Blue Ridge, GA

BLUE RIDGE GEORGIA AREA CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR JUNE 2009

June 1 – Oct. 30 / Pickin’ in the Park
Thursdays at Downtown Ellijay/Horseshoe Bend park in McCaysville. Local Musician jam gathering. Bluegrass, country, Gospel and rock-n-Roll 6pm – dark. Free Family Fun! All are Welcome! (706) 635-5961 wilmar225@yahoo.com

June 4 – Aug. 27 / BINGO
Kiwanis Fairgrounds 124 Jones St. in Blue Ridge. Grand prize: $500 Gas Card! Doors open MONDAYS @ 6pm and THURSDAYS @ 7pm. Adults and Children &10 per card. All proceeds go to benefit the Empty Stocking Fund. www.blueridgekiwanis.org

June 4 – 6 / Atlantic Hot Air Balloon Race
Helen, GA. 36th annual Balloon Race begins at 7am on June 4th. Tethered rides and activities June 5th & 6th. (706) 878-2271

June 5 – 7 / Roots & Music Festival
Hwy 76, Hiawassee. Traditional Country, Bluegrass, Americana & Folk Music. Anderson Music Hall. Bring your instruments and join in! Arts & Crafts booths and tasty cuisine as well! (706) 896-4191 www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com

June 5 / Senior Fishing Rodeo
Chattahoochee Natl. Fish Hatchery. Adults ages 55 & older – great fishing! Participants must bring their own fishing gear & bait. Free lunch provided. 9am – 12pm (706) 838-4723

June 6 / Family Fishing Festival
9am – 12pm. Chattahoochee Natl. fish hatchery. Children 16 and under fish free! Learn about environmental conservation, trout fishing and USDA. T-shirts and great food! (706) 838-4723

June 6 / Blue Ridge Story Tellers
7pm at the Blue Ridge Community Theatre, 11 Mountain St in Blue Ridge. Music and Storytelling and an evening of family fun! Tickets $5. Benefits the Sunny D Children’s Theatre scholarship fund. (706) 374-5616 www.blueridgecommunitytheatre.com

June 8 – 12 / Family Camp
Unicoi State Park, Helen, GA. 9am – 12pm. Make your family vacation memorable by attending fun classes and workshops with your family. Activities include, canoeing, archery, stream studies, wilderness survival and more! No age limit. (706) 878-2201 ext. 305. (706) 878-2201 www.gastateparks.org

June 15 – 28 / Sunny D. Children’s Camp
9am – 2pm This years theme: “Sunny D. Remembers When,” A tribute to the early days of radio, television and film. Campers will be divided into 3 age groups and a will participate in a production at the end of Camp for friends and family. (706) 632-9223 www.blueridgecommunitytheater.com

June 19 – 20 / Music & Comedy Fest
Jonica Gap Campground. 1412 Haygood rd. in Mineral Bluff. Celebrating women in music, comedy and the arts. Camping recommended but daily passes are also available for $15. Passes good from 10am-11pm “Fighting cancer one song and one laugh at a time.” (706) 374-5465 www.jonicagapcampground.com

June 20 / Lewis Grizzard- In His Own Words
Performing Arts Center by Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge. Actor Steve Cool brings Lewis Grizzard to life in this hilarious “fun” raiser. Tickets $15 to benefit the Blue Ridge Community Theatre. (706) 632-9223 www.blueridgecommunitytheater.com

I love being part of a small town community because the members of this township are not so great in number and so extremely busy that they don’t know or notice their neighbors. The way this community cares for those less fortunate is what really stands out in this dog-eat-dog busy world we so often find ourselves living in.

This season ground was broken for the first component of a new program being developed here in Blue Ridge. "Feed Fannin" is a volunteer group with the mission to eliminate hunger and help feed the less fortunate in our area with fresh grown food.

All produce grown will be donated to feed the people at the homeless shelter in Fannin County’s Family Connections Resource Center.


“Feed Fannin” is modeled off of the Cartecay community garden in Gilmer County. That group began 5 years ago on a small donated plot, and they managed to produce over 700 lbs of vegetables in its first year. Only five years later, their goal is is up to 22,000 lbs in their now 45,000 sq ft garden.

Over 50 volunteers, many senior citizens, are in the process of fertilizing, planting and hoping to encourage residents to donate manure for the strictly organic garden. The organization even received a brand new Kubota tractor, donated by “Mason Equipment Rental & Tire Center. Everyone in the community is invited to participate.

Those that don’t have money to give can still contribute by donating their time to the garden to help those who are less fortunate. If you don’t have the time, but would like to make a financial donation, your money will be used to buy seed and fertilizer and nothing will go to waste in this eco-friendly endeavor.

To volunteer or for more information on this program, call (706) 632-6063. Just one more reason Blue Ridge is “Good For The Soul”. I love this community!

This weekend is one of my favorite events in Blue Ridge Georgia; Arts In The Park.

This festival brings all types of artists together in outdoor diplays throughout the downtown Blue Ridge green. Sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, individial artists submit their works for approval to be on diplay in what has become one of the largest arts festivals in the Tri-State area. The genres used by the artists range from wood and natural materials, to photographers, painters, sculptors and a plethora of unique offerings.

Of course, you'll find food vendors there, so you can make it through a full day of art viewing and shopping without having to take a break. My favorite vendor at the event is the homemade soda pop stand, with Sasparilla, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Cherry Wine, and other old fashioned concoctions you’ve only heard tell of in old stories.

The combination of May’s breath-taking weather, the eye-catching displays, and the leisurely pace of strolling through the park and gravitating towards whatever catches your eye makes for a most enjoyable day that leads to a deeper understanding of why "Art" is considered good for the soul.

Blue Ridge is less than 90 minutes from Atlanta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tennessee, so get creative and take a day trip to the mountains. "Arts In The Park" will be held Memorial Day weekend, Saturday & Sunday, May 23rd & 24th. Admission is usually free, but due to budget cuts for the arts, a 3 dollar donation is suggested to help the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association.

Blue Ridge will host its 33rd annual Arts in the Park Festival this Memorial Day weekend. Now a premier event, drawing artists and craftspeople from around the country, the festival had humble roots. The first festival, held in 1977, displayed local children's artwork hung on a clothes line.

Sponsored each year by the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, this year's Arts in the Park Festival is expected to bring over 15,000 visitors to this wonderful community nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With over 150 booths filled with a full spectrum of fine arts & crafts, a wide array of food available, and bluegrass and mountain music performances, there is something for everyone, from serious art lover to casual people-watcher.

This is a North Georgia Mountain Home of a good friend of mine. It is looking out over the Cohutta Wilderness in the Mount Pisgah Development just outside of Blue Ridge Georgia.