TIFTON —Visitors can enjoy a celebration of  the rural heritage of South Georgia during the annual Folklife Festival on April 7 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village. Showcasing South Georgia’s history and culture, the event runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. with interactive activities for both children and adults.  

The Vulcan Steam train’s whistle will welcome visitors for a ride to the Historic Village and Festival to open the day.  A ceremonial firing of the Turpentine Still  will be at 11 a.m. for the Historic Village’s annual turpentine distillation.  Museum guests will have the opportunity to see up close and personal this age-old process that is central to South Georgia’s cultural heritage.  The turpentine still will be running throughout the day and discharging closer to 4 p.m.

The Folklife Festival is all about hands-on activities including tree debarking and hewing, sawmill demonstrations, sheep shearing, mule plowing demonstrations, and quilt square sewing demonstrations. Guests can also visit the antique and model tractors that will be on display on the Tift West Lawn. The antique tractors will parade through the Historic Village at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

ABAC athletes from days gone by will be in the spotlight in “The Glory Days” exhibit in the Museum Gallery.  

Gloves, bats, and assorted relics from ABAC Athletics Hall of Fame athletes will be included in the exhibit.

In the J. L. Sweat law office, three engravings from 1865 will be on display. The engravings feature Andrew Jackson, Martha Washington and William Henry Harrison.

In the Tift House, a new display in the dining room will spotlight Bessie Tift’s personal china. In the Peanut Museum, the American Legacy Quilt show will wow guests with exceptional fiber work.  A temporary photo exhibit of the barn quilts of Kentucky’s Buffalo Gal Trail will also be showcased. In the main exhibit hall, guests will be able to use an interactive code to watch a turpentine documentary, and the same code will be made available outside by the turpentine still.

Admission to the Folklife Festival is $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, $5 for children 5–16 years of age, and free for children under five. For more information, interested persons can contact the Country Store at (229) 391-5205.