Georgia Mountain Fair--Where Fun, Music & Mountain Culture Meet

One of the premier events in North Georgia is the annual Georgia Mountain Fair, which is now in full swing through July 27. The fair is held at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in the picturesque town of Hiawassee on the shores of beautiful Lake Chatuge.

Hiawassee held its first fair in 1950, a three-day agricultural exposition held at the local high school. Attendees numbered 2,000-actually an impressive number for such a tiny town. Now in its fifty-eighth year, the fair draws crowds from all over the southeast and attendance numbers have approached 100,000 in recent years!

The fair features a multitude of activities and events that run from midway rides, to arts and crafts booths, to daily concerts, to demonstrations of old mountain ways of life.

Oh, and let us not forget the food. You have a wide-variety of ways to overindulge from standard festival fare-cotton candy, funnel cakes, hot dogs--to mountain favorites like fried pies, home-cooked vegetable plates, smoked trout and fresh-squeezed apple and peach cider.

Robert Anderson Music Hall-named in honor of a former president of the fair-is the venue for live music that ranges from gospel to blues, performances by cloggers and line dancers, and the annual Miss Georgia Mountain Fair pageant. Some of this year's performers include current country superstars Aaron Tippin and Darryl Worley, perennial favorites The Bellamy Brothers, and gospel legends The McKamey's.

Old-time demonstrations include a working blacksmith shop, a grist mill, a smokehouse, a country store and locals are on hand to show you how to make soap, baskets, and quilts among other skills.

Enjoy a truly wonderful experience at the Georgia Mountain Fair!