Wildlife Festival in the Park

The week-end of September 16 and 17 will see wildlife and nature lovers descend on Blue Ridge, Georgia for the 7th Annual Wildlife & Nature Art Festival and Expo. Sponsored and organized by the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association, the festival showcases wildlife and nature themed award winning fine art from members and other artists from across the Southeast. Paintings, Sculptures, Woodcarvings and Photography is displayed in the shaded green space of Blue Ridge Downtown City Park and inside the adjacent Art Center (The Old Courthouse).

The Outdoor Expo caters to the outdoor enthusiasts and merchants will inform and demonstrate the latest for outdoor activities. Children and adults will love the prize winning llamas from Riseland Llama Farm and Ellijay Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary which will be in the park with a bear cub, chinchilla, opossum an owl and snakes. On Saturday, Squirrel1s Nest Farm bring their Border Collies and sheep to give herding dog demonstrations, visitors can meet the animals close-up. Inside the Old Courthouse, only on Sunday at 2:00, S.O.A.R. (Save Our American Raptors) will give an informative presentation featuring a variety of raptors including owls, hawks, a kestrel, a vulture and an eagle.

The birds will be free flying in the courtroom. The Georgia Jr. Duck Stamp Exhibit, sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, displays the children's art entries, with the waterfowl as the subject, on the courtroom walls.

For the hungry, a wide variety of great food is available

such as Philly cheese steak s a n d w i c h e s , kettle corn, fried green t o m a t o e s , b l o o m i n g onions, funnel cakes, boiled peanuts, BBQ plates, hamburgers and hot dogs.

Admission to the festival is free. Hours are Saturday, September 16, from 10:00 5:00, Sunday 17, from Noon 5:00. Bring the whole family, there1s something for everyone and the kids will love it!