The Harris Arts Center in Calhoun, Ga., offers a nod to the area's musical heritage this weekend with the fifth annual Georgia String Band Festival. The event honors Andrew and Jim Baxter, a father/son duo who played fiddle and guitar, and the Georgia Yellow Hammers, an old-time string band. These Gordon County musicians were a driving force in string-band music during the 1920s and '30s.
Events tonight will be held at the arts center, 212 S. Wall St., featuring The Georgia Crackers and The New Binkley Brothers. Admission is $15 at the door.
Saturday, the action moves to the Cherokee Capital Fairgrounds, Highway 53 at Liberty Road in Calhoun. The all-day event starts at noon, with a $10 ticket that includes seven bands, musical competitions, vendors, luthiers and concessions.
After a 70-year silence, the Gordon County Fiddlers Convention will tune up, with competitions offering cash prizes for fiddle, banjo and string bands, as well as medals and ribbons for the best buck dancers. Performing will be old-time masters The Freight Hoppers, along with the New Binkley Brothers, Pea Ridge Ramblers, The Groundhawgs, Cheyenne Medders, The Jackrabbits, Conasauga Troubadors and others. Seating is limited; lawn chairs recommended.
For details, call 706-629-2599 or visit www.harrisartscenter.com.