertainment and a huge car show. 

During the fall season, there are many great festivals and fairs worth attending throughout our state, including the Atlanta Greek Festival (October 4-7, 2007) and the Georgia National Fair in Perry (October 4-14, 2007).  North Georgia’s fall festivals and fairs are some of the best in the world, and I highly recommend bringing your families out to explore one of these wonderful events.  Many are free of charge and offer great food, music, arts and crafts, parades and culture.  They also offer a much-welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  So, put down your cell phones, turn off your computers, TVs and your video games, and head out to one of Georgia’s great fall festivals