BaconFest, block party Saturday
A full slate of activities in Floyd County will start with bacontasting in the morning and end with a lantern parade at night.
With a block party in Rome and a festival in Cave Spring, there’s a full day of family friendly events on tap Saturday in Floyd County.
“The weather’s going to be nice and we’re going to have a lot of fun,” said Cave Spring Councilmember Nancy Fricks, a member of the city’s activities committee.
First up is the fourth annual Cave Spring BaconFest and Car Show at the city hall campus downtown. The gate opens at 9 a.m., bacon-tasting starts at 10 a.m. and the party runs through 4 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, children 12 and under get in free.
Fricks is pre-registering contestants for the classic car cruise-in at $20 a car. Call or text her at 706-844-8514. Registration is $25 the day of the festival.
“Judges will give trophies in categories like best paint job and motor. We had 80 or 90 participants last year and we hope to double that Saturday,” Fricks said.
Proceeds from the car show go toward the committee’s kids programs and the Fourth of July fireworks. The city’s Downtown Development Authority sponsors BaconFest and uses the revenue to fund more special events.
At least 20 arts and crafts vendors will be set up on site and there will be pony rides available. DDA member Billy Abernathy said a live DJ will be playing music and taking requests from the crowd. But the best part, he said, is tasting the wide variety of bacon-based dishes on display.
“Bacon ice cream, bacon sandwiches, bacon casseroles ... bacon on the grill. Somebody always comes up with something new every year,” Abernathy said.
Meanwhile, up in Rome, the free block party will kick off at noon and go on into the evening.
The events take place in the 200, 300 and 400 blocks of Broad Street, where visitors will be able to wander around with alcoholic beverages — and an armband — purchased from venues in the area. The three blocks will be closed to traffic from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and no outside coolers or drinks will be allowed.
An arts festival paired with the Rome DDA’s outdoor concert this month features the Ellen Axson Wilson Art Walk, coordinated by the Rome Area Council for the Arts, and the Merry Maid’s Chalk Your HeART Out chalk competition.
There also will be inflatables for the kids, sidewalk sales and a variety of live musical performances.
A singer-songwriter concert with Scott Thompson, Bekah Cates and Jefferson Ross is slated for the 200-block at 2 p.m.
At 3:30 p.m., Cates will take the main stage at Fourth Avenue and Broad. She’ll be followed by Bennie Gray & the Trailer Park Cowboys from 4 to 7 p.m.
At 7:30 p.m., the inaugural Rome Lantern Parade will start, with awards for the best homemade lanterns announced from the main stage. Prizes will go to Most Creative, Best Rome-Themed, Largest Lantern and Best Group Entry.
Then all participants will join in a glowing procession of light and art along Rome’s rivers and historic downtown.
Entry into the parade is free, but a lantern is required. Lanterns must be battery-operated; no glass lanterns or fire-lit lanterns. Lanterns also will also be available for purchase during the arts festival, at the information table in the 300 block.