A Country Fair

Gil and I attended a Country Fair sponsored by Country Living magazine last weekend in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and Stone Mountain was the perfect setting.

It was really exciting for me to read about the fair in the magazine months in advance, and then actually get to go. It was just too close to home for us to pass up.


I loved this cool pumpkin arrangement. I think I will toss one together this weekend.

I got to attend cooking classes that were held in this tent:

My favorite speaker was Gena Knox. She is the author of Gourmet Made Simple and Southern My Way. She also has a blog which can be found here. She prepared two dishes, Onion Jam-Topped Crostini with Bacon and Cheddar Cheese, and Spaghetti Squash with Rosemary and Parmesan. She prepared each dish step by step and we got to taste them when she finished. Both were scrumptious and I plan to make them again.

There were countless craft booths which were nestled on a winding path. I didn't get many pictures, but here are a couple. These chairs were interesting. Not like your mama's wing backs.

And everyone needs one of these, whatever it is. It is only mildly disturbing.

We also attended a home makeover workshop hosted by Chip Wade, of HGTV's Curb Appeal. It was really interesting.


We had been to Stone Mountain before, so we decided to mostly concentrate on the fair for the day, but we did drive up to look at it for a few minutes before we headed home. It is pretty amazing. I researched it and found out that it is is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock. In other words, a giant rock.





The highest point is 1,686 feet The mountain is more than five miles in circumference at its base. There is a single trail up one side. We have walked it before and it is a major workout. There is also the optional skyride.

There is an impressive carving on the side of the mountain. Here is an old picture of some of the carvers at work. I like how the work required a coat, tie, and hat. They began work on the carving in 1926, but, for many reasons, it was not officially complete until 1972.


Here it is today. This is Stonewall Jackson, Robert E Lee, and Jefferson Davis. The carved area measures three acres, or about the size of three football fields. Pretty amazing.



It was a really nice place to spend a fall day.

There are fun things to do there. This is called The Sky Hike. I want to try it next time.

The shops around it are quaint and cozy. The candy shop makes pretty good fudge. Maybe the next best thing to homemade.



It was a fun day in a beautiful setting. Country Living holds fairs all over the country at different times of the year. I highly recommend going to one.