Christmas comes early: Busy weekend for craft shows, festivals in the midstate
Christmas Made in the South returns to Macon this weekend for its 23rd year, and Dr. Pete's sauces, dressings and marinades have been sold at the show for nearly 20 of those years.
"Macon has always felt like we have people who like us; therefore, we love Macon. It's a nice symbiotic relationship," Dr. Pete's co-founder Jan Coffee said with a laugh. "Macon really is one of Christmas Made in the South's best shows. People from Macon and the surrounding areas really turn out, and it's fabulous for us and I'm sure for every other vendor."
Jan Coffee founded the company with her husband, Joel Coffee, in 1985, bottling the products made from her father's recipes. T.A. Peterson, "Dr. Pete" to his patients, was a Savannah physician who enjoyed cooking for his family and friends when he wasn't making house calls, according to the company's website. The company is now based in Ailey, where Peterson was from originally, and the products are sold online and in stores in addition to shows like Christmas Made in the South.
"What's nice is that it's almost like doing a demo, letting people taste our food, and then that drives them to those stores where we sell in the area," Jan Coffee said, adding that those stores include Creter's, Welch's and Hoyt's in Macon, and Dr. Pete's also has a line of baking mixes for goodies such as scones, lemon bars, breads and cookies.
Christmas Made in the South will be open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the Macon Coliseum. Admission is $7 for adults and free for kids 12 and younger.
The following are just a few of the other fun things going on in the midstate this weekend:
The Federated Garden Clubs of Macon's annual Holiday Marketplace: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday at the Historic Neel House, 730 College St. With 26 vendors, many of whom are returning, the house will be full this year, said marketplace committee member Suzan Bennett. A tea room has been added on the sun porch, with sweets from Caroletta's Cakes and complimentary cider, hot tea and coffee.
"The house will be dressed up a little for Christmas. It's a neat old place and a great place to have something like this," Bennett said.
"Bless These Hands" Fair Trade Festival: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, High Street Park, downtown Macon. Featuring locally and globally made crafts, the festival's purpose is to give women an economic boost with a way to sell their goods to help their families, said Sharon Bailey, one of the coordinators. Vendors include Bead for Life, Thistle Farms, Serrv, Liberian wood carvings, Haitian metalwork, Nicaraguan textiles, Christmas ornaments and homemade tamales. The Fair Trade Festival is sponsored by the women of First Baptist Church of Christ, St. Joseph's Catholic Church and High Street Unitarian Church, and all of the funds raised go directly back to the people who made the goods.
Forsyth Historic Train Festival and Clickety Clack Chili Cook-Off: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, East Adams Street, Forsyth. This year's festival features historic train exhibits, a car and bike show, children's inflatable fair, fine art gallery and auction, children's art show, "Operation Lifesaver" railroad safety exhibit, live music and food. The chili cook-off is new this year and has attracted at least 15 teams so far, said Main Street/Downtown Development Authority executive assistant Matt Chalfa. Prizes will be awarded based on a judge's vote as well as a people's choice vote.
Jailhouse Alley Annual Art Show and Sale: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Fort Valley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 301 W. Church St., Fort Valley. In its 48th year, this art show has become an institution, said artist Betty Cleveland. Artists from Warner Robins, Cochran, Taylor, Bibb and Twiggs counties gather to paint once a week, and the show will feature their works in oil, acrylic and watercolors. Cards and prints made from the original drawings are sold, as are calendars featuring pen and ink drawings of local buildings and areas, Cleveland said. This year, for the first time, the show will have a special guest: artist Kay Hanson will be signing copies of her book "Katie's Picnic Pickle," which features her illustrations of herself as a little girl.
This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 7:54 PM with the headline "Christmas comes early: Busy weekend for craft shows, festivals in the midstate ."