Fairs & festivals
TRADITIONAL FALL SEASON STARTING EARLIER EVERY YEAR
When Signal Mountain residents Lavene Guthrie and Pat Patrick were preparing to launch Hodgepodge crafts show in the mid-1970s, they deliberately chose the first weekend of October so their event would be first in the local season.
“Nothing else was going on then, the weather was still nice and there just were no competing events in the city at that time,” Guthrie recalls. She adds that while there were other shows already established, they were further into the fall months.
Now the first weekend of October is midway into the fall festival season.
Over four decades, the number of arts and crafts shows, county fairs, heritage festivals and gift markets has grown at such a rapid pace that they outnumber available fall weekends on the calendar. Festival season has continued to roll around earlier and earlier until county fairs and festivals are starting the first week of August this year.
Traditionally, Beersheba Springs Arts and Crafts Fair’s date on the last weekend of
August has long been considered the kickoff of the regional fall-festival circuit. But Bobby Thompson, a volunteer with that fair since its founding 51 years ago, admits even Beersheba wasn’t first.
“Mountain Market on Monteagle Mountain is eight years older than we are,” he says. “We’ve held our fair in October and September, but we kept getting cool weather with foggy, drizzly mornings. The exhibitors requested we move it earlier, so we went to the last weekend of August. We started with 15 crafters, and last year we had 150.”
The inspiration for all area festivals can be traced to Fannie Mennen’s Plum Nelly clothesline arts show held outdoors at her home on the back side of Lookout Mountain. Begun in 1947, it lasted 26 years before ending when the Mennen family opened Plum Nelly shop.
Judy Alderman, founder of Prater’s Mill Country Fair, says Mennen inspired her and the group of friends who founded the Varnell, Ga., fair as a means to raise funds for historic preservation.
“We had more energy than sense,” she laughs. “Our business plan was: Let’s see if people will pay to see this place.”
And they did — Prater’s Mill will hold its 47th annual fair in October.
Alderman has started writing a history of Prater’s Mill as well as some other North Georgia festivals. Speaking with Peter Bartis at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, she learned the years in which festivals began to take root coincided with a “back to the land movement.”
“It was that nostalgic feeling, trying to bring forth what our grandparents had,” she says. “People still want that same thing today.”
Guthrie believes another factor in the growth of festivals is the ease of accessibility for making goods.
“When Hodgepodge began, it featured all handmade work. People used their talent, and going to the show was such a fun thing. You didn’t have Hobby Lobby or places you could buy supplies premade,” she says.
Two years after Guthrie and Patrick began Hodgepodge, they were joined by Carole Waller in putting on the October show. Known for its quality work, Hodgepodge moved from Guthrie’s yard to the Signal Mountain town hall and community center — and was overflowing that space with exhibitors in the parking lot by the time the show ended 30 years later.
Another growth factor is the emergence of heritage and agribusiness festivals. As nonprofits observed their numbers growing (both people and proceeds), they launched events to raise funds for their preservation efforts. Local examples: Audubon Acres, the Marsh House, Gordon-Lee Mansion, Ketner’s Mill and Prater’s Mill country fairs.
Local agrarian festivals highlighting farms and/or crops include Old McDonald’s Farm Festival in Sale Creek, International Cowpea Festival in Charleston and Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay.
The festival industry has grown to the point that a Southeast Festivals & Events Association was founded in 2009. This body of festival and event planners works to strengthen the festival industry by hosting educational sessions, networking opportunities and award recognitions for exemplary events.
The Times Free Press will publish its popular guide to fall festivals and fairs on Sunday, Sept. 3. It lists events happening from Labor Day weekend through early December. There’s no fee to be included. Email your event’s information to Susan Pierce at spierce@times freepress.com.
Until then, check the accompanying list of 10 fairs and festivals happening this month.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress. com or 423-757-6284.