GA Mtn. Fair makes history with 75th commemoration

With a mix of different kinds of entertaining mediums, the Fairgrounds explored the various aspects of what makes its shining star unique.

Throughout different “acts,” a stage vignette portraying a small boy walking through the Fairgrounds and eventually bringing along his family served to tell its own tale about how the place has grown in popularity and attracted attention from all ages.

Locals shared their favorite memories through brief clips on the overhead screen between host Jennifer Waldroup Holloway’s introductions and narration. Holloway began by sharing some of the Fair’s earliest history.

Everything began in 1950 courtesy of the Towns County Lions Club “as a means of instilling pride in this area.” 1951 marked the start of the Georgia Mountain Fair parade, and by 1952, the Fair was incorporated as a nonprofit project by the Lions Club and hosted its first amateur country music show with the help of “Fiddlin’” Howard Cunningham.

Attendance increased steadily until, in 1969, organizers decided that a more spacious property than the old Towns County High School was necessary. They put on a lengthy search, and 1978 saw the first event at what is now known as the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds.

Dr. Vonda Morton, historian and author, published her first book on the Georgia Mountain Fair in 1982. She revised her writing and released a special edition for the Fair’s 75th Anniversary, speaking on her project of passion for the celebration.

“Nothing had been done to document the Fair’s history in any kind of organized fashion, and so, my work began with hours spent poring over decades of old newspaper articles, exploring old Lions Club scrapbooks, (and) interviewing fair workers and volunteers,” explained Morton, who over time felt she had gained “a large and welcoming family” through her talks with the people who “opened their memories, their minds and their hearts” to her.

Music was the next focus of the evening, with Goldrush performing a soulful rendition of Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin’.” Hostess Holloway detailed how the Anderson Music Hall came to be, and how the Fair’s musical performances once took place beneath the Southeast’s largest tent – specially made for the Georgia Mountain Fair.

The groundbreaking ceremonies for the new auditorium were held on April 25, 1979, and the building enjoyed its first show later that year. Construction cost a total of $1 million for the arena that can hold up to 3,000 people. The music hall is named for beloved former Fair President Robert “Bob” Anderson, whose son Robert “Bob” Anderson III was a key speaker that night.

Anderson included a disclaimer that most of his stories were told “from the perspective of a child” – being only 19 when his father died in 1983 – and he focused on how his father’s position with the Fair shaped his young life.

President Anderson’s career spanned from 1960 to 1983, leaving his son to admit that the Fair was just another part of life for the family. Those ties led to a young Anderson III meeting celebrities like Reba McEntire and Conway Twitty.

“My dad would be very proud of how the Fair has survived and prospered,” Anderson said, praising Manager Hilda Thomason for “taking the Fair to new heights.” This came just before Thomason herself was surprised with a bouquet and presented with a plaque for her 30 years of service.

Wyatt Espalin continued the long tradition of introducing talent to the stage by sharing his own skills and introducing his students, the Junior Appalachian Musicians, who played some rollicking old-time tunes and returned to clog as the Bluegrass Stompers alongside the State Prison Cloggers, Kris Berrong and Jo Kilmer.

After some convincing, Espalin himself joined in after distinguishing the different styles of clogging, such as buckdancing and flatfooting.

Another historical feature of the Fair has been the Georgia Mountain Fair Pageant, starting in 1976, though the first Miss Georgia Mountain Fair, Peggy Sellers, was crowned in 1969. Past queens returned to the stage with life updates presented by reigning Miss Georgia Mountain Fair Kenlee Shook.

Hamilton Gardens Curator Catherine Luckenbach talked a bit about her little slice of Heaven, an out-of-the-way aspect of the Fair sitting in the hills above the parking lot. The grandeur of Hamilton Gardens started as the donation of a private collection of rhododendrons and were gradually added onto over the years to include the walkable lakeside trails they comprise today.

True Youngblood presented a moving tribute to Fair volunteers and staff who have passed away by singing Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.”

Holloway divulged that she had been wondering if those who first developed the Fair would approve of how it was run today; the day before the anniversary celebration, she spotted a rainbow overhead.

“Bob Anderson Sr. did such a great job, and he, I guarantee you, is so pleased, he helped get that rainbow up over us this week to let us know they’re all watching and they’re all proud,” Holloway said.

Wrapping up a night of valuable history, new memories were shared when fireworks lit up the night sky behind the Music Hall, shot from a barge on Lake Chatuge.

The Georgia Mountain Fair continues through Aug. 23. Carnival rides, the photography show and all exhibits are open daily at 4 p.m. and 11 a.m. respectively. Aug. 21 is Military and First Responders Day, offering free admission to active-duty personnel and veterans.

Music Hall performances include Gene Watson and the Bellamy Brothers on Aug. 21, Molly Tuttle on Aug. 22 and Lorrie Morgan and T. Graham Brown on Aug. 23. Times change slightly on Aug. 23, with exhibits opening early at 10 a.m. and the rides becoming available at noon.

For more information, visit https://georgiamountainfairgrounds.com/.