Oliver Hardy Festival

The 21st Annual Oliver Hardy Festival is this Saturday, October 3rd in Harlem. Harlem, GA is the birthplace of comedian Oliver Hardy of the legendary comedy Laurel and Hardy. The event boasts thousands of visitors each year. There are parades, a “look-a-like” contest, arts and craft vendors, children’s rides and entertainment, live entertainment, BBQ and Laurel and Hardy movies. Admission and parking are free. For more information and directions, visit Harlem’s website at www.harlemga.org.

Downtown Historic Madison Chili Cook-Off and Fall Festival

The 5th Annual Downtown Chili Cook-Off and Fall Festival in Madison is this Saturday, October 3rd from 10am – 4pm. There is not a lot of information available on the web about this event but I imagine there will be vendors and live entertainment in addition to the chili cook-off. If you have not been to Madison yet, this might be a good time for you to visit. It’s a beautiful historic town with some great little shops and is only 45 minutes away from Atlanta. For more information on the festival and Madison, visit their website at www.madisonga.org.

Free Admission Saturday at the High Museum

Fulton County residents can visit the High Museum for free the first Saturday of each month. Show proof of residency in Fulton County and view the special exhibitions as well as the permanent collection for free! The offer is available for walk up ticket purchases only from 10am – 5pm.

The Strut

The East Atlanta Strut is my favorite parade in Atlanta and my favorite event in East Atlanta. If you have not yet experienced a Strut, I highly recommend it! The 12th Annual East Atlanta Strut is this Saturday, September 19th in the East Atlanta Village. The festival starts at 10am with a 5k run, kids village and artists market. The parade begins at 2pm. Admission is free. For more information check out their website at eastatlantastrut.com

Atlanta Arts Festival

The Atlanta Arts Festival is this weekend, September 12-September 13, in Piedmont Park. The festival starts each day at 10am and admission is free. In addition to viewing the works of 200 artist from across the country there will be artist demonstrations as well as festival food, entertainment and merchandise. For more information visit the festival's website at www.atlantaartsfestival.com

Atlanta BBQ Festival!

Atlanta now has it's first official Barbeque Festival! The festival is this Saturday, September 12th, from 10am-6pm in the Green Lot at Turner Field. Admission is free. In addition to barbeque and a BBQ competition, there will be performing acts, vendors, a kid's area and a baseball clinic! You also have the chance to meet Otis Nixon and get his autograph! For more information on the Atlanta Bar-B-Q Festival, check out their website at www.atlantabbqfestival.com

Dragon Boat Festival

The 14th Annual Dragon Boat Festival is this Saturday, September 12th, at the Lake Lanier Olympic venue at 9am. Over 50 rowing teams from all over the country participate in the event with thousands of people attending. There will be a variety of vendors specializing in Chinese food and arts as well as performers. For more information and directions, visit one of these websites:

www.lckc.org

www.lakelanier.com/events/dragon-boat-festival/

www.dragonboatatlanta.com/

Tai Chi in the Garden

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is offering "Tai Chi in the Garden" classes on Saturdays at 9:30am from September 19th through November 21st. I can't think of a more perfect place to learn this ancient art. Registration deadline is this Sunday, September 13th. The fee is $130 for non-members of the garden and $120 for members. For more information and to register for the class visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens website at www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

Gardening Workshop at the Chattahoochee Nature Center

This Saturday, September 12th, the Chattahoochee Nature Center is hosting a "starting plants from seeds" workshop. This workshop is the first of four Organic Gardening and Sustainable Living Workshops with Duane Marcus, Co-Owner of The Urban Gardener and farmer at the Funny Farm. I know Duane and he is extremely knowledgeable so this should be a fantastic workshop. The workshop is from 1pm to 3pm and is $30 for non-members of the center and $25 for members. Ages 16 and up. For more information and to register for the workshop visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center's website at chattnaturecenter.org.

Smyrna Annual Beer Festival

This Saturday, September 5th, is the 6th Annual Smyrna Beer Festival held at the Smyrna Market Village. The beer festival includes tastings of over 100 beers and a limited selection of wines. There will be a DJ or you can take in a college ball game. Food will be available. Dog friendly! The entry fee is $25 per person in advance and $35 per person at the gate. The event starts at 1pm and ends at 6pm. Entry is limited to the first 3000 participants and is 21 and over event. For more information, a list of beers offered last year and the address of the event, visit the Smyrna Market Village's website at www.smyrnamarketvillageevents.com.

