Come enjoy the 37th annual Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival April 20 and 21. The downtown Kennesaw area will be transformed into a giant family-friendly festival. There will be a variety of activities to entertain all ages.
While at the Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival, take time to wander through more than 200 booths featuring a vast array of one-of-a-kind and homemade crafts. The Big Shanty Festival has grown through the years to become one of the largest arts and crafts shows in North Georgia.
The location of the Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival plays up the rich heritage of Kennesaw and its important role in the Civil War. The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History sits at the center of the festival. This Smithsonian-affiliated Museum is home to the famous “General” locomotive. To further delight history buffs, there will be a Civil War encampment during the festival. This is a wonderful, interactive way for young and old to learn about history as well as the lifestyle and uniforms of the Civil War era. There will be firearms demonstrations, too.
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Of course it wouldn’t be a festival without outstanding local entertainment and all your favorite festival foods. Entertainment will include some of Kennesaw’s most talented residents: Little General Cloggers, ETO Demo team, Kennesaw Mountain Cloggers, members of Great Gig Dance Studio and many more community groups. The two entertainment stages will also feature performances by many of our area schools including Baker, Chalker, Pickett's Mill, Big Shanty and Hayes Elementary, as well as Awtrey, McClure and Barber Middle schools.
To kick off the festivities, a parade will start at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. The parade will feature fabulous floats, more than 2,000 youngsters representing every sport association and school in the area, plus winners of many pageants. Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain and North Cobb High School bands. The parade will start at Adams Park and continue down Main Street through downtown Kennesaw.
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The Kennesaw/Big Shanty Festival is held in downtown Kennesaw on both sides of Main Street (Highway 293) and is co-sponsored by the City of Kennesaw and the Kennesaw Business Association (a non-profit organization). The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 20 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21. Admission is free.
For more information, contact Bill Watson or Peter Jezerinac at 770-423-1330.
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