SUCHES – As the mountains take on the colors of fall, community members and area visitors alike gathered Oct. 3-4 at Woody Gap School for a weekend of food, music, handmade crafts and school spirit for the 49th annual Indian Summer Festival.
Held on the grounds of Woody Gap, Georgia’s smallest K-12 public school in Suches, the festival brought visitors from near and far to celebrate the arrival of fall while raising funds for this Union County school.
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The funds raised during the festival go toward the needs of Woody Gap students, teachers and other school-related expenses, helping provide resources and opportunities throughout the school year.
Despite concerns of thunderstorms, the threat of rain did not keep vendors, visitors or Woody Gap personnel from attending.
“It’s going very well, considering the forecast for inclement weather,” said Woody Gap Principal Charles K. Garland. “We’ve been blessed with great weather Saturday and hopefully we’ll have better weather (Sunday). But we’ve had an outstanding day and appreciate everyone supporting our school.”
Garland is in his 39th year in education, but this is his first year as principal of Woody Gap. He said his experience at the school has been outstanding so far, including seeing the community involvement at the festival.
“I take great pride of it, as the principal here, to see the community come together and rally around supporting our kids,” Garland said.
Throughout the festival grounds, visitors could browse a wide variety of artisan booths featuring handmade and homegrown products. Vendors offered everything from woodworking, jewelry, organic soaps, toys, clothes and bags to homemade canned goods and local honey.
Some vendors had particularly unique crafts for sale, like Firefly Forest Gifts, which featured handmade crafts inspired by nature, including fairy gardens created from items found in the woods and arranged into nature-inspired sculptures.
Visitors could also stop by Paperpie Learning, a library van that offered a small book-fair experience for students and festivalgoers looking for something new to read.
Wildlife Action Inc., a national nonprofit conservation organization, brought its Georgia division’s wildlife showcase to the festival. The trailer featured a variety of wildlife displays and offered visitors an opportunity to learn more about Georgia’s wildlife.
Entertainment continued throughout the weekend, including a performance in the gym by Woody Gap’s “Band of Steel,” a student steel drum band. Live music with bands and solo performances took place on the festival’s outdoor stage.
Children were also featured in an elementary play, with K-5 students performing a story of Indian Summer in which the sun scares away Jack Frost, since it is too early for winter, and welcomes fall again.
Food remained another major part of the festival. In addition to traditional festival favorites such as ice cream, fried Oreos, funnel cakes and cotton candy, the Gaddistown Homemakers sold fresh, homemade pies.
Woody Gap teachers also operated a booth in the pavilion, working the grill and serving hot dogs, hamburgers, boiled peanuts and other delicious food.
Beside the teachers’ booth was the “Who’s the cutest baby Falcon?” contest, featuring baby pictures of Woody Gap staff. Festivalgoers could vote for their favorite and help raise additional funds for the school.
The weekend also included an Athletics Auction, where local businesses donated items and baskets to be auctioned off to raise money specifically for Woody Gap athletics.
With food, music, student performances, local artisans and community organizations filling the grounds, the Indian Summer Festival once again provided an opportunity for the community to celebrate the season while investing in a local school system and its students.
