Fiddlin’ Fest coming to downtown October 14
The second annual Fiddlin’ Fest Between the Rivers will bring bluegrass musicians from all over the Southeast to Broad Street in Rome Saturday, October 14.
Megan Treglown, marketing and special event director for the Rome Downtown Development Authority, said bands will be performing on two stages, the River City Bank stage at the end of the Cotton Block near the South Broad Bridge and the Hampton Inn & Suites stage at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Broad Street.
Among the bands who are scheduled to participate are Barbaric Yawps, Matt Downer, John Grimm, Stillhouse Shakers, Arlo Finch, Burnt Mountain Benders, Caleb Warren & the Perfect Gentlemen, MoonCrew and Sheriff Scott.
Between the two stages more than two dozen vendors will be set up selling everything from food to arts and crafts. A Kids
Alley with inflatables will be set up in the 400 block of Broad Street.
Rome Aerial Gymnastics will be performing from noon to 2 pm. in the 300 block. Downtown shops will feature sidewalk sales and restaurants will offer food and drinks for sale outside their businesses. Adult beverages purchased at restaurants may be brought within the event area with an arm band.
The Armuchee Ruritan Club car show will also
be held on Broad Street in conjunction with the Fiddlin’ Fest.
The 100 through 400 blocks of Broad Street will be shut down for vehicular traffic from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The event itself will begin at noon Saturday and continue through 10 p.m.
Weed Memorial Walk set for Oct. 27
The third annual Robert Weed Memorial Nature Walk through the Marshall Forest off Horseleg Creek Road has been scheduled for October 27 at 2 p.m.
The varieties in hardwood timber in the nation’s largest urban-virgin forest should be approaching the peak of color for the annual walk to honor the memory of Robert Weed, a cousin of MacLean “Mac” Marshall who donated the property to the Nature Conservancy in 1966.
Conservancy volunteers are frequently assisted by college students from across the country who volunteer to assist with the removal of invasive species like English Ivy and Chinese privet which often overwhelm the habitat and prevent native species from flourishing.
Weed, his sons Marc and Stephen, and wife Mimi Weed have continued to devote considerable time and stewardship to ensuring the integrity of the forest through the years since Weed died in 2014.
The site is home to more than 300 species of plants and 55 tree species in 3 distinct plant communities: pine-oak, chestnut oak, and mixed hardwood forest. The forest is home to the largest population of the endangered large-flowered skullcap in Georgia, which is a perennial herb in the mint family.
The Marshall Forest is Georgia’s first national natural landmark and includes several trails including the unique Big Pine Braille Trail for those who are visually handicapped.
There is no fee to join the walk which is a leisurely stroll with a degree of difficulty that is rated “easy.”