IF YOU'VE GROWN weary of sweltering intown festivals with big showy sponsorships, then the 12-day Georgia Mountain Fair will be a breath of fresh air. For the 58th year, the lakeside hootenanny features big-name country acts, a bustling midway filled with carnival rides and games, arts and crafts vendors and a pioneer village with demonstrations of old-fashioned industry including blacksmithing, wood splitting, quilting and even a working moonshine still.
The Music
Performances are held every day. Highlights include: Aaron Tippin (2 and 8 p.m., July 16), Marty Stuart (2 and 8 p.m., July 17), Little Jimmy Dickens and Jim Ed Brown (2 and 8 p.m., July 18), Darryl Worley (7 p.m., July 19), Jason Michael Carroll (3 and 9 p.m., July 23), the Bellamy Brothers (2 and 6:30 p.m., July 25) and Gene Watson (2 and 8 p.m., July 26).
The Food
Down-home eats including kettle corn, apple dumplings, funnel cakes, fresh-squeezed cider, barbecue, fried apple pies, homemade vegetable plates and the fair's famous hickory-smoked rainbow trout dinners at the Towns County Lions Club Trout Booth.
History lessons
Walk through an old-timey mountain village with a mercantile store, blacksmith shop, corn mill, one-room school and a log cabin with a smokehouse, corn crib and barn. There's also a farm museum and demonstrations of soap and hominy making, corn milling, cider squeezing and more. Take a piece of mountain culture home with fresh canned fruits and vegetables or art, jewelry and needlework that reflect the region.
Entertainment
July 21 is pageant day, with multiple competitions for various age groups, followed by the crowning of Miss Georgia Mountain Fair. The Dazzlin' Dames, a troupe of competitors in the Ms. Senior Georgia Pageant, will perform at 11:30. On July 19, there's a clogging convention at 10 a.m. and a parade beginning at 11, featuring floats and more than 100 antique cars. A flower show runs from July 16-20.
• THE 411: Georgia Mountain Fair. $9 includes music and shows. Ages 9 and younger free. $2 parking. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. July 16-27. Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. 1311 Music Hall Road at U.S. 76, Hiawassee. 706-896-4191, www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com • Map it and review it.
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