Rich, rural heritage and lots of fun will be the order of the day during the annual Folklife Festival on April 6 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village.  Children and adults can enjoy a celebration of the history and culture of South Georgia.

Kicking off at 9 a.m., the Vulcan Steam train’s whistle welcomes visitors for a ride to the Historic Village and Festival. 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 will be able to get up close and personal with this age-old process that is central to South Georgia’s cultural heritage. 

  The Folklife Festival features a variety of hands-on activities including tree debarking and hewing, sawmill demonstrations, sheep shearing, and quilt square sewing demonstrations. Guests can also visit the antique and model tractors that will be on display on the Tift West Lawn. The antique tractors will parade through the Historic Village at 11:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. 

Folklife guests will experience an array of exhibits curated by the Museum staff. In the Art Gallery, The Twisted Stitches exhibit will spotlight the incredible textile art of Jimmy Gainey, whom the Albany Herald called “the Quilt King.” The artist will be in attendance on April 5 and 6 to give tours of his exhibit and to discuss his techniques.

In the main hall of the Museum of Agriculture, the Spongeware Exhibit will reopen on April 6. The complete refurbishment of this exhibit was assisted by curatorial intern Noelle Konich.

In the East/West Conference Room, the American Legacy Quilt show will wow guests with exceptional fiber work. This year, the Quilters Guild and Museum Curator Polly Huff worked with Dr. Charlotte Klesman’s Communications 3100 class at ABAC on a semester-long project publicizing and rebranding the Quilt Show. A signature class quilt was created by the students and will be on display during the festival weekend near the Gallery.

The best of locally grown products will be featured at the Wiregrass Farmers Market. Starting at 9 a.m., guests can shop a variety of produce, eggs, meat, honey, cheese, baked and canned goods, and unique crafts until noon.

To satisfy every hearty appetite, the Historic Village’s Drug Store will offer delicious BBQ sandwiches, chili dogs, and hand-dipped ice cream. Henry’s Concessions will be serving burgers, smoothies, funnel cakes, and more. Sno Biz will be on hand cooling your tastebuds with their shaved ice treats. Guests looking for a treat to take home can stop in at the Country Store and shop a variety of food items including jams, jellies, grits, and corn meal.  

Admission to the Folklife Festival is $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, $5 for children 5–16 years of age, and free for children under five. For more information, interested persons can contact the Country Store at (229) 391-5205.