Conduct Cotton Pickin' Fair Rotary Fundraiser in October

The Cotton Pickin' Fair is the signature fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Meriwether Co. The Fair is held twice a year on the first weekends in May and October.

he Meriwether County Rotary Club cooks over 700 foot long hot-dogs with slaw, chili and cheese. Other items include candy apples, tea, lemonade, coffee, and muffins for breakfast.

The Cotton Pickin’ Fair, a festival of art, antiques and crafts, is set for the first weekend in May and October at the Gay Family Farm, where it has been held continuously since 1972.

About 350 exhibits are expected in and around the farm buildings, which date from 1891. Fine art, antiques, pottery, weaving, basket making, blacksmithing, sculpture, wood working, folk art, jewelry, furniture and gourmet foods will be designed and produced by artisans from all over the United States.

There also will be entertainment on tap, including folk dancers and blue grass music at the main stage and magical illusions and sleight of hand, or the country sounds of the Honey Creek Band on other stages.

Local civic clubs, churches and schools will provide Southern foods from fried chicken to peach fried pies.

There will be a complimentary shuttle from the fair to Historic Red Oak Covered Bridge built by Horace King in the mid-1840s. The shuttle will be provided free of charge for Cotton Pickin’ Fair visitors.

Created by the Gay family, the fair is sponsored by The 1911 Society Ltd., a Georgia nonprofit corporation supporting sustainable rural development, farm preservation and agri-tourism.

The Cotton Pickin’ Fair is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2 at the Gay Family Farmstead.

8 to 10,000 people attend the weekend fair.