44 • Lifestyles Answer Book™ 2013 • Appen Media Group
▲ April 5: Annual Rail Watch 3795 Main St., Folkston, Ga. 31537 Rail watchers from all over the world come to watch trains at the Historic Depot Train Museum and the Folkston Funnel Platform April 5. Enjoy photography, videos and other rail fans. The Folkston Funnel is located in downtown Folkston, Ga. It is a CSXT double-track main line. All of CSXT’s trains moving to and from Florida (except the few trains that go west) must pass through the funnel. There are six Amtrak trains passing through the funnel each day; the Auto Train is one of these. The Tropicana Juice Train moves from Bradenton, Fla., to Kearney, N.J., five nights a week. A picnic table, grill and restrooms are available for visitors. Please call 912-496-2536 or visit www.folkston.com. April 11 – 13: 26th annual Perry Dogwood Festival Carroll, Ball and Washington streets, Perry, Ga. 31069 Visit Perry for two days of arts and crafts, a hot air balloon rally and a DockDogs competition. The April 12 rally at the Georgia National Fairgrounds will feature kids’ activities, 15 hot air balloons offering tethered rides, an entertainment stage hosting live music and more. The DockDogs competition will be held in conjunction with the arts and crafts festival, which features more than 100 unique vendors in downtown Perry. Watch retrievers vying for points to enter the DockDogs national competition in the fall. Please call 478-9871234 or visit www.perrydogwoodfestival.com. April 13: Classic City Brewfest 295 East Dougherty St., Athens, Ga. 30601
Celebrate craft beer at the 19th Annual Classic City Brew Fest at the Foundry Park Inn in Athens. This year’s fest offers 300 regional and world craft beers to sample. Check out the popular Cask Ale Pavilion, which features 15 rare and unique beers that are unfiltered and carbonated naturally inside 10-gallon casks known as “furkins.” All event areas (three of the Foundry’s meeting halls, the Melting Point music venue and terrace, and Hoyt Pavilion and the Steam Company Pub) are covered, so rain or shine, come sample some delicious beer. Proceeds benefit the Athens Area Humane Society. Please call 706-357-4430 or visit www.classiccitybrew.com/ brewfest.html. April 19 – 20: Easter Egg Hunts, Sunrise Service and Brunch at Callaway Gardens 17800 U.S. Highway 27, Pine Mountain, Ga. 31822 Visit Callaway Gardens on Easter weekend for egg hunts, buffet meals, a sunrise service and the natural beauty of the gardens. All ages are invited to the Easter Egg Hunts from 2 4 p.m. April 19 at Robin Lake Beach. Egg hunts are free with admission. The Easter Bunny will visit from noon to 5 p.m. The Easter sunrise service, led by Leighton Ford, will be 7:30 a.m. April 20 on the lawn near the Gardens Restaurant. Admission is free before 8 a.m. Guests can enjoy the gardens’ popular Easter buffets, featuring something to please every palate. Please call 706-6632000 or visit www.callawaygardens.com/easter. April 19: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Callaway Gardens Intersection of Georgia Highways 18 and 354, Pine Mountain, Ga. 31822 Enjoy an evening of Symphony on the Sand at Callaway Gardens with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) 8 p.m. April 19, when the talented ASO musicians will take the stage on Robin
Lake Beach. Bring your own picnic basket or pre-order one. See website for details and selection. The ASO overnight package includes general seating tickets for two to the ASO concert, Friday and Saturday admission to Callaway Gardens and Friday night lodging. Please call 706-663-2281 or visit www. callawaygardens.com/events/ signature-events/symphonyon-the-sand. April 21 – 27: Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa, Savannah, Ga. 31401 The Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, part of PGA Champions Tour, always exceeds expectations, with more than 40,000 attendees visiting the Club at Savannah Harbor each year. The nationally televised tournament continues to showcase Savannah in a favorable light on a national stage. Please call 912-236-1333 or visit www. pgatour.com/champions/tournaments/liberty-mutual-insurance-legends-of-golf.html. April 24 – 26: 93rd annual Thomasville Rose Show and Festival Broad Street and Paradise Park, Downtown Thomasville, Ga. 31792 A Southwest Georgia tradition since the early 1920s. The free family-friendly festival encompasses the Rose Show, which presents contemporary and heirloom roses against a backdrop budding with thousands of the blooms; the Rose Parade, known for its flowery floats; the Street Dance, which brings out boppers young and old; plus live music, arts and crafts, a car show, Southern-style festival foods, children’s fun and games and more. Please call 229-227-7020 or visit www. thomasvillega.com. April 24 – 27: Vidalia Onion Festival 2921 Airport Road, Vida-
lia, Ga. 30474 Each spring, Vidalia anticipates the harvest of Georgia’s Official State Vegetable, the internationally famous Vidalia Sweet Onion. The festival has been featured on the Food Network and recognized as one of the five “Don’t-Miss Festivals Across the U.S.” by MSNBC. Pre-festival activities begin with a youth boys’ baseball tournament, the Miss Vidalia Onion Pageant, Battle of the Bands and more. A children’s parade, culinary extravaganza, movie under the stars and opening ceremonies kick off the weekend’s activities April 24. Other events include the Golden Onion Professional Cooking Competition, onion walk/run, recipe contest and public tasting, an airshow, concerts, carnival, arts and crafts festival, downtown sidewalk sale and an onion eating contest. Please call 912-538-8687 or visit www. vidaliaonionfestival.com. April 25 – 26: Terrapin Twilight Criterium Downtown Athens, Ga. 30601 The 35th annual Athens Twilight Criterium in downtown Athens is a professional cycling event and festival tailored for fans, families and racers alike. The criterium is a favorite spot on the national cycling tour circuit, both for its unique evening format and the large crowds that gather in Athens’ vibrant downtown area. Founded in 1980 by Gene Dixon, the criterium was the first nighttime race in the United States in over 60 years. What began as one race with 40 competitors has since grown to 150 competing cyclists. Please call 706-357-4430 or visit www. athenstwilight.com. April 26 – 27: Bear on the Square Mountain Festival Historic Public Square, Dahlonega, Ga. 30533 Celebrating Southern Appalachian music, art and culture. Friday pre-festival
activities include jammers on Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square during the day and a live and silent country auction/dinner in the MainStage tent that night. The festival features non-stop bluegrass and old-time concerts. A juried artists’ market fills the town’s historic Public Square with pottery, photography, folk art and more. Also enjoy workshops, music classes, storytelling, a mountain dance and a Sunday morning Gospel Jam. Acoustic musicians gather from the across the southeast and beyond to jam all weekend. Please call 706-864-7817 or visit www. bearonthesquare.org.
May May 2 – 3: Three Rivers BBQ Fest 45 Riverwood Trail, Hazlehurst, Ga. 31539 A professional barbecue competition held the first weekend in May on the banks of the Altamaha River. The contest is sanctioned by the Georgia Barbecue Association. Please call 912-2098805 or visit www.hazlehurstjeffdavis.org. May 3: Sweet Onion Century Ride 3001 East First St., Vidalia, Ga. 30474 With five loops of varying lengths, cyclists are sure to find the stretch that suits them. The ride begins and ends in Vidalia and travels through five counties with nine rest stops along the way. Please call 912-538-8687 or visit www.letsride.net. May 8: Taste of Alpharetta Downtown Alpharetta, Ga. 30009 The Southeast’s premier dining festival celebrates its 23rd year in its new location in downtown Alpharetta. Dine at more than 50 restaurants in one night that has become an annual tradition for 50,000 foodies and festival-goers. Sample delicious appetizers,