Country Comes to Town at the Music & Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival
NASHVILLE – Thousands of visitors will head for Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville on Oct. 16 and 17 for the 18th Annual Music & Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival.
"This is a huge weekend of family fun," said Anne Dale, director of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum. “We will have music, horse-drawn wagon rides, molasses making and lots of great food. Tennessee crafts and unique items will also be available for purchase.”
Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 with children 4 and under free. There is no cost for parking.
"It's a country celebration for the entire family with lots of new attractions this year,” says Jim Johnson, festival chair. “This year, the festival will feature a Cherokee Horse Whisperer who uses age-old secrets to train wild horses, an 1860 living history camp with outdoor cooking and musicians, like the Jingo Jammers, will be entertaining on two different stages. “
A record number of demonstrators will share how farm and home chores were done in times past, including making molasses and gardening to woodworking and blacksmithing. Music and dance can be seen and heard all across the festival grounds. Fabulous garden items, hand-made furniture, gold-wrapped jewelry, handmade quilts, mountain berry baskets, flutes and mandolins will be among the crafts available for purchase.
Children can see and touch farm animals, pick a pumpkin to decorate, take a pony ride, milk a goat, see Smokey Bear or have fun with apple snap games or farmer-for-day activities.
There will be a variety of food including barbecue and beans, roasted corn, sweet potatoes, grilled turkey legs, homemade ice cream, hamburgers, hot dogs and fried pies plus outdoor cooking at the chuck wagon.
Ellington Agricultural Center is located 10 miles south of downtown Nashville, accessible from Franklin Pike or Edmondson Pike. For more information about the festival or directions call the Tennessee Agricultural Museum at 615-837-5197 or visit www.tnagmuseum.org.