Tag Archives: Georgia Festivals

Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival, Abbeville

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Abbeville’s claim to fame used to be that Jefferson Davis spent a night in the town as he was fleeing Union forces prior to his capture and imprisonment, and that was once the focus of the town’s annual public gathering.

But times have changed and Abbeville is now known far and wide as the home of the Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival. Ashburn gets its inspiration from fire ants. Camilla celebrates Gnat Days. So why not hogs?

They’re an invasive species, after all, and wreak havoc on our native ecosystem.

An estimated seven million of the unwieldy European imports roam the country, from Oregon to North Carolina, with populations scattered throughout other parts of the country.

But they’re most prevalent in the South, and hunting them is a longstanding tradition. It’s very popular in the thick swamps that radiate in all directions from the Ocmulgee River near Abbeville.

Technically, the hog in question is the Eurasian or Russian Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) and it’s one of the most widely distributed mammals on the planet, due to its introduction in places not original to its range in Europe and North Africa.

Innocently enough, settlers brought them to America as soon as America was settled, for a readily available food source, but things quickly got out of hand.

Since modern science frowns on introduced and invasive species, there are no limits on hogs for hunters, as there are for most species.

There are multiple varieties in existence today because the species readily cross breeds with domesticated stock. Ironically, the wild boar is also the progenitor of the pigs we raise for pork today.

Abbeville became the de facto center of hog hunting in Georgia in 1955, the year the late Boo Addison began hosting an annual Wild Hog Bar-B-Que to kick off the state legislative session, a tradition that continues today.

The Addison family follows Boo’s footsteps today, literally and figuratively, guiding hunts in the area and teaching many newcomers the particulars of the sport.

One of the highlights of the Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival is the baying competition, which starts early, and really shows off the skill of these specialized dogs.

Baying, or keeping the boar at bay, refers to the dog cornering and harassing the hog, barking loudly to bring in the hunters. Wayne Wilson ran this event for many years.

There is no abuse to the animals in the baying competition.

It’s actually amazing to watch a small but tenacious dog come face to face with a wild boar.

Back to Abbeville…the county seat of Wilcox County since its formation in 1857, the town was sited along the Ocmulgee River to take advantage of its bustling trade.

The Ocmulgee Wild Hog Festival is one of the biggest events in the area and the town’s population of around 2700 probably reaches 10-15,000 from the influx of visitors from all over.

It’s truly one of the most unique festivals in South Georgia and you should try to visit at least once. There are great vendors and entertainment, and you’ll probably run into someone you know. People really do come from all over to witness this fascinating event.

It’s held the Saturday before Mother’s Day every year at Lion’s Club Park in Abbeville.

Ashburn Celebrates the Fire Ant

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Fire Ant Sculpture [This was on the corner of Hudson Avenue and College Avenue when I photographed it; it may have been relocated since then. There’s another sculpture, by Wilby Coleman, at the Chamber of Commerce a bit further down College Street].

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) was first recorded at Mobile, Alabama, between 1933-1945. This uninvited South American species arrived incognito on shipping crates and in less than a decade had become well established throughout the Southeast. They’re now as far away as California and Puerto Rico and are said to infest over 367 million acres. The FDA estimates that they have an annual economic impact of about $5.75 billion, their negative effects running the gamut from medical and veterinary expenses to crop and livestock loss.

If you live in South Georgia, you probably just know these notorious pests as fire ants and you’re probably well acquainted with their painful stings and the blisters that follow. Taking all this into consideration, the city of Ashburn decided, back in 1996, to celebrate them during their annual Wiregrass Festival, and the idea caught on. The old idiom “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” comes to mind. The Fire Ant Festival has had an outsized positive impact on the local economy in its nearly 30 year run. The festival is always held on the fourth weekend in March and grows more popular each year.

This replaces and updates a post originally published on 21 December 2008.

Stilesboro Academy, 1859, Bartow County

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Stilesboro was incorporated in 1866 and retained that distinction until 1995. It was named for Savannah attorney William Henry Stiles, who served in Congress and the Georgia House of Representatives.

A high school was established here in the late 1850s and the community raised funds and completed the present structure in 1859. It was the center of the community and during the Civil War was used for sewing Confederate uniforms. Though it is likely apocryphal, a legend persists that in May 1864 Sherman spared the Academy due to an interior inscription: Deo ac Patriae [God and Country]. [I say it’s likely apocryphal because there’s a story like this for nearly every surviving antebellum building in the South].

The Stilesboro Improvement Club, a woman’s benevolent society, lobbied to save the old Academy when a new school was built nearby, and has owned the building since the school closed in 1939-1940. Formed in 1910, the club, at the suggestion of Miss Campie Hawkins, began holding an annual chrysanthemum show in 1912. The Stilesboro Chrysanthemum Show continues to be a popular event, 108 years later. It has taken place every year, except during the Great Influenza (1918) and World War II (1942).

The Etowah Valley Historical Society notes that research on the history of the Academy is incomplete.

Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters at the Gathering, Riceboro

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I drove down to Riceboro yesterday to see the wonderful work Jim Bacote (above, right) has done with Geechee Kunda and to check out his Gathering, an annual celebration of Geechee and Gullah folkways. Jim is passionate about preserving this history and it’s tangible. Geechee Kunda is the culmination of his lifelong fascination with this endangered way of life. I first met him a couple of years ago when he was still working on his museum and history center so I didn’t get to make any photographs. He invited me to come back and  I’m so glad I finally got to see it yesterday.

