ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture Hosts Folklife Festival April 1

TIFTON— Visitors can enjoy a celebration of the rich, rural heritage of South Georgia during the annual Folklife Festival on April 1 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum  of Agriculture. Showcasing South Georgia’s history and culture, the event runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with interactive activities for both children and adults.

A can’t miss moment of the day will be the ceremonial firing of the turpentine still at 11 a.m. for the Historic Village’s annual turpentine distillation. Museum guests can get a close view of this age-old process that is central to South Georgia’s cultural heritage. The Museum’s Vulcan Steam Engine will also be available for guests to experience a train ride through the Historic Village.

The Folklife Festival highlights interactive activities including livestock and wildlife encounters, cornbread samples, sawmill demonstrations, and mule plowing. A new attraction debuts this year, 19th-century cricket games led by Wisconsin’s Tom Melville, in which visitor participation is encouraged.

Guests can also visit the antique tractors that will be on display on the Cotton Gin Lawn. The antique tractors will parade through the Historic Village at noon and 2 p.m.

In the way of exhibits, the Museum’s curatorial staff will have several offerings for Folklife festival guests. In the Art Gallery, “Marie Salter’s Second Act” exhibit will showcase vintage and contemporary maps intricately folded into 3-D clothing, which are also thematically tied to the map’s content and age. In the Spinks Exhibit Hall, guests can experience recent additions including exhibits on the Aermotor 602 Windmill and a reproduction utility horsedrawn vehicle known as a Buckboard.

In the Cordell Conference Center, the American Legacy Quilt Show will wow guests with exceptional fiber work. Raffle basket tickets will be available for purchase.

To satisfy every hearty appetite, there will be a variety of delicious options to choose from. The Historic Village’s Drug Store will offer barbecue sandwiches, chili dogs and hand dipped ice cream. Food trucks will also be on site with a variety of options including funnel cakes, egg rolls, and street tacos.

Admission to the Folklife Festival is $12 for adults, $10 for senior citizens, $6 for children 5– 16 years of age, and free for children four and under. For more information, interested persons can contact the Museum at (229) 391-5205.