Sunday, May 13, 2018

Marigold Festival

Each town has their "thing" for which they want to be known. In Maine, where I lived for a long time, the nearby town of Yarmouth is known for its Clam Festival. Here in Georgia, the town of Helen in the mountains is known for its Oktoberfest. Also in Georgia, 45 years ago, the Town of Winterville decided it needed sprucing up and planned a fundraiser and morale-booster. The planning committee chose the marigold to be their town symbol. The marigold stands for "hardiness, versatility, and vigor, and because it is a symbol of friendship all over the world." Funds from the festival are funneled back into the community to maintain buildings and beautify the area.

The town is small with population 1200 at last census. Strangely, it's its own municipality contained wholly within Athens GA. It's quaint, really quaint. Large, two story homes with wrap-around porches line the streets, a nice looking Baptist Church is front and center, an original train depot stands historically and heroically, and Pittard Park is the locale for many community doings, including this festival.

In my opinion, this festival is the perfect size. It is long-standing and reputable enough to attract a variety of vendors, but not so large that it's difficult to get around. My friend and I had a nice time for a few hours walking around and listening to music. Here are my photos of the day.







3 comments:

Grace to You said...

I like the bubbles picture!

Did you come home with any treasures? Did you eat anything fried? :)

It was 94 in my hometown in VA yesterday - broke a record over 100 years old. Hope it wasn't as hot in Georgia, though that seems unlikely.

I wore a jacket yesterday in Colorado. I miss my family terribly but I do love the weather here. :)

Elizabeth Prata said...

I did eat something fried! We walked around and around looking for something good to eat that would be suitable for a 94 degree day, but all we found was fried, AND meat. I'm a vegetarian. No wraps or salads, or fruits or smoothies. You saw the sign, not even desserts were left untouched by the fryer! There was Italian ice, but I wanted lunch. There sure was a lot of BBQ to choose from. Yes, the south. I ended up having a fried fish basket.

we have had unusually hot this week, in the 90s, but after Monday it's supposed to go down to normal, mid 70s. I hope so!!

Grace to You said...

We're finally getting summer weather here for good this week and I'm dying. But not as much as I would be if we had humidity...it is amazing to work in the yard in the 90s and not be melting into a puddle. :)