The 21st annual Art in the Park festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17-18, at Hurricane Shoals Park near Maysville.
The festival hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. A 5K Mill Race will be Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. The race will start and end in Heritage Village.
The festival will feature hand-made crafts from all over North Georgia and festival foods, including barbecue.
Bluegrass and gospel and other entertainment will be offered. The East Jackson Comprehensive High School Jazz Band will perform at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the amphitheater. The Tony and Ann Ianuario Memorial Bluegrass Festival will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday in the amphitheater. In memory of the Ianuarios’ contribution to bluegrass, Blue Billy Grit, Poole Mountain, Buzzard Mountain Boys and 3 Bucks Shy will give a free concert.
A “kids zone” on the Maysville side of the river will have a moon walk, obstacle course, slide, face painting, ponies, puppets and a petting zoo.
Tours of Heritage Village will be given Saturday and Sunday. The 18th, 43rd and 53rd Georgia Volunteer Battalions and Cobb’s Legion Civil War re-enactors will be camped in the village both days with living history demonstrations, drills and skirmishes. A blacksmith will be at his forge and there will be basket weaving, quilting and soap making. James Mathis will display his arrowhead and artifacts collection and a historical video of Clyde Freeman will be on view in the Freeman Cabin.
Antique autos will be on display Saturday at the covered bridge parking lot.
The Duck Dash will be a highlight of Sunday’s activities. At 5 p.m., hundreds of plastic ducks will race down the shoals with three grand prizes to be given. Ducks can be sponsored for $5 each or five ducks for $20 from board members or at the Tumbling Waters Society Table at the festival.
The Tumbling Waters Society sponsors the annual festival. Admission and parking are free.
For more information, visit the web site at www.hurricaneshoalspark.org.
