GAY, GA --The Cotton Pickin’ Fair lies somewhere in the state of mind between “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “Cold Sassy Tree” on an old cotton plantation or more precisely, in the whistle stop town of Gay, Georgia.  The Cotton Pickin’ Fair is located out in the    country 39 miles south of the Atlanta Airport and 50 miles north of Columbus on the east side of Georgia Highway 85.  Don’t blink or you’ll drive pass, except on the first weekend in May and October!  Then the sleepy little crossroads becomes the backdrop for one of Georgia’s most charming and award-winning festivals,   currently listed among the top 10 festivals in the country.

There’s something indefinably nostalgic about The Cotton Pickin’ Fair.  Walk into the tree-lined fairgrounds and you walk into an almost-dreamlike agrarian landscape, dotted with grandfatherly sheds and warehouses of a bygone era.  No asphalt here – just red earth and pine-needled paths, and an occasional farm wagon brimming with wispy-white cotton bolls.  A blacksmith’s hammer clangs in cadence with the clack of a passing train on the adjacent tracks.  Fairgoers comment how the bustling activity of a busy festival is smoothed and gentled by the mellow rural atmosphere.

Surprise!!  There’s more to The Cotton Pickin’ Fair than its famous entourage of exhibitors and crafters.  The fairgoer quickly learns The Cotton Pickin’ Fair is a veritable Sunday dinner of the senses.  Music and delicious cooking aromas fill the air.  Color is everywhere – reds and orange in fall, yellows and greens in  springtime.  Each booth – and there are hundreds – is gaily decorated to attract the canny shopper to its artful wares.  Children play games and ride ponies, learn craftmaking and sit cross-legged in front of the rustic outdoor stage to watch lively musicians, magicians, dancers and performers.  There’s even an old-timey puppet show!

And food!!!  Wow!!!  The picnic tables at The Cotton Pickin’ Fair literally groan when folks sit down to cooked-under-your-nose Southern dinners – fried, baked, broiled, boiled, steamed or stewed.  Non-alcoholic beverages, snacks and homemade desserts including freshly-churned ice cream appease any craving  in any proportion from morning until late afternoon.  Food sales benefit local     non-profit charities and civic organizations.  And don’t forget the fresh seasonal    produce on sale at the Fair’s Farmers Market or the profusion of ornamental flowers and plants at the  nursery.

Inside the tin-roofed sheds and warehouses       fairgoers browse between   burnished rows of antique house wares and furniture, books, artworks and country quilts.  Each exhibitor and crafter’s goods are judged for quality and authenticity.   Since 1972 it’s what’s set   The Cotton Pickin’ Fair apart from its competitors:  quality, variety and a commitment to traditional country culture and atmosphere.

Rain or shine, The Cotton Pickin’ Fair, east side of Georgia Highway 85, Gay, Georgia swings open its gates October 4 & 5, 2003; Saturday 9 to 6; Sunday 9 to 5.  Free parking.  All-day admission to The Cotton Pickin’ Fair is $5 for Adults, Senior Citizens $4, Children 4 to 12 are $3. For additional information about the festival call (706) 538-6814 or visit online at www.cpfair.com.