Discover Organic Family Fun at Atlanta History Center's Fall Folklife Festival

Traditional crafts, southern foodways, and environmental sustainability are at the center of the Atlanta History Center's annual Fall Folklife Festival. On Saturday, September 22, 2012 from 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM, an assortment of scheduled and ongoing events designed to delight and educate every member of the family occurs throughout the Atlanta History Museum and on the History Center's Smith Family Farm. This festival marries the Southern ways of good food, great times, friends and family, and the unfaltering tradition of making memories during the first autumn weekend.   

FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES AT SMITH FAMILY FARM

The heart of the festival takes place at the Atlanta History Center's 1860s Smith Family Farm where practices of time-honored crafts and sustainable methods, such as field-to-table, were essentials of the antebellum lifestyle. Meet a variety of local artists dedicated to preserving and sharing traditional folk art techniques while adding a modern twist. Interactive opportunities engage festival-goers to try their hand at candle dipping, watch and discuss the artistry of metal to heat in the blacksmith shop, learn the art of pickling, discover the creativity and necessity of woodworking, and even examine the work of a local luthier showcasing the different stages of banjo construction. 

For families with younger children, discover amusement at the petting zoo located at the Smith Family Farm barnyard. The little ones are sure to smile as they discover the various friendly animals including a Miniature Scottish Highlander cow, donkey, horse, goat, pig, sheep, rooster, rabbit, and even an alpaca. A journey to the front yard at Tullie Smith House at Noon, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm introduces local storyteller Betty Ann Wylie. Listen to traditional Southern folktales spun for both the young and young at heart, while discovering the history behind them. 

Foodies are in for a treat. What festival would be complete without delicious local meals and refreshments? Indulge in tasty items available for purchase from some of Atlanta's favorite vendors such as Honeysuckle Gelato, Yumbii Food Truck, WOW Food Truck, and Farm Cart. And, for the adults, discover a variety of locally crafted beers for purchase.

Examine Southern foodways with Atlanta's professional foodies and farmers as they discuss history and current culinary trends that focus on farm-to-table food practices and sustainability techniques. At 11:30 am and 1:30 pm, discover the history of some of our local ingredients with Chef de Cuisine Todd Richards from The Café at the Ritz Carlton as he talks about plants that are now typical Southern vegetables evolved from African cooks to the Southern food we know today. The ongoing sumptuous smells from the Smith Family Farm's Smokehouse will entice many and at 12:15 and 2:15 pm, stop by to meet Chef Dan Latham of Farm Burger and learn about historic smokehouses and the revival of traditional methods of curing and smoking meats for today's artisan market. At 10:30 am, 1:00 and 4:00 pm meet at Smith Family Farm's Corn Field to learn the history and art of pickling from Athens based gourmet pickle company, Phickles Pickles.

Take home organic living tips to incorporate into your family's lifestyle. Discover Farmer D Organics and learn more about growing farms/gardens and tips on environmental friendliness. And, meet up with Slow Food Atlanta to seed swap and observe fermentation demonstrations.  For nature lovers, be sure to explore fall plants and Autumn leaves of the region, begin at the farm and journey to any one of the History Center's six Historic Gardens situated around the campus.

This year's music lineup includes live musical performances by Sourwood Honey at 11:00 am and 3:30 pm on the front porch of Tullie Smith House. This duo performs traditional sounds of the south incorporating folk, American and old time with a rotating medley of banjo, ukulele, banjukuitar, washboard and guitar.  At Noon and 2:30 pm, gather at the History Center's outdoor Mable Reeder Dorn Amphitheater, a short stroll from the farm, for Little Country Giants. With three albums under their belt and a growing local following, they have marked themselves as perhaps the finest new purveyors of Southern acoustic roots music in the Appalachian, country, and folk traditions.

FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES INSIDE THE MUSEUM

Inside the Atlanta History Museum, guests may take a guided or self-guided tour of the award-winning exhibition, Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in a Changing South. This exhibit illustrates aspects of “A Handmade Life”- pottery, woodwork, textiles, metalwork, and foodways.   

