Politics & Government

Get Out to the Big Shanty Festival 2012

As one of north Georgia's largest events, the Big Shanty Festival has grown since its humble beginnings in 1975.

An expected 60,000 to 70,000 visitors will fill the streets of downtown Kennesaw this weekend for the city's 36th annual Big Shanty Festival.

Festivities will include an opening parade, a , food vendors, more than 250 booths featuring homemade crafts, and live entertainment on two stages.

The Big Shanty Festival is a collaborative effort between the city, the Kennesaw Business Association, JRM Management and an extensive team of individuals, businesses and organizations. This year's festival is presented by Superior Plumbing.

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According to Robert Jones of the Kennesaw Historical Society, the event was originally called Trade Days and started out as a small local festival that promoted businesses in the downtown area. The first event included a total of 36 booths.

In contrast, last year's event had an estimated attendance of 50,000 people with an economic impact of more than $800,000,

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"The Big Shanty Festival has always been linked to the rich Civil War heritage of Kennesaw, with the Big Shanty Museum, now the , being a central part of the festival," said Jones.

The museum, which recently celebrated the and houses the , will be open throughout the weekend and feature a Civil War encampment.

For a taste of what the Big Shanty Festival has to offer, check out our photo galleries from last year's and Also, be sure to stop by and say hello. Patch will have a booth set up on both days.

Hours: The festival kicks off with a parade Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Directions: Downtown Kennesaw. Heading north on 1-75, take Exit #273 Wade Green Road, turn left, then follow approximately two miles.

Road Closures: Beginning Friday at 6 p.m., Cherokee Street will close from Main Street to Big Shanty; J.O. Stephenson will close from Main to Dallas; Watts Drive will close from Dallas to Main; and Lewis will close from Dallas to Main. For parade set-up on Saturday, Main will be closed from Lewis to Summer starting at 6 a.m. Streets along the parade route will be closed from 9 to 10:30 a.m. All streets re-open at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission to the festival is free.

Will your organization or business have a booth at the festival? Will your dance troupe be performing? Introduce yourself in the comments, and we'll add the information below.

Here are just some of the things you can expect at the 2012 Big Shanty Festival.

  • A kick-off parade will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The parade features floats and marchers with more than 2,000 kids representing every sport association and school in the area, plus pageant winners and Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain and North Cobb High School bands. The parade starts at and continues down Main Street through downtown Kennesaw.
  • Kennesaw will have its first flash mob immediately following the parade. for a video of the choreography from and more information on how to participate.
  • Burnt Hickory Brewery, a nano-brewery that recently opened at 2260 Moon Station Ct Suite 210 in Kennesaw, will give tours and tastings on Saturday. The brewery will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For $8, visitors will receive a glass, keychain and samples.
  • Civil War reenactors will be camped out at the Southern Museum.
  •  will have a booth providing face painting.
  • will have a booth in front of on Main Street. You can stop by to register for the
  Performance Schedule for Saturday, April 21 Depot Stage
 City Hall Stage
 Time Chalker Elementary/Palmer Middle Kennesaw Dance Troupe 10:00-10:30 AM Bullard Elementary Pickett’s Mill Elementary 10:30-11:00 AM Baker Elementary Northstar Kids 11:00-11:30 AM Great Gig Dance Pine Mountain Middle 11:30-12:00 NOON Kennesaw Dance Troupe ==================== 12:00-12:30 PM Great Gig Dance
McCall Primary 12:30-1:00 PM Big Shanty Elementary McClure Middle Jazz 1:00-1:30 PM ETO Anne-Trembly Dance 1:30-2:00 PM Kennesaw Elementary Little General Cloggers 2:00-2:30 PM Local Motion ETO 2:30-3:00 PM Barber Middle School Dance Impact Dance 3:00-3:30 PM Little General Cloggers Local Motion 3:30-4:00 PM Mt. Paran Christian School Kennesaw Charter School Zumba 4:00-4:30 PM Chainsaw Carving Auction TLC Dance 4:30-5:00 PM City of Kennesaw Kennesaw Square Dealers 5:00-5:30 PM Kennesaw Charter School Cheer Brookwood Christian 5:30-6:00 PM

 

Performance Schedule for Sunday, April 22

Depot Stage

City Hall Stage

Time

Great Gig Dance

Country Classic Cloggers

12:00-12:30 PM

Little General Cloggers

City of Kennesaw

12:30-1:00 PM

Great Gig Dance

Kennesaw Mountain Cloggers

1:00-1:30 PM

ETO

Little General Cloggers

1:30-2:00 PM

Country Classic Cloggers

 

2:00-2:30 PM

City of Kennesaw

ETO

2:30-3:00 PM

Allatoona Jazz Band

Grace Community Church

3:00-3:30 PM

Kennesaw Mountain Cloggers

CK Dance Works

3:30-4:00 PM

Impact Dance

Roger Wilson

4:00-4:30 PM

Chainsaw Carving Auction

Roger Wilson

4:30-5:00 PM

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