Many residents in Big Canoe and Bent Tree as well as the towns of Marble Hill and Jasper, Georgia used to enjoy perusing the crafts and farmer's market at the Big Canoe Festival on Saturday mornings each April through October. Although the Big Canoe Festival has closed, a new crafts festival and farmer's market has been reborn with a new name, new location and new hours.
New Location and New Hours
The Big Canoe Festival was located on Steve Tate Highway but the new market has been moved to a much more highly visible to traffic location on Highway 53 in Marble Hill, Georgia. The new market, The Amicalola Valley Crafts and Farmer's Market is located on the lawn of Encore Estate Sales, which is directly across from Dollar General on Highway 53. There's plenty of parking available and this location is easily accessible. Hours of the market are weekends only, Saturdays from 10:00 am till 2:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00 pm till 4:00 pm.
Opening Day
Opening day was Saturday, April 11th and there was plenty of sunshine and fresh spring air to help celebrate the grand opening of this new outdoor market. There were smiles all around from the vendors who were happy to be back in business, and the customers who have enjoyed their products from previous years at the Big Canoe Festival. There were even some dogs who happily came with their owners to peruse the goods and enjoy being out and about in the sunshine. Approximately thirty vendors were in attendance, but there is space for the market to grow up to as many as sixty vendors. Below, Valerie Owens shows off her wonderfully scented Scentsy products.
Vendors
Vendor offerings included a variety of jewelry, photography, baskets, rustic furniture, tie-dyed clothing, homemade baked goods, hand crafted purses, plants, fresh seafood, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, Katie Elle Salon, Renu 28 for healthy skin, a nutritionist selling local honey, and much more. There was even a BBQ truck for those who were hungry for more than baked goods.
Vendor Highlights
Some of the more interesting booths were:
- Mama Makant's Mountain Morsels out of Ellijay, Georgia. Her lemon pound cakes are so good that when she brings them to the restaurants she services for desserts, the slices of cake have all been ordered by customers before she even leaves the parking lot!
- 2nd Story Goods whose offerings of jewelery and scarves help support misionary wok in Jubilee, Haiti.
- Baskets by Jim, whose hand made baskets are created in his home in Big Canoe.
- Big Canoe's own BCAR (Big Canoe Animal Rescue) whose volunteers were there with sweet cats and tail wagging dogs ready to be adopted.
If you happen to be in the North Georgia Mountains anywhere near Jasper, Marble Hill, or Big Canoe, Georgia on a weekend between April and October, you won't want to miss a stop at the Amicalola Valley Crafts and Farmer's Market on Highway 53 in Marble Hill, Georgia.
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