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A celebration of arts and crafts

Powers Crossroads a welcome tradition

Wandering the meandering shaded paths throughout the grounds of Powers’ Crossroads Country Fair and Art Festival outside of Newnan, visitors can step back in time and spend a relaxing day far from the stresses of the hurly-burly world just outside the festival gates. Whether it’s watching artists and craftsmen demonstrate their talents from throwing pottery on a kick wheel or forging red hot steel at the Blacksmith Shop or maybe enjoying ice cream while listening to some toe tapping bluegrass music, it’s all here to see, feel and experience at the Crossroads.

Each Labor Day Weekend over 200 artists and craftsmen converge on Powers’ Crossroads to display and sell their heartfelt work. In it’s 35th year, Powers’ Crossroads attests to some of the more enduring traits of humanity - creativity expressed in a myriad of ways through the talents of exhibitors from as many as 20 states - singers and musicians performing on The Summerhouse Stage or the talents of wonderful Southern cooks offering truly homemade treats.

There’s always excitement for the younger set too at the festival’s Twin Oaks Junction children’s park with rides, games and concessions. New for this year is the Seedsowers Clown Troup entertaining kids with face painting, magic acts, balloon sculpting, “crazy hair” for the little girls and air brush tattooing for the boys.

Group exhibits will feature a display of handmade quilts and demonstrations by the West Georgia Quilters Guild and a juried exhibit of student work by talented Coweta County young artist from area schools and privately taught students.

Managed through the efforts of Coweta Festivals, Inc., comprised of five Coweta civic groups, Powers’ Crossroads is truly a wide ranging community event bringing together hundreds of volunteers working thousands of hours to produce this mammoth event. Proceeds from the festival totaling over 2 million dollars has been returned to the community through scholarships and programs administered by the managing organizations.

Powers’ Crossroads Country Fair and Art Festival was formed in 1971 by local and well known artist, Tom Powers. The site of the festival was on the beautiful grounds of the Powers Family Plantation. Exhibitors were set up along winding paths under shady trees. The Festival was a huge success from its beginning and involved all the communities of Heard and Coweta Counties.

Mr. Powers operated the Festival for many years with much cooperation and assistance of these communities and their civic and church organizations. For various reasons, health and otherwise, Mr. Powers had to give up the operation of the festival and in the middle of that last year the Festival was under the supervision of the Newnan Coweta Chamber of Commerce.

In 1975 Coweta Festivals, Inc., was formed as an umbrella organization of six Non-Profit Civic groups; Newnan Coweta Chamber of Commerce, the Newnan Coweta Art Association, The Newnan Coweta Jaycees, The Pilot Club of Newnan, The Newnan Coweta Chapter of Professional Secretaries International (later changed to International Association of Administrative Professionals) and the 4-H Boys and Girls of Coweta County.

These non-profit organizations purchased the festival site a few years later when the land became available. The 86 acres now belongs to Coweta Festivals, Inc., and the annual festival continues to be a success. It has become well known throughout the nation and has been selected several times by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of “The Top 20 Events” for the month of September.

Two hundred fifty talented artists and craftsmen from across the nation gather each Labor Day Week-end to display their works from Saturday through Monday.

One of the many highlights of the Festival is the abundance of delicious country cooking. Twenty non-profit booths staffed by volunteers prepare the tasty fares.

Festival gates are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, September 3 through Monday, September 5. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and military personnel, $3 for children age 5-12 and free for kids 4 and under. All proceeds after expenses are utilized by the civic groups for their youth services and community projects.

Ample free parking is available with free shuttle service to and from the front gate throughout the weekend. Powers’ Crossroads is located off Ga. Highway 34, 10 miles west of Newnan. For more information contact: Dann Jackson, Promotions Director, Coweta Festivals, Inc. (770-253-2011) or e-mail: cowetafestivals@charter.net.