Festivals this weekend
SEPT. 15-17› Arts Festival at Rose Lawn: Rose Lawn Mansion, 234 W. Cherokee Ave., Cartersville, Ga., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, free admission to festival, small fee to tour historic mansion. www.roselawnmuseum.com.› Bats, Beer and Bluegrass: Frick’s Cave, 1536 Fricks Gap Road, Chickamauga, Ga., 7 p.m. Saturday, $50 dinner and concert per person, $45 dinner and concert for two or more tickets, $10 children ages 6-12, children 5 and younger may attend with a paid adult. Southeastern Cave Conservancy fundraiser to protect endangered bats includes dinner from Pigeon Mountain Grill and bluegrass music by Slim Pickins and Barefoot Nellie & Co. 423-618-8711.› Boom Days Heritage Celebration: City Park, Fort Payne, Ala., 10 a.m.-10 p.m. CDT Saturday, free day of community activities. 256-845-1524.› Celebrate Autumn: Towns County Recreation Center, 150 Foster Park Road, Young Harris, Ga., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, free; juried arts with craft show sponsored by Mountain Regional Arts and Crafts Guild. www.artguildstore.com.› Fall Bazaar: Harmony Baptist Church, 3910 Youngstown Road off Bonny Oaks Drive, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, admission free, lunch sold, arts and crafts and vendors for Pampered Chef, Tupperware and Sensi; benefits Ladies Fellowship Missionaries’ Virtue Conference fund. 423-629-9660.› Fall Festival: St. Mary Catholic Church, 1291 E. Madison Ave., Athens, Tenn., 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, free; ethnic food booths, silent auction and entertainment. 423-745-4277.› Fall Heritage Festival: Railroad Park and downtown Cowan, Tenn., 5-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday (all times Central), free; arts and crafts, classic and antique car cruise-in, living-history presentations, cornbread contest. www.fallheritagefestival.info.› Festival 2017: Creative Arts Guild, 520 W. Waugh St.,
Heritage festivals, fine art, original crafts, church bazaars and old-fashioned fun on a farm are among the attractions at the baker's dozen festivals opening this weekend. But a short drive down I-75 south will lead to two of the most interesting: Festival 2017 at the Creative Arts Guild in Dalton, Ga., and Arts Festival at Rose Lawn in Cartersville, Ga.
Festival is an annual celebration of the Creative Arts Guild's mission to bring fine art and art experiences to the area. This will be the 54th annual festival held Saturday and Sunday, with a ticketed preview party Friday, Sept. 15.
Festival 2017 kicks off with the Taste of Dalton preview party at 7 p.m. Friday. The Clint Schmitt jazz quartet will perform. Guests indulge in food samples from about 16 restaurants while getting first dibs on the festival's art.
Tickets are $55. Call 706-217-6677.
The free festival opens to the public Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m. There is an outdoor market in the guild's pavilion as well as an indoor juried exhibit in the guild's three galleries. Shoppers will find artwork ideal for corporate acquisition as well as personal collections. Guild staff say there are many first-time exhibitors in both the indoor and outdoor show areas.
In addition to visual arts, there will be performances by the Guild's students. On Saturday at 2 p.m., Ballet Dalton will present dance selections from "The Snow Queen" as well as some contemporary pieces. The Guild's gymnastic department will give a demonstration on Sunday at 2 p.m. Additionally, there will be two puppet shows for children by "That Puppet Guy" Lee Bryan at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday.
To help with traffic control, a shuttle will be offered. On Saturday, it will depart from First Baptist Church, 311 N. Thornton Ave. in Dalton; on Sunday, from the Dalton-Whitfield County Library, 310 Cappes St. in Dalton.
' Arts Festival at Rose Lawn in Cartersville is cool for its unique setting: more than 150 artisans from across the Southeast spread out across the grounds of a historic, 19th-century Victorian mansion once owned by a nationally known evangelist, Samuel Porter Jones.
In addition to the expected paintings, glass work, jewelry, textiles, wood pieces and watercolors, visitors can also purchase heirloom roses from the Rose Lawn collection. Be sure to tour the house/museum before leaving.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.