A Small Town Festival

I always welcome a chance to venture out into small towns near the area because it encourages the feeling of going back in time and simple pleasures. The announcement on the local news of a Catfish Festival in the little town of Kingsland, Georgia offered this type of opportunity. It was just under an hour's drive, involved interstate travel, and a festival always offers plenty of people watching to catch on camera. I enjoy these small Southern  towns because they bring back memories of the mountain towns back in Colorado. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

Despite the heat,  there were plenty of people attending the festival. Kingland's proximity to Kings Bay Naval Station probably added to the mix of families primed for an outing of food and fun.

Kingland is definitely a small town as you can see from this photo of the main street. Time moves slowly in places like this, and I can understand how at times in our fast paced world that can have its advantages.

And, you can imagine the excitement in the town because the festival probably brings in more people than the entire population. So for one day each year the Catfish fly and the town balloons with people.

There was all kinds of family friendly entertainment such as pony rides that offered the chance to not only ride a pony but also pet some very gentle dogs that would ride along with you. This little girl took the plung, and who could blame her. A pony and a puppy is always a winning combination.

For the more adventurous there was the rock climbing wall which really required some bravery because the column was pretty high. This young man was not deterred as he made his way to the top!

And for the smaller set, there was the barrel train powered by a riding lawn mower that provided a ride around the grounds.

I brought my bicycle and after a meal of very tasty catfish, rode around the town.  I learned from one of the locals that Kingsland is known as "Love Town" because it is possible for a lot of people, especially coming from Florida, to get a marriage license and ceremony all in the same day. Sort of like the small Las Vegas of the South. He also mentioned that Oprah was scheduled to feature the town as a reality show later in the year. Who knew!!

And, a final shot before packing up my bike for the trip back home. I came upon this little shop and there was something about the sign for "new and used items" and the folige that seemed to be eating the building alive that caught my eye. A fitting end for the day!