Mule Day this weekend promises perfect weather
Young and old alike will enjoy the adventure of old time mule power at Saturday's Mule Day Southern Heritage Festival at Callaway Plantation.
There will be lots of old-time mule action Saturday at Mule Day, says Muleologist Ed Pope III, but you need to come early for the mule competition.
"They like to compete early while the mules are still all pretty," he said. "Then just after lunch, you can try your hand at plowing behind a mule."
The cool fall weather should bring out a lot of mules, he said. "The weather will be perfect for our mules and mule owners."
The good weather should bring the best crowds in years to the 27th annual Mule Day Southern Heritage Festival all day Saturday. As in years past, local families and visitors from all over the area will step back in time to the days of mule plowing and other old-fashioned skills at Callaway Plantation on the Athens Highway.
Young people, too, can take part in Young Eagle flights across the road at Washington-Wilkes County Airport.
This year's Mule Day events will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and for the first time admission will only be $5 a carload, rather than $5 a person.
"We really want local folks to come out," said Tourism Director Ashley Barnett, "so we're lowering the price of admission to just $5 a carload. Mule Day will be bigger, with more activities and fun things to do this year, and we want local folks to come back out."
Local folks are expected to enjoy the return of two competitions.
The First Annual Harvest Competition and Cakewalk, put on by Chamber Board member Sherry Hudson, will see which local church members' pie, cakes, jams and preserves, pickles and relish are the best in the county.
Chamber Board member Casey Jackson will lead the First Annual Callaway Cup team horseshoe tournament, and more.
To draw more people to shop in Washington, she said, participating Washington merchants are offering a 10 percent discount for those with a Mule Day wristband.
Children can participate in plowing with a mule and enjoy a petting zoo, a kiddy train, and many special games.
Hubert Bailey's sheepdogs will give their herding demonstrations, and people can guess the weight of a mule for a $100 savings bond.
For adults, there will be dozens of arts and crafts vendors, gift and specialty booths.
More than a dozen food vendors will offer everything from bar-beque and sausage dogs to funnel cakes and fried Twinkies. Champion chef Joe Barnett will offer his award-winning Low-Country Boil as a fund-raiser for Georgia TASC.
As always, visitors can tour several buildings on the plantation, including the 1869 Greek Revival brick house, the 1790 two-story Federal Plainstyle house, and the 1785 one-room rough-hewn log cabin.
Volunteers will be demonstrating old-time skills such as weaving, rope-making, shingle-making and blacksmithing in the homes. Volunteer demonstrators will make sorghum, syrup, and arrowheads.
In addition to the kids' activities at Callaway, Chris Hughes, Washington Wilkes airport operator, has arranged for at least one pilot, Keith Donker of Evans, to give "Young Eagles" plane flights to children and youth ages 8 to 17 at the airport.
"We're hoping for more than one plane to give rides," Hughes said, "if Keith can get some fellow pilots to come. We really like to introduce kids to aviation, to spark their interest in flying."
Last year Donker gave some 50 kids their first taste of flying, and will return for flights Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
Back on the ground, mule owners will be bringing their best mules to demonstrate plowing and other mule drawn equipment early on Saturday. Anyone with draft mules or cotton mules is invited to come to Mule Day and participate in the contests, Pope said.
Visitors may even get to try their hand at plowing behind a mule, but Pope reminds visitors that the mule events start early and have often been complete by early afternoon.
For family researchers and Cal- laway kin, genealogist and family historian Samuel Taylor Geer will be signing copies of his new book, "Callaways of Western Wilkes County, Georgia: Ancestors, Descendants and Allied Families of John and Bethany Arnold Callaway." Released last month by Gateway Press, the book highlights one of the earliest branches of the Callaway family to come to Wilkes County.
"It's going to be lots of fun for the whole family," said new Chamber of Commerce President Blake Thomson. "Everybody come on out and enjoy Mule Day like we used to, for fivebucks a carload."
For more information, call the Chamber at 706-678-2013.
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