By Andy Diffenderfer
Correspondent
LaFAYETTE, Ga. – Visitors to Heritage Day on Saturday enjoyed a full array of entertainment, food and exhibits in a historical celebration at the landmark Marsh House.
Singers and dancers entertained as visitors browsed through antiques, handmade items and homewares. Vendors sold funnel cakes, kettle corn and baked items, and Civil War living historians set up camp on the grounds.
Long lines formed for “Cow Camp Cook” Frank Wood, who cooked meals of beef, rice, gravy, pinto beans, cornbread and peach cobbler. Wood, a retired probation officer, lives in the small town of Parrott, Ga., near Albany. He has cooked at festivals all over the Southeast and appeared on The Food Network.
“We’re exposing kids to a little bit of history before cell phones and the Internet,” he said of his open-fire menu. “They may have to do it again someday. I’ve cooked pretty much all my life, and I’ve always enjoyed it.”
A silent auction was held on items like antique chairs, books, framed prints, jewelry and homewares. Pottery, quilting and basketweaving displays were presented by the Foothills Gallery.
“It just seems people are having a good time,” said Mae Gray, a potter from Lookout Mountain, Ga. Her work has been shown for two years at the gallery, across the street from the Marsh House. “It’s a good place to visit with food and music.”
Scores of visitors on Saturday toured the house, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The house was built in 1836 by Spencer Stewart Marsh, a prominent merchant and statesman. On North Main Street, the building sits next to John B. Gordon Hall, where Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg planned the Battle of Chickamauga.
A model train display attracted visitors Saturday to John B. Gordon Hall, believed to be the oldest brick schoolhouse in the state.
Mary Smitherman, the Marsh House events coordinator, commended the community effort for the sixth annual festival showcasing the LaFayette historical district.
“It has been fantastic,” she said. “It started with a large crowd and has stayed that way. People have been telling me this has been the best one, and have been very complimentary about the food and entertainment. It’s just going to get better and better.”
Andy Diffenderfer is based in LaFayette, Ga. Contact him at andydiff97@comcast.net.