Ringgold’s big Southern street party
Ringgold’s 1890s Day Jamboree features cars, comedy, crafts
It it’s Memorial Day weekend, then it’s time for Ringgold, Georgia’s 1890s Day Jamboree.
The annual street party fills downtown Ringgold with three stages of entertainment, more than 100 food and craft vendors, music and dance contests, a parade and classic car show. Admission is free and all events are family-friendly.
Organizers estimate that previous Jamborees have brought more than 20,000 folks to the small North Georgia town of about 3,500 people.
The jamboree begins with Family Friday on May 24, which offers three stages of country, pop and gospel acts.
A dozen gospel acts are booked onto two stages: the Walter Jackson Chevrolet Stage on the courthouse lawn and the Mountain View Stage on Cleveland Street.
More music can be found on Junior’s Building Material Stage on Nashville Street. The lineup starts at 6 p.m. with Cody James Harris, followed by Chuck Holt and Tim Starnes at 7 p.m. and Courtney Daly & The Daly Special at 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 25, has fun scheduled throughout the day leading up to a fireworks finale at 10 p.m.
A cruise-in will be held in the parking lot of Ringgold First Baptist Church, 7611 Nashville St., throughout the day.
The jamboree parade will begin lining up at 9 a.m. on Robin Road, and will step off at 11 a.m.
The fiddle and dance contest at the Ringgold Courthouse will begin registering acts at 8:30 a.m. with the first competition at 9:30 p.m. Competition will stop during the parade, resuming about 12:30 p.m. when the parade has concluded.
Competition divisions are mandolin, guitar, banjo, band, individual and team dancers. The fiddle competition is divided by age brackets: 10 and under, 11-15, 16-21, 22-50 and 51 and up.
The Ringgold Playhouse is bringing big laughs to the festival with two nights of free comedy shows in the Ringgold Depot. The 7:30 p.m. shows will be a mix of improv and stand-up, featuring headliner Mark Poolos.
Poolos is a nationally touring comedian who has appeared on Sirius XM Radio, “The Bob and Tom Show,” “The Carbanaro Effect” and “Laughs on Fox.”
The improv portion of the show will feature a troupe of local actors thinking quickly on their feet to create impromptu scenarios and characters based on suggestions from the audience. It’s a format similar to the hit TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
More information about all 1890s Day festivities can be found at the city’s website: Cityofringgoldga.gov.