VARNELL, Ga. — Kelly Harrell was a teenager when her father Monroe Harrell painted “Prater’s Mill” on a sign near the top of the back side of the mill some 40 years ago.

When that sign rotted and fell earlier this year, Kelly Harrell volunteered to paint a new sign.

“I’m so excited to do something that dad did, it’s a real family project,” she said. Monroe Harrell died last November.  

Fair enthusiasts will get a first look at the new sign during the 46th annual Prater’s Mill Country Fair this Saturday and Sunday. It was placed on the building last week by firefighters.

 “I’ve never had anything to do with signs and ended up making one of the biggest signs out here,” Kelly Harrell said. “I’m not an artist and this is the first sign I’ve painted, which makes it even more interesting.” 

Judy Alderman, one of the Prater’s Mill Foundation’s founders, said the idea behind the original sign is “interesting.” Alderman said a picture of the mill appeared on the cover of Progressive Farmer magazine in the late 1970s. The caption under the picture read “a mill near Dalton.”

“Jane (Harrell) talked her husband into making a sign that said ‘Prater’s Mill’ to go across the back of the mill so the next time the photographer would know it’s Prater’s,” Alderman said.

The sign Kelly Harrell painted is an exact replica of the one her father made. Harrell said she used a 4-by-8 piece of plywood and high gloss outdoor paint. The wood was cut in half and painted before the letters were drawn on. Her father had used different materials.

Jane Harrell said she’s proud of her daughter. 

“Kelly did a great job and her dad would be so pleased,” she said.

Jane Harrell, a former vice president of the Prater’s Mill Foundation, said her daughter has been an avid volunteer for Prater’s Mill since she was a teen.

Alderman said she, Jane Harrell, Kelly Harrell and others who worked publicity for the mill were called the Prater’s Mill Gang.

“On weekends we would go work at the mill,” Alderman said. “We did crazy things, anything someone thought of we would try.” 

She recalls mailing a bag of corn meal to NBC’s “The Today Show” and it was featured during one of the show’s segments.

Alderman said now Mikey Sims, the fair director, and Elaine Watkins, executive director of the Prater’s Mill Foundation, do many of those tasks.

Kelly Harrell said Prater’s Mill will always be special to her.

“We say ‘Prater’s Mill: The Next Generation’ because there are several of us that grew up there,” she said.

She said she looks forward to the fair every year.

“I’m especially looking forward to the guy that makes harps, and eating hand-dipped corn dogs,” she said.

Fair facts

Prater’s Mill Country Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $7; children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Prater’s Mill is on Ga. Highway 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and 30 miles south of Chattanooga. For more information, call (706) 694-MILL (6455) or visit pratersmill.org.