Hey Y’all,
March is here and it’s time for the 38th annual Forsythia Festival! For folks unfamiliar with the festival, it’s a beloved tradition in Forsyth and central Georgia that draws visitors from around the state. It’s named after the beautiful Forsythia plant that blooms in early March. Those bright yellow blossoms are like little smiles, making your day that much brighter. My good friend Gilda Stanbery, the Executive Director of the City of Forsyth Convention & Visitors Bureau, recently had two key members behind the festival on her radio show Monroe Today to share more about this timeless event.
How the Forsythia Festival Started
Ms. Gilda welcomed Melissa Lee who is the President of the Forsyth-Monroe Chamber and Kerri Swearingen who is Chairwoman of the Chamber Board. Both women have played an instrumental role in puttin’ together this year’s festival. Startin’ with a little history, Ms. Kerri shared that the festival began as a small arts and crafts event. It was created to give folks a place to share their creativity as artisans and crafters. She shared with Ms. Gilda that “it started on a small scale but morphed, for families and travelers to enjoy and see what Forsyth has to offer.” When it first started, it was over at the old rec department but later moved downtown. This made it easier for folks to find!
The 38th Edition
The festival is held on the second weekend of March and this year it’s on the 8th & 9th. This past weekend kicked things off with the Hello Yellow! event which featured the Food Truck Frenzy had inflatables for the kids, a car show, car painting, and the Forsythia Pageant. I’m sure all the pageant participants looked lovely! The Forsythia 5k was also this past weekend and over 300 people signed up. They either ran or walked the three mile route through Forsyth’s historic residential district.
What to Expect
Now that y’all know more about the festival’s story, let’s get into the event details! Ms. Gilda got the full scoop on what’s happening this year. This Friday there will be a kickoff concert featuring two local entertainers hosted by Forsyth Main Street. As for activities, Ms. Melissa shared that there will be over 180 vendors and sponsors! Along with the vendors, there are slides, pony rides, sand art, bounce houses and so much more.
Now, Ms. Gilda knows that “we all travel with our stomachs” and the good food at the festival is definitely a highlight! There will be a wide variety of food vendors from Greek to funnel cakes and everything in between! Ms. Kerri shared that the Cattlemen’s famous ribeye steak sandwiches will be there. I don’t know about y’all but my mouth is watering just thinkin’ about all that delicious food! Some of the food vendors are local non-profits who use proceeds to sponsor many projects including scholarships for high school seniors.
I could go on and on y’all about this incredible family friendly event but if you want more information, check out their website. You can also listen to the full radio show below!
‘Til Next Time,
Your Storyteller
