Got a hankering for parades and funnel cakes? Here are a few events you don't want to miss.
Spring and fall bring more than mild weather in the South, this time of year can bring cotton candy, craft shows, and an occasional dunk tank full of grits. Yes, it’s festival time again and here are a few of the April events around South Georgia.
The National Mayhaw Festival is held the third weekend of every April in Colquitt, Georgia. If you have never tasted mayhaw jelly, you don’t know what your biscuit is missing. The mayhaw is a red berry known to grow in swampy areas and can be found in abundance in Colquitt, also known as the Mayhaw Capital of the World. The town pays homage to the fruit with an annual festival, which begins with a bake sale on the square on Friday. On Saturday, there will be a parade as well as arts and crafts shows and entertainment.
Colquitt is located in southwest Georgia, just west of Albany and north of Bainbridge. Information about the festival, as well as lodging and area restaurants, can be obtained from the local chamber of commerce or online at www.colquitt-georgia.com.
Another popular event not far away from Colquitt is the 10th Annual National Grits Festival in Warwick, Georgia. Warwick is located near Lake Blackshear off the Georgia-Florida Parkway. (The Georgia-Florida Parkway can be accessed right off Interstate 75 just south of Cordele. This city has an estimated population of nearly 500 residents, but it grows to thousands during the grits festival.
This event begins with (of course) a grits breakfast followed by an arts and crafts show, and no grits festival could be complete without a Grits Cook-off, a Grits Queen (who will make an appearance in the parade) and a Grits Pitt. This is where someone will win a prize for having the most grits attached to him or her, after jumping into a trough full of cooked grits. It all begins on April 14th and it's free to the public. For more information, go to www.gritsfest.com.
Finally, and also located in southwest Georgia, is the Rose Festival. Thomasville, Georgia, which is just north of Tallahassee, Florida on US Highway 19, is all about roses, and every fourth weekend in April is a celebration full of flowers, parades and entertainment. The Rose Festival has a little bit of everything, with plenty of food, music, a street dance, and even a plantation ball. Most of the events are held near the downtown area and it all starts on Friday, April 26th. For more information, go to www.downtownthomasville.com.
