The Tumbling Waters Society will host its 22nd Art in the Park Festival at Hurricane Shoals Park Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The festival kicks off Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. with the “Run and See Georgia” sanctioned mill race, a 5K run, and a 1-mile fun run/walk at 8 a.m. Preregistration is $15 and $40 per family or $18 and $45 on race day. Late registration and check-in will be in pavilion no. 4 on the Maysville side of the shoals.
Craftsmen from all over north Georgia will demonstrate their work and have handmade items for sale. Paintings (art, poetry, handcrafted wood, metal and glass items, jewelry, knitted, quilted and crochet items and much more) will be in vendor booths throughout the park. There will also be many educational displays.
Children’s art from local elementary, middle and high schools will be displayed in various buildings throughout the park. Locations and maps will be available. The blue-ribbon winner of the festival’s high school art contest will be the design for the 2013 Art in the Park T-shirt.
The Kids Zone on the Maysville side of the river will include a moonwalk and giant slide, face painting, ponies and puppet shoes. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will fingerprint kids for free for child identification purposes. Splash, the festival’s mascot, will entertain the kids.
A wide variety of food, including barbecue, hamburgers and hot dogs, will be available at the concession stand, and bratwurst, fried pies, funnel cakes, homemade sweets, ice cream and boiled peanuts will be for sale throughout the park.
TWS will cook Richard’s Critters (fried cornbread, tenderloin and sausage) and serve beans down below the Mill at the Pethel Cabin.
In the Heritage Village, visitors can step back in time with tours of the chapel and log cabins on 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 storytelling. Skirmishes with “Yankees” will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2:45 p.m. 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.
The Antique Autos/Cruise-in will take place Saturday at the covered bridge parking lot.
Adults and kids alike can play on the 18-hole Spirit of the River miniature golf course, which details the history of the park and the people who lived on the land surrounding the shoals – putt by putt. The cost is $3 for adults and $2 for kids 12 and under.
The old grist mill will be milling fresh, ground cornmeal for sale. Guests can watch the large waterwheel turn and learn how corn is milled.
The Mountain Stream Saddle Club will also host a Youth Horse Show on Saturday at the adjacent equestrian center.
There will be music and entertainment all weekend at the amphitheater. In addition, all weekend, Dugar Strickland and Crystal River bluegrass gospel band will host a slate of musical entertainment of gospel and bluegrass from the stage on the Jefferson side of the shoals. Gospel music will be provided by Kyle Long and friends, Gary and Linda, Southern Travelers, Rivers Edge, The Back Porch Boys and others.
The grand finale on Sunday is the Duck Dash, where hundreds of little plastic ducks race down the Shoals at 5 p.m. Three grand prizes will be awarded to the winners. Ducks can be purchased for $5 apiece or $20 for five ducks from board members or at the Tumbling Waters table.
No pets are allowed at the park. All money raised will be used for improvements at the park and the development of the Heritage Village.