The highlight for me was a performance by the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters (not to be confused with the McIntosh County Shouters, who organized about a decade before the Geechee Gullah). This group of dedicated men and women share the ring shout with the world and aim for authenticity. They’re historic interpreters of the highest order and preserve a tradition that was thought to be extinct as recently as 1980. Historians believe the ring shout is the oldest surviving African performance tradition in North America. While “shouting” in the vocal sense is a part of the performance, linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner, who spent a lifetime researching the Gullah language and culture, suggested that the term came from the Afro-Arabic word saut. This is a reference to the forward-moving shuffle, during which the feet are not to cross, associated with pilgrimages to the Kabaa at Mecca.

It’s hard not to come away from a performance by the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters with a better understanding of a culture that, especially as white Southerners, we have kept at a distance at best or dismissed altogether at worst.

One thing you’ll quickly notice when you’re around the Shouters is their charisma. They’re very passionate about what they’re doing and you can feel it. You not only learn but you’re uplifted, as well.

In 2011, the Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters set the Guinness World Record for leading the largest recorded ring shout, during the “Word, Shout, Song” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D. C.

Besides the world record ring shout, the group is also proud to have among their performers Mrs. Butler (above, right), who at 90 is the world’s oldest living ring shouter. She’s amazing.

At the end of the performance, a narrative of Emancipation is re-enacted and is quite powerful. If you couldn’t already tell, I was very moved by these living historians and would encourage anyone who has the opportunity to attend one of their events.

Madison County Fair Ground, Comer

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The Comer Lions Club has been organizing an old-fashioned county fair for 68 years. The Ferris wheel caught my eye when I was driving past; though no longer operational, it remains a symbol of the fair and a landmark in its own right. Originally a water wheel at another location in North Georgia, it was acquired in 1949 by Pinky Martin, owner of Comer Motor Company. With the help of mechanic Jeff Turner, it was converted by hand into a working Ferris wheel and was used until the early 1970s.

Nearly every county in Georgia once had a place like this but they’re quite rare today.

The property and structures are well-maintained.

Traditional exhibits like crafts and livestock remain highlights of the fair.

Popular musical acts also play here each year.

If you’re in the area in September, check them out. The Lions Club is a great non-political organization who not only do charitable work but also give back to their communities in tangible ways. Madison is a traditionally rural county and the fair is still the biggest event of the year.

Frick Steam Engine, Junction City

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Steam engines revolutionized farm and mill work in the 19th century. George Frick was among the most successful manufacturers. I enjoyed learning about this one in Mike Buckner’s collection from his son, John.

Photographed at Harvest Days in Old Talbot, Patsiliga Plantation, 2013

1918 Paige Truck, Junction City

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Richard Wall of Valley, Alabama, is the owner of this great old truck.

Photographed at Harvest Days in Old Talbot, Patsiliga Plantation, 2013

 

Model A Fords, Junction City

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These beauties, along with many others, were on display by members of the River Cities Model A Car Club of Columbus & Phenix City.

Photographed at Harvest Days in Old Talbot, Patsiliga Plantation, 2013

Allen Gee, Potter

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Bulloch County native Allen Gee now lives and works in Meriwether County at the former home/studio of the late D. X. Gordy, one of several Gordy family members well-known for their pottery skills.  Gee’s traditional high-fired stoneware has earned him quite a following of his own and he works with a motorized washtub and electric wheel at festivals throughout the South to share the process with others. He says, “I mix the stoneware clay from a traditional recipe. After the clay is properly prepared, bowls, pitchers and mugs are turned on a pottery wheel. The glazes are made from local minerals including ground glass, hardwood ashes, and a gneiss-hornblende stone. These minerals are pulverized and milled to produce a fine powder that is mixed with clay and water then applied to a bisque-fired pot.”

He also notes, “The stoneware is fired in a wood-burning kiln or gas kiln where it reaches temperatures hot enough to melt the homemade mix into a permanent glaze. Hot embers and flames enhance the clay and glazes causing glaze runs, pooling, and fire flashing marks on the clay.”

I have one of Allen Gee’s pieces and the quality is great. He creates a variety of one-of-a-kind pitchers, bowls, plates, pots and even face jugs.  If you’re interested in purchasing something, you can contact him at 23825 Roosevelt Highway, Greenville, Georgia 30222. (770) 927-0394. He can also be reached via email at geepottery@gmail.com

Photographed at Harvest Days in Old Talbot, Patsiliga Plantation, 2013

Louise Brown, White Oak Basket Maker

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Meriwether County artist Louise Brown and her sister, Catherine Johnson, learned the art of basket making from their father, the late John Reeves. He began selling his white oak baskets at the Cotton Pickin’ Fair in nearby Gay, Georgia, over thirty years ago.

Mrs. Brown weaves and sells her baskets at Plantation Days each year and I was lucky enough to meet and photograph her practicing her historic craft at this year’s festival.

Her patience and skill are evident in her attention to detail.

The work of making the baskets begins by carefully stripping pieces of white oak from saplings, soaking the oak strips in water, and weaving them into different patterns and forms.

Again, I’m very glad I got to meet Mrs. Brown [who was at the festival with her husband John Henry]. If you’d like to purchase one of her beautiful creations, she can be reached at (706) 672-4326. Otherwise, find her at the Harvest Days festival or the Cotton Pickin’ Fair.

Update: Sadly, I recently learned from Mike Buckner that Mrs. Brown passed away a couple of years ago.

Photographed at Harvest Days in Old Talbot, Patsiliga Plantation, 2013