Visitors can enjoy a celebration of the rich, rural heritage of South Georgia during the annual Folklife Festival on April 2 at the ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture. Showcasing South Georgia’s history and culture, the event runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with interactive activities for both children and adults.
The can’t miss moment of the day will be the ceremonial firing of the Turpentine Still at 11 a.m. for the Historic Village’s annual turpentine distillation. Museum guests will see up close and personal this age-old process that is central to South Georgia’s cultural heritage.
The Folklife Festival is all about interactive activities including livestock and wildlife encounters, doll-making, hoecake cooking, sawmill demonstrations, sheep shearing, and mule plowing. Guests can also visit the antique and model tractors that will be on display on the Tift West Lawn. The antique tractors will parade through the Historic Village at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
In the way of exhibits, the GMA’s curatorial staff will have several offerings for Folklife festival guests. In the Art Gallery, A Farm Story exhibit will spotlight the artworks of Steven Walker and Mary VanLandingham. In the Cordell Conference Center, the American Legacy Quilt show will wow guests with exceptional fiber work, and they will also have raffle basket tickets available for purchase. In the Spinks Exhibit Hall guests will be able to use an interactive code to watch a turpentine documentary, with the same code being made available outside by the turpentine still.
To satisfy every hearty appetite, the Historic Village’s Drug Store will offer delicious BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, along with chips and a drink. Hankering for tasty hand-dipped ice cream? Grab a cup or a cone in the Drug Store or Country Store. The Country Store will also be offering refreshing icees, popcorn, and cotton candy. Cole’s Cakery, a local favorite, will be selling cupcakes and their delicious chicken salad sandwiches. Wilma’s Place will have all the usual fair food offerings, including funnel cakes and fried pickles.
The festival coincides with the seasonal opening of the Wiregrass Farmers Market. Local growers and producers will be offering fresh-picked produce from 9 a.m. until noon as well as hand-made goods for sale at the Market located under the pole barn behind the Country Store.
Admission to the Folklife Festival is $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, $5 for children 5 – 16 years of age, and free for children under five. For more information, interested persons can contact the Country Store at (229) 391-5205.