Scenic 197 Moonshine Highway Auction in Clarkesville GA – April thru May 1
Making corn liquor or “moonshine” was once one of the few ways to make money in the northeast Georgia mountains. Buying and selling the raw ingredients to hauling the finished product was more than a cottage industry in Appalachia; it was a way of life for many locals growing up near Clarkesville GA. According to one lifelong resident of Clarkesville, you were either lucky enough to have worked at the mill or you made “likker”. (See video)
Getting all that moonshine out of the mountains down to the buyers further south involved speeding down a winding dirt road now known fondly as scenic Highway 197. Once called the “road along the river” or “the road down from the lake”, scenic Hwy. 197 was better known by Revenue agents as a major transportation route for delivery of illegal corn liquor to a thriving market around Atlanta.
Today, a trip up or down scenic Hwy 197 offers art galleries, restaurants, studios, and antique stores for year round enjoyment. The Scenic 197 Merchants Association invites you to join them for the 2nd Annual Historic Moonshine Highway Auction event beginning April 1st. Here’s how it works: Purchase $10 or more during the month of April at any of the participating Scenic 197 merchants along Northeast Georgia’s most beautiful and storied drive, and receive the equivalent in “distillery dollars”. Those distillery dollars may then be redeemed for outstanding gift items at the Revenuer’s Auction at LaPrade’s Marina on Saturday, May 1st.
Shoppers can earn their distillery dollars at the following locations: Batesville Restaurant, Paradise Properties, Soque Artworks, Burton Gallery and Emporium, Cottage Garden, Hickory Flat Pottery, Serendipity Stained Glass, Mark of the Potter, Once Upon A Time Antiques and LaPrade’s Marina. Putting your pedal to the metal has never been so rewarding!
Make plans now to bring your accumulated “moonshine money” to LaPrade’s Marina at 4 PM on Saturday, May 1st, sample wine and appetizers from Water’s Edge, and bid on outstanding gift items provided by the Scenic Highway 197 merchants. It’s sure to be a “horsepower happy hour” with no limits on speed or spending!
For more information, maps and special links, visit www.scenic197.com.
Dale Holmes, Broker/REALTOR
Headwaters Realty
(706) 754-5101
www.headwaters-realty.com
dale@headwaters-realty.com
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