Art in the Park

Each Labor Day weekend the Marietta Square host the "Art in the Park" festival. The 23 year old celebration begins this Saturday, September 5th and goes through Monday, September 7th. It is a huge art festival with over 130 artist in painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry and more. There is also an interactive Art Alley where young and old can create take home art for free! Free admission. For more information visit their website at mariettaartinthepark.com.

Hot Air Balloon Festival and More!

This weekend is the 11th Annual Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. The festivities begin this Friday, September 4th at 5pm and go through Sunday, September, 6th. There will be live performances, demonstrations, rides, a classic car show and all kinds of activities available! Check out the schedule of events, directions and admission information on the Callaway Garden website at www.callawaygardens.com/callaway/info/calendar/calendar.sky_high.event.aspx.

Pasaquan

Pasaquan is a very special place in Georgia. It was the home of artist Eddie Owens Martin. Mr. Martin, or St. EOM as he called himself, created sculptures and paintings over the vast majority of this property which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Inside the house are various items of art he created including furniture, costumes, paintings, sculptures and more. St. EOM was a very interesting character with amazing talent and his art has been displayed in the High Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in D.C. If you have not been to visit Pasaquan I highly recommend it. If you like taking photos you'll fall in love with this place. So plan to spend quite a bit of time there exploring the property. Pasaquan is only open the first Saturday of the month from April through November. The property is open this Saturday, September 5th from 10am-4pm. Admission is a $5 donation per person and all monies are used to preserve the site. Pasaquan is located in Buena Vista, GA just southeast of Columbus and is about a 2.5 hour drive south of Atlanta. For more information about St. EOM and Pasaquan, visit their website at www.pasaquan.com.

Lots To Do This Labor Day Weekend

As I'm sure you already know, there are all kinds of events and activities during the Labor Day weekend. For the sake of time as the weekend is rapidly approaching, I'm going to highlight a few upcoming activities in this post.

The Atlanta Journal/Constitution Decatur Book Festival is this Friday, September 4th - Sunday, September 6th. This is not your average book festival. For starters, the author of the popular Sookie Stackhouse novels will be there! For more information on the festival including directions and a schedule of events and authors visit the festival website at www.decaturbookfestival.com.

The Starlight Six Drive-In Theater is hosting a "Drive Invasion" on Sunday, September 6th. It's an all day affair at the drive-in with several movies, two stages and lots of bands. The gates open at 11am and tickets are $28 per person, $5 for kiddos nine and under. For details and directions visit the Starlight Drive-In Theater's website at www.starlightdrivein.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.events

The last of the "Concert by the Springs" series in Sandy Springs is this Sunday, September 6th from 7pm-8:30pm. The concert is free and held at the Heritage Green property in Sandy Springs which is a historic home with a lovely sprawling lawn. Pack a picnic, bring a cooler and a blanket and enjoy the summer evening. This Sunday the band is The Return, Beatles Tribute Band. For details and directions to the concert visit the Heritage Sandy Springs website at www.heritagesandysprings.org.

Last but certainly not least is Dragon-con. Dragon-con is back in Atlanta this weekend, September 4-7. If you're not sure what Dragon-con is or if you want to know the schedule of events during the convention, visit their website at www.dragoncon.org.

Gardening Class at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

The Atlanta Botanical Garden is offering a "Basics of Edible Gardening" class on September 9th. Class discussion will include how to set up your garden, using organic sprays, crop rotation, lay-out, soil preparation and more. The class is from 6:30pm-8:30pm on September 9th but the registration deadline is September 3rd. The fee is $25 for non-members. For more information and to register go to www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/events/ListClasses.do

Toddler Art

Spend an inspirational afternoon with your child creating art at the High Museum. The High Museum offers a "Toddler Thursdays" art program every Thursday from 11am-3pm. This Thursday, September 3rd, they are offering the opportunity for you and your child to create Calder inspired mobiles with geometric shapes. The program is designed for children ages 2 to 5 and is free with admission to the museum which is $18 for adults. The art projects offered change weekly. For more information, visit The High Museum website at www.high.org/main.taf?p=5,3