While the days

may still be warm, there is a hint of fall in the air. Another indicator

of the impending autumn is the return of all the beloved area festivals.

Citizens and visitors to the area come out in droves to peruse arts and

crafts, eat their favorite festival foods, be entertained by local singers,

dancers and assorted performers, and have a generally good time with their

family and friends in the community.

Tyrone Founders

Day

Things get

underway today with the beginning of the 27th annual Tyrone Founders Day.

It begins with a carnival at Shamrock Park that runs through Sunday, Sept.

21. The hours for the carnival are 5-11 p.m. weeknights and 10 a.m.-11

p.m. on Saturday. An armband priced at $15 will allow you to ride all

of the rides for the duration of each day, with the exception of Saturday.

A $15 armband will allow you to ride either 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or 6-11 p.m.

The rest of

the Tyrone Founders Day schedule includes a karaoke contest tomorrow at

6:30 p.m., an ice cream eating contest Friday at 6:30 p.m. followed by

the start of the Tyrone Idol contest from 7-9 p.m. Saturday's full slate

of activities kicks off with a one mile run and fun run at 7:30 a.m.,

followed by the 5K road race at 8 a.m. Race day registration is $25 and

all proceeds benefit Tyrone Elementary School. Phone 770-631-3265 for

more information.

The rest of

Saturday's activities include a car show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., entertainment

that will run from 10 a.m.-11 p.m., a parade at 2 p.m., the Leigh Langley

Band from 5:30-8 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m. and Tommy Ray Gurley from 9:30-11

p.m. The festival ends on Sunday with a bicycle rodeo at the community

center at 1 p.m., the Flat Rock cheerleaders from 1-1:30 p.m. and an auction

from 2-5 p.m. Vendors are expected to arrive on Thursday and they will

offer a variety of things from arts and crafts, to books, antiques and

more.

Inman Farm

Heritage Days

For the past

six years the Minter family of Inman, Rick, Joanne and Stephanie have

welcomed visitors to their farm for a weekend in September for Inman Farm

Heritage Days. This year marks the seventh year for the festival and while

visitors will get to see their favorite exhibits and demonstrations, there

are some new additions to the festival.

As always there

will be arts and crafts, entertainment and food, as well as antique cars

and tractors on display, demonstrations of a wheat threshing, blacksmithing,

a cotton gin, a saw mill and a grist mill, children's activities and contests

for the whole family. Some of the contests taking place this year are

watermelon seed spitting contests, hay bale tossing, wagon wheel rolling

and a battle of the bands with the only instruments allowed being jugs,

washtubs and saws.

New this year

is a rescued and restored one-room schoolhouse and a country store, a

water purification distillation plant, a baby donkey at the farm animal

display, a corn sheller, a hammermill, an Allis Chalmers Model 100 self-propelled

combine and an almost fully restored 100 year old Chandler and Price printing

press.

It wouldn't

be Inman Farm Heritage days without the tractors in the annual power parade.

Among the tractors participating in the parade this year are Allis-Chalmers,

Economy, J. I. Case, John Deere, Farmall, Ford, International Harvester,

Massey Ferguson, Minneapolis Moline, Oliver, Silver King, and Waterloo

Boy.

The festival

gives visitors a chance to step back in time to a simpler time and place.

In addition to all of the fun to be had, there is much to be learned about

history. Visitors are welcome to arrive in their antique cars, trucks

or tractors. The festival runs Friday-Sunday, Sept. 19-21. Activities

start at 9 a.m. each day and go until dark. Sunday's activities will start

with an outdoor church service.

Admission to

the festival but donations are accepted. Phone 770-461-2840 for more information

or visit www.inmanfarm.com.

27th annual

Shakerag Arts and Crafts Festival

Nestled in

Shakerag Knoll, located by the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater and the

BMX track in Peachtree City, vendors come out every year to showcase their

wares to thousands of visitors. Festival organizers expect 130 vendors

this year, many of whom have appeared at the festival before. Visitors

will get to peruse and possibly purchase such items as dried floral, quilts,

afghans, coffee table gardens, paintings, jewelry, handbags and more.

There is also a children's area featuring pony rides, a moonwalk, games

and assorted activities. Another main attraction is the fabulous festival

food which includes such treats as apple dumplings, turkey legs,

funnel cakes and kettle corn among others. There are also typically a

number of entertainers performing

throughout the weekend. The hours for Shakerag are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday

and 12-5 p.m. Sunday, rain or shine.

The 19th annual

Old Town Sharpsburg festival

Much like the

Shakerag festival, Old Town Sharpsburg also offers up over 100 vendors

with a number of products, everything from antiques to leather goods,

puppets, cypress furniture, jewelry and DIY crafts. The festival runs

from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. In addition to all of the shopping,

there will be entertainment provided by Rachel Ferguson's dancers, Spencer

Mulkey and Turin Baptist Church among others. Abe Winters will offer a

special tree climbing activity for children of all ages and, as always,

there will be a lot of different types of tasty morsels for visitors to

sink their teeth into. There is ample parking in the designated customer

parking area and there are also a few vendor spaces still available. If

you are interested in renting a vendor space, phone Sharon at 770-252-9400.

2003 Fayette

County Kiwanis Fair

The 2003 Fayette

County Kiwanis Fair offers exhibits, festival food, an exciting carnival

midway, games and more. The festival starts Monday, Sept. 22, and runs

through Saturday, Sept. 27. The Starr's Mill High School marching band

will perform Monday at 7 p.m., Waterproof Feat will perform Wednesday

at 7 p.m., Alisa McCance and Riversage will perform at 7, 8 and 9 p.m.

Thursday and Friday and A1A will perform Saturday. Armbands for the carnival

rides are $15, Monday-Thursday, good for use from 6-10 p.m. Armbands for

Friday are $18 and good for use from 6-11 p.m. Saturday's armband is also

$18 and good from 1 p.m.-12 a.m. Gate admission to the fair is $5 for

ages 12-64, $2 for ages 5-11 and 65 and up and free for ages 4 and under.

The fair will take place at the Kiwanis Fair Complex on Goza Rd. in Fayetteville.

Phone 770-719-3530.

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