Adairsville Antiques & Arts Annual Sale is April 16-17

Media release:  The Antiques & Arts Annual Sale is planned for April 16-17, 2011 on Adairsville's Historic Public Square.  Admission is free and the event is open Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday Noon-5 p.m.  Not only will visitors have the opportunity to purchase rare antiques and handcrafts but will also be the first to view a new mural commemorating the Civil War's Great Locomotive Chase.

Adairsville plans to host many antiques dealers and artists for this two-day outdoor festival in Georgia's first city to be listed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places.  Enjoy music on the square or take a guided tour of the Adairsville Rail Depot Age of Steam Museum.  Browse and buy from booths displaying furniture, jewelry, rugs, glassware, collectibles and more including fine works of art, pottery and unique handcrafts.  Food concessions will also be available.

On Saturday there will be door prizes given hourly and DJ tunes all day.  In the evening there will be a large antiques auction at Ken's Antiques & Auction located adjacent to the historic square. 

Raffle tickets will be sold both days for three great prizes awarded on Sunday afternoon: an overnight stay at Barnsley Gardens Resort; golf for four on "The General" championship course at Barnsley Gardens Resort; and a bench donated by Ken's Antiques & Auction.  In addition on Sunday, there will be a special performance by the Dixie Fire Cloggers of Cartersville.

            Just prior to the opening of the festival, a new historic art mural will be unveiled on the side of the 1847 W&A Rail Depot on April 13.  Visitors to the sale will be some of the first guests to view the painting depicting the Great Locomotive Chase, the most daring event of the Civil War.  The mural was painted by local artists Skip McNutt and Ernest Neal and funded by a $75,000 Rural Business Development Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture awarded to the Adairsville Heritage Foundation, a non-profit committee of the Adairsville Downtown Development Authority.

            Adairsville Mayor Evan King commented on the annual sale's success stating "I think Adairsville's historic downtown with its restored streetscape is a natural fit for the Antiques & Arts Sale.  Visitors enjoy the "Norman Rockwell" look and feel that is so attractive to our residents.  This event is a wonderful opportunity to expand the knowledge of what a jewel we have in downtown Adairsville." 

The festival is made possible by community sponsors including the City of Adairsville, Adairsville Downtown Development Authority, Cartersville-Bartow County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Quality Inn of Adairsville, Ken's Antiques & Auction, Summers Street Companies, Inc., United Community Bank, A&B Transport, Adairsville Drugs, John Driscoll State Farm Agency, Adairsville Eye Associates, Barnsley Gardens Resort, Barton & Sons Funeral Home, and Part Time Artist Skip McNutt.

Booth space is still available.  Antiques dealers may display and sell furniture, glassware and other items of historical significance, and artists may exhibit and sell works of original concept and craftsmanship. Each 10 ft. by 10 ft. space is $75 with additional adjacent spaces available for $50 if needed.  Electricity, if needed, is an additional $15 per booth.  Artists must submit photos of their work for approval by the festival committee. Dealers and artists may learn more and apply online at www.AdairsvilleInApril.com or call Rose McCranie at 770-877-5209.

            Adairsville is located in north Georgia, half-way between Atlanta and Chattanooga, TN.  Take I-75 Exit 306, go west on GA 140 one mile, go straight at intersection with US 41, then left onto Main Street. Continue less than one mile to Historic Downtown Adairsville on right.   Plan your visit at www.NotAtlanta.org.