Country Comes to Town at the Music & Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival
Tuesday, October 04, 2011 | 08:15am
NASHVILLE - Thousands of visitors will head for Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville on Oct. 15 and 16 for the 19th Annual Music & Molasses Arts & Crafts Festival. This year’s festival honorary chair is Tennessee Department of Agriculture Commissioner Julius Johnson.
"This is a huge weekend of family fun," said Anne Dale, director of the Tennessee Agricultural Museum. “We’ll have music, square dancing, horse-drawn wagon rides, molasses cooking 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,” said Dale. “We’ll have taffy pulls, hand-blown glass demonstrations, apple butter cooking, stick horse races and fantastic musicians.”
Fabulous garden items, gold-wrapped jewelry, handmade quilts, primitives and Shaker style furniture will be among the crafts available for purchase. A record number of activities from times past will be at the pioneer log cabins, including basket weaving and blacksmithing.
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 and 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, funnel cakes and more.
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.