Fall has finally arrived, and everywhere around us, you can feel and see the changes happening, especially as the hot summer temperatures give way to the cooler breezes of the season. Many of the trees are starting to show a little color and the days are beginning to get noticeably shorter. It’s a busy time of the year, especially around here, because fall doesn’t just mean a change of season but it means the start of one of the best times of the year in our community.
For 2016, autumn will be full of things to do and one good way to keep up with all the major community events scheduled is to check back here and look at the calendar over on the right side of this page. It always lists the next 5 scheduled events going on in the community that we know about. We also have a Twitter site and a Facebook page, both of which can be found via links on this blog site. If you Tweet us or Facebook us, please use one of our hashtags: #ExploreButtsCounty and #KickingButts when you use your social media.
So let’s see what all we have cooking up for you on the menu….
October kicks off with the annual Butts County Fair, which has come each autumn for over half a century. Cooler temperatures, earlier sunsets and more always make the fair a special time of the year. This is “fair weather” in Jackson again, with Thursday and Friday nights promising the most pleasant evenings.
One of the cool things about the Butts County Fair is the exhibits, featuring some prizewinning works of art, interesting and creative display booths, homegrown vegetables, botanicals and much more. The Exchange Club of Jackson manages to pull all of this off, year after year, bringing a great show to our community as well as a great fair. Thrilling rides, candy apples and cotton candy, games of chance and the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new friends all are on the menu each year. Go by and see what all there is to do!
Dauset Trails Nature Center is also getting geared up for autumn as well, kicking off the month of October with both a Blacksmithing exhibition, called a “Hammer In” and an outdoor “Movie Under The Stars” event. Both events are scheduled for October 1st. The “Hammer In” begins at 9:30 AM at Pavilion 2, while the film “Zootopia” will be shown on a big outdoor movie screen that evening, beginning at 7:30 PM and best of all, these events are FREE to all. Be sure to bring your chairs and a blanket for the movie! Concessions will be sold on the premises.
On Sunday, October 16th they will be having a Pumpkin Carving Party…the costs are $5.00 per carver if you bring your own pumpkin or $10.00 per carver with Dauset Trails providing the pumpkin. This event begins at 5:00 pm at Pavilion 1, with refreshments and activities provided. Space for this event is limited so be sure to call (770) 775-6798 to make a reservation.
One thing that I’m really excited about is the various fall festivals that are scheduled in the months ahead. The first one is the upcoming Jackson Alive Fall Festival and the Halloween on Second Street, which used to be two separate events, both sponsored and organized by the Butts County Chamber of Commerce. Last year they were joined into one daylong festival celebrating Autumn and Halloween together and this really made for an awesome festival in downtown Jackson.
Beginning at 9 AM on October 29th, vendors will be set up around the downtown square and all along Second Street. Arts, crafts, vending, farm produce for sale, musical entertainment and a small parade are all part of the planned festivities, which will go on until 4PM. Then at 6PM, Halloween Trick-Or-Treating will begin with the Halloween on Second Street event. This event, which the Chamber began several years ago, provides a safe and controlled environment for children to trick-or-treat in, and an opportunity for parents to enjoy socializing with other parents. Our downtown businesses really put out the candy and this event draws a lot of children from the surrounding counties, as well as from our own.
Autumn in our community is probably the best time of the year…and it’s certain my favorite time of the year, not just because of the changes we see around us, but because it is a time for people in our community to come back together after a summer of being scattered in many different directions. It’s a time to renew old friendships and to experience events that bring families together for fun and fellowship, and this fall there are a lot of opportunities for that available in the community. I hope to run into some of you soon at one of these events.
Have a wonderful autumn season, a great October, and be sure to check back often for news and updates!
Michael
For more information:
Butts County Fair at Explore Georgia
Jackson Alive Festival at Explore Georgia
Jackson-Butts County Georgia 