For festival goers who enjoy short films and documentaries, meet at the museum's Kennedy Theater to view a series of short films produced by the Southern Foodways Alliance. Each film is ten minutes long and featured titles include: Cured, Hot Wet Goobers, Cud, and The Rise of Southern Cheese. 

The Atlanta History Center's Fall Folklife Festival is supported by the Fulton County Arts Council, Macy's, and Publix. For more information, visit online at AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Folklife. Admission to the festival is free to members and included in the price of general admission for nonmembers. Purchase tickets online and save at AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Visit.

Festival Highlights:

Times provided are subject to change. Please check AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Folklife  for updates.

Ongoing Activities at Smith Family Farm:

• Blacksmithing
• Candle Dipping
• Sachets
• Natural Dyeing
• Cornhusk Dolls  
• Woodworking
• Petting Zoo
• Smokehouse demonstration
• Slow Food Atlanta - Seed swap and fermentation demonstrations
• Farmer D Organics - Farmer D Organics is an environmentally friendly, socially responsible business that creates farms and products for the earth and its people. 

Demonstrations and Discussions:

• Phickles Pickles - Corn Field at Smith Family Farm at 10:30 AM, 1:00, 4:00 PM

A gourmet pickle company from Athens, GA that is family owned and operated using the freshest, closest produce...and taking pride in every hand-packed jar! Hear owner Angie Tillman talk about the history and art of pickling.

• Storyteller - Tullie Smith House Front Yard at 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM

Betty Ann Wylie, a local storyteller, is a gentle Southern belle with a mischievous imp hidden deep inside who will bring these tales to life!

• Slavery & Food - Slave Cabin at Smith Family Farm at 11:30 AM, 1:30 PM

Todd Richards, Chef de Cuisine, The Café at the Ritz Carlton discusses plants that are now typical Southern vegetables evolved from African cooks to the Southern food we know today.

• Smokehouse Demonstration - Smokehouse at Smith Family Farm at 12:15 PM, 2:15 PM

Chef Dan Latham of Farm Burger discusses historic smokehouses and the revival of traditional methods of curing and smoking meats for today’s artisan market.  

Music:

• Little Country Giants - Mable Reeder Dorn Amphitheatre at 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM

Delivering pure, simple, and timeless rustic songs touching on country, bluegrass, and even rural blues, husband-and-wife duo Cameron Federal and Russell Cook produce artful work on par with the finest of the expansive genre. Learn more at www.neatstripe.com/lcg.

• Sourwood Honey Band - Tullie Smith House Front Porch at 11:00 AM, 3:30 PM

Sourwood Honey takes no prisoners as they kick up some traditional old time tunes, tip their hats to incredible artists and end up creating a sound that borders folk, Americana and old time. Learn more at www.reverbnation.com/sourwoodhoney.

Southern Foodways Alliance Short Films:

• Cured: This short film by Joe York profiles Madisonville, Tennessee's world-renowned bacon and country ham producer Allan Benton.
• Hot Wet Goobers: This short film by Joe York introduces the Hardy Family, of Hardy Farms in Hawkinsville, Georgia. They operate a family peanut farm, and are known all over South Georgia for their boiled green peanut stands. They only sell when green peanuts are in season, and the trick to their famous boiled peanuts--according to locals--is letting them sit in the brine for a good while to soak up salt.
• CUD: This short film by Joe York introduces Will Harris of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, a cattle rancher with deep roots in the Deep South. He has rejected the corn-fed, feedlot cattle model in favor of raising grass-fed cattle. Will is no arriviste. The Harris family has raised cattle on the same Early County, Georgia farm for 5 generations.
• The Rise of Southern Cheese: This short film by Joe York and Matthew Graves looks at artisanal cheese producers in the South.  It chronicles three makers of fine Southern cheeses:  Belle Chevre in Alabama, Sweet Grass Dairy in Georgia, and Bonnie Blue Farm in Tennessee.

Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in a Changing South Exhibition:

Guided Tours at 1:15 and 3:15 PM

Examine folk art traditions from the region since the beginning of the 19th century.   

Food For Sale:

• Yumbii Food Truck
• WOW Food Truck
• Farm Cart
• Honeysuckle Gelato serving delicious rich and smooth, Southern-inspired gelato
• Local craft beers available for purchase at cash bar